These speckled fairyfans were lit from above in the midday sun.  The petals seemed to glow.

Glowing petals

On vacation, one often finds herself in a location or situation that is never to be repeated. Such was the case of my encounter with the prolific wildflowers called Speckled Fairyfans. As we drove along the winding State Road 245, the north–south highway that runs from near Exeter to near Kings Canyon National Park, we came upon clusters of these delightful flowers in full bloom.

If I had followed the convention of avoiding overhead midday sunlight, I wouldn’t have made this image. I daresay: this is a rule that is meant to be broken.  If the subject matter is flattered or emphasized in some way that creates a pleasing and artistically satisfying result, take the picture. If the subject presents a sight that you wish to record for memories from a vacation, take the picture.  Had this subject been a human, a reflector would have been helpful to fill in shadows on the cheeks and below the eyes as a result of the bright overhead light. This was, however, a still life. I didn’t want to change anything about  the way these flowers were naturally illuminated.