Golden Hour of Cactus

Every photographer knows the magic of the Golden Hour, the time around sunrise and sunset where the light from the sun is colorful and soft rather than hot and overly bright, and where the low angles generate interesting patterns and effects. The effect is as important on the desert as anywhere else as the three selections show the interplay of light and form and the wildy varying types of cactus found in the Desert Botanical Garden. From round to upright and even including a runner that looked like a cactus-snake, there was a lot to see there in the perfect light.

Giant Cacti With Wound or Bird

I was really struck with many of the giant cacti that I saw with gaping wounds, deep sores that seem to show the deepest fibers of the plant. To see a 15' tall plant with this gaping hole still looking alive and strong shows the tough and tenacious nature of the plant. Some of the scarred cacti are some of my favorite cactus photos.

The other image was a pleasant surprise for me. A larger plant, perhaps 20' tall, stood strong in front of a nice home in a Mesa subdivision. When I looked at the photo later, I thought I saw a tiny bird atop the cactus. A little magnification magic and I found there was indeed a bird keeping watch over the house.

Next post will cover the quick sunset on the desert.

Cacti

One of the anticipated elements of any trip for me is the opportunity to shoot landscape, flowers, buildings and so forth that differ from what I might find at home. Arizona spring training is no different: they call it the Cactus League for a reason.

Cactus of all sizes and shapes can be seen nearly everywhere. And the two photos attached show not only the difference in the cacti themselves but in the surrounding landscape. One cactus, a part of a green, manicured lawn, is found in a rare environment -- the grassy background. Stones, gravel and rocks are much more likely to be seen in the normal xeriscape yard.

A few more cacti in the next post with some interesting detail.