Tag Archives: ephemeral

A Spring Favorite

Shooting Stars on a bluff at Ball’s Bluff

Sometimes when walking along in the woods, I come across a new (to me) flower. This happened last year when I saw the Shooting Stars. Unfortunately I found them just days before access to the park was limited due to the pandemic. Only a few flowers were open at that time. I was determined to visit them again this year and have been back several times so far. There are several dozen plants in various stages of blooming. I crawl around on knee pads and yoga mat trying to get as low as possible. I like the effect of getting down to ground level for the shots.

Shooting Star blossoms

The second image was made with a long lens and extension tube. The combination helps to isolate the flower from the background by using a wide aperture.