A Photo a Day by Bill Heller

California Poppy Photos
 
Monday, November 26, 2007

Low Aperture Poppy

 I've always liked playing with low aperture shots. I like the way the stem of this poppy goes out of focus fast. For comparison, the apple from Thanksgiving was about as tight (high) aperture as this lens gets. Which kept the nice texture of the skin in focus over the whole surface.

 
Sunday, June 10, 2007

Poppy Field

 This photo almost looks like a painting to me. The narrow field of view gives it a very dream-like quality. I keep intending to play with some other subjects, but the flowers have really captured my attention lately!

 
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Cup of Gold Nectar

 Kind of like The Hound when she gets into her food "Face First".

This bee was very cooperative. She spent a lot of time on each blossom. I guess she wanted to make sure she did not miss anything.

This was the only flower on the plant that had the cool "crumpled" look. All of the other flowers were more cup-like. Fitting, since their name in Spanish (Copa de Oro) means "Cup of Gold."

 
Monday, May 28, 2007

Poppy Seed Pod

 No, it's not upside down! Well, the photo's not anyway, the flower is.

This is the same flower from the Photo of the Day on the 20th. By the looks of things there will be poppies all over the place in our back yard next year.

I like the "cross section" look of the flower. And the ruffled edge of the petals too.

 
Thursday, May 24, 2007

Orange Centered Poppy

 I found this guy the other day at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens along with his friend. Unlike the dark one they actually had quite a few of these, but only one with a flower with this cool shape. This particular one caught my eye first through my camera lens as I was chasing a bee hovering by it!

 
Sunday, May 20, 2007

Dark Poppy

 About a year and a half ago I found some beautiful dark poppies in Ventura. Yesterday we went to a Bonsai show at the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. Along with a really cool grape and curly willow we found a single dark poppy. Of course I had to bring it home. I went a little crazy yesterday. In addition to the Bonsai sale, my wife found a bunch of Epiphyllum cuttings for sale. I think it's about time for a real back yard!

 
Monday, October 16, 2006

Poppies

 I like the look of the closed poppies, but the one over achiever that decided to stay open later makes it much more interesting.

 
Saturday, March 4, 2006

Poppy Pollen

 There are not may California Poppies blooming at the moment. But the ones that are sure do put on a nice show.

It was the pollen that attracted me to this particular flower.

 
Sunday, December 11, 2005

Wild Petals of Gold

 If you have been around the site for a while, or just looked back through the history of images you already know I love California Poppies. This one is a little bit different than most of my poppy photos. I really like the imperfection of the petals, the wild angles seem to bring out the beautiful texture more.

 
Sunday, November 20, 2005

Poppy from a different point of view

 I thought this would be a nice contrast to the Photo of the day for the 17th. They are quite different images, but they were taken only moments apart of exactly the same flower.

 
Thursday, November 17, 2005

Backlit Poppy

 I had fun getting this image. I actually had to lay on the ground to get this perspective. (and it was a very HOT day to lay on the sidewalk)

This is one of my favorite subjects, in fact it was the subject of the first image on this site.

 
Sunday, October 2, 2005

Poppy of the Day

 I had a lot of fun with the Poppies this year. I can't remember a time when I saw so many different California Poppies. Perhaps it is a result of the amazing rainy season we had last year. I believe it was the second wettest year on record. Perhaps the beauty here is our reward for the precarious spot we choose to live. Right now we are seeing some nice sunsets as a result of the wild fires. Not a lot of consolation for those that have lost their homes, but the firefighters have done nothing short of a heroic job this year keeping that to a minimum.

 
Sunday, September 4, 2005

Abstract Poppy

 I like the simplicity of this one. There is enough texture in the closest petal to keep it interesting. One of my favorite subjects!

 
Wednesday, August 3, 2005

Sunlit Poppy

 The first explorers to California dubbed these little beauties "Copa de Oro" or "Cup of Gold". I can see why.

 
Thursday, July 21, 2005

Poppy Petals

 Another scan from my recent lunchtime walk in Ventura. The red of these poppies looks like it was brushed on to a normal orange California Poppy. They are a beautiful variant.

One of the interesting things about these poppies is the way they adapt to their local area. There can be a slightly different variant that lives only in an area as small as a single small valley. This variation actually makes them more hearty in a specific area, they are adapted to the exact conditions and climate.

In fact, it is actually possible to hurt the wild poppy population by plating seeds. Since most of the seeds you would get from the local garden supply shop are from stock that was originally exported to Europe. Being acclimatized for European gardens, releasing these plants in an area with native plants can actually weaken the resulting cross-pollinated next generation. Strange but true. Oh, and don't even think of collecting seeds in the wild, thats illegal. Oh well, some things are just meant to be enjoyed where they live!

 
Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Poppies in the Sun

 A couple of weeks ago I was in Ventura to meet a client that I am doing a little development work for. Fortunately, I try to carry my camera with me everywhere. While I was in Ventura I found these beautiful poppies in a parking lot. They are much redder than the average California poppy. Although, it is a little hard to tell in this image because of the backlighting. More to come though as I finish scanning the other rolls of film from that day (it was a good day for pictures!)

 
Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Reclining Agave and Poppies

 It's easy to get an interesting photograph when you find good contrast in your subjects. And I'm not just talking about the lighting. The delicate flowers with the backdrop of the imposing-looking Agave makes for a nice composition. And yet, there are similarities between the graceful curves of this particular Agave and the soft curves of the flowers that make this composition work particularly well.
 
Saturday, January 1, 2005



 
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