This is a rare and endangered species that only grows on a rocky, arid hillside area in the Ring Mountain Preserve in Marin County, CA. It only blooms for about two weeks and gets beaten up by winds and early summer heat. The blooms are sparse and small and easily overlooked. This year I managed to photograph them for the first time. I included the tangle of thin dry grass stems that are typical of their habitat.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments welcome!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon R5, Canon EF 100mm macro, 1/200 sec, f/14, ISO 2000. A diffusion screen held about 2" from the flower moderated the bright sunlight and wind. Focus stack, tripod. Minor tonal adjustments in LR. Topaz DeNoise and focus composite by hand in PS.
This is an impressive flower. We think of most flowers as being brightly colored, but there are floral gems that are exceptions to the expected. I think the patterns and texture of the petals provide lots of interest. I wish that the BG was more simple, but it does work to show where this plant grows. Well done…Jim
Diane: What a great find and a good solid capture. The center details are especially impressive. My only suggestions would be to have removed the bit of grass on top of the flower in the field and to add a vignette to subdue the BG. I did some sloppy CA work on the grass and put a pretty strong vignette around the flower for your consideration. Back to you. >=))>
Thanks for taking the time to bring us this rare and unusual flower. It reminds me of spider wort or trillium in its structure, but obviously not in color. What a subdued palette. I like the slight turn you gave the camera, but agree that maybe a little judicious cloning and deepening the shadows around it would help it stand out a bit more. The environment in which it grows is important though and I don’t know how else you could have shot it in situ. Brava!
Thanks @Jim_Zablotny, @Bill_Fach and @Kris_Smith! I like Bill’s suggestions and did do some subtle toning down and vignette as he suggested, but the intent was to show the flower in its natural setting, in which it is remarkably inconspicuous. I have shots of a couple of other flowers that are a little more separated from the setting, but this one is the most authentic. On one of the other flowers, I asked the researcher from the California Academy of Science who was with me if it would be OK if I moved (not removed) a small stem that I felt was spoiling the BG, and he became noticeably pale, so I decided not to.
Thanks Diane for retaining the authenticity and treading lightly in the environment of a threatened species.
In the NPN Code of Conduct there is a highlighted admonishment - “The subject and the habitat are more important than the photograph.”
This is one of those times when that philosophy takes precedent.
Calochortus tiburonensis is Federally designated as THREATENED. It is a single population, in a single location, growing in a rare habitat, and close to a large population center.
My career included protection and stewardship of 8000 acres of natural areas in western Pennsylvania. Some were large tracts, some small. Most had rare habitats and in those habitats rare, threatened, and endangered plants and animals. Of the many threats that had to be considered, was the one species that could do the most harm in the shortest time - people. Their activities ranged from inadvertent damage from dirt bikes and even just walking, to digging plants to be sold to collectors. And yes, photographers.
After reading the NPN Code of Conduct I think we need to add a few points that pertain specifically to plants in situ, especially those in danger, but even common species.
Thanks again, and especially thanks for letting us see this exceptional species and a bit of the home where it is found.
Thanks much for the added information, @paul_g_wiegman. I was careless not to mention that the stem I asked about removing wasn’t from this or a neighboring Tiburon Lily – it was a grass stem. But it stayed in place and I photographed a different bloom. I wish now I had done some more environmental shots, although they can be found on the internet. (I was deterred by harsh light and wind.) But a hint of the location is seen in these iPhone shots made by the researcher. The area is an array of public hiking trails on a rugged rocky hillside, but people in the North Bay Area are generally very environmentally aware and respectful.
