One Last Shot of the Lupin Wildflowers

It has been a fruitful wildflower season during the Spring of 2022, but I felt like I still hadn’t gotten “the” shot. The Lupin had already been in bloom for a couple of weeks, surely there wouldn’t be any left to photograph?

Doubtful, but determined, I packed up my gear and headed toward Folsom Lake. I had already explored the Brown’s Ravine and Beeks Bight areas, and had gotten some good shots of both locations. However, something told me I could do even better.

That left two spots in my local area that I hadn’t visited during the bloom: Beals Point and Rattlesnake Bar. Beals point was closer but it had less potential for a large bloom due to its topography. Rattlesnake Bar was a further drive, but there was definitely more potential at that location, so that’s where I headed.

I drove past the closed ranger station (the boat ramp hasn’t been open for a couple of years, so they let everyone in for free) and headed for the large rocky parking lot. There’s a paved parking lot a bit further down the road, but the view is better from the rocky lot.

As I approached the lake, my heart rate increased when I saw fields of purple through the trees. I wasn’t too late! How could this be? How long do those damn flowers bloom for? I don’t know the answer, but I was happy to see them.

A Sea of Purple

Parking the car, I noticed only one other vehicle but no people. I was basically alone. I grabbed my bag and tripod and walked over to the ledge overlooking the area. What greeted me was a sea of purple amongst the brown rocks and green bushes. I couldn’t believe that no one had been talking about this area on social media. It was glorious to behold.

The skies were overcast but thinning and breaking into clouds. Another thing I noticed was how full the lake was. One of my most popular pictures from last year was taken from a spot that was now under water. Crazy how much difference a few late spring storms can make.

As mentioned in my Shelter post, I was still on the hunt for the perfect long exposure water shot. I’ve taken dozens of pictures over the past few months, but none I would deem worthy. All that effort wasn’t for not, though, as I have learned much along the way.

I grabbed a few shots from the overlook vantage point to capture the purple sea, and then I headed down toward the water. There were a few fingers of land with large lupin patches I wanted to capture.

The petrichor smell still lingered from the morning rain, but the temperature was warm enough to wear shorts. Walking over the ocean of river rocks was a bit jarring but I finally made it down to the shore. I mounted my camera on my tripod and fired away.

A Break in the Clouds

After taking a few different compositions across the lake, I turned and headed for a large rock formation next to a tall tree. I had taken pictures of the duo a few times in different conditions, but all in black and white and when the lake bed was dry.

A pool of water had formed in front of them and I wanted to capture the scene in color. The first composition I attempted included the tree, but from the vantage point where I stood, I felt it didn’t add to the scene. So I recomposed the shot without the tree and clicked the shutter button.

Overhead, a break in the clouds opened and sunlight lit up the rock face as I stood there. I couldn’t believe it. It was as if the heavens waited for me to be all set up and happy with my composition and then added just a bit of a cherry on top.

It’s hard to tell if you’ve truly gotten a shot based on how it looks in the back of your camera. I have thought I had the perfect shot many times only to come home and see the picture out of focus or just not that interesting. As I reviewed the shot on the screen in the back of my camera, I felt excitement. If the picture looked as good at home on the computer, then I knew I had finally gotten “the” shot of the wildflower season.

After returning home and importing the photos from the SD card, I took a deep breath and began reviewing my shots. I scanned them in quick order just so that I could get a big picture idea of what I was working with. As I approached the scene of the rock and tree, I found myself subconsciously holding my breath.

As the first shot that included the tree appeared, I nodded my head in agreement with my decision to not include the tree in subsequent compositions. It just didn’t work. I passed onto the next photo and POW! There it was. I had nailed the focus and the sunlight shining on the rock lit it up perfectly. The smile on my face said it all. I had gotten my “it” shot for the season.

Last year we had a lupin super bloom, but I have to say, this year has been more fun to photograph. I think since the flowers were less prevalent it forced me to become more creative. Here’s to closing the curtain on the wildflowers of 2022!