Wildflowers on Fidalgo

After camping in the Columbia Gorge in late April, my next photography trip was in early May, to Sares Head in Sharpe Park and Lighthouse Point in Deception Pass State Park, both on Fidalgo Island. This part of the state is one of my favorite local areas for wildflower viewing, and this trip didn't disappoint.

To begin, here's a closeup that I'm particularly fond of: broadleaf stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium), from Lighthouse Point. The red color in the background comes from the leaves. F/5.

Here's a slightly wider view of the same flower. This image isn't quite as aesthetically striking as the one above, but you see more of the patterns of color from the flower clusters and leaves. F/6.3.

Next, fawn lily (Erythronium oreganum) near Sares Head. I've photographed fawn lily before, with some success. In this instance, however, I like the simplicity of this composition, and the contrast between the white flower and the dark green background. As I was shooting in low light (under forest cover early in the morning) and used a higher ISO, the noise is a bit high and the image quality isn't quite ideal. Still, I think it's good enough for some print sizes. F/5.6.

Here's my favorite landscape of the day: looking roughly northwest from Sares Head in Sharpe Park, with camas blooming in the foreground. F/18. The camas flowers are a bit small in the frame, although this might be less of a problem at a large print size (versus viewing it on a computer or phone screen). F/18.

Finally, here's a selective-focus rendition of the camas at Sares Head. F/5.

It will likely be a while until my next post, as I have a lot of pictures to sort, from a camping trip to eastern Washington and a day trip to Mount Rainier National Park. Best wishes until then!