My photography outing with Bruce on Tuesday resulted in an interesting and varied array of photographic options for my blog. We pulled off the Freeway at Emigrant Gap and drove past a place called the Onion Valley Campground to find a large meadow of wild tiger lilies he’d seen in full bloom a few weeks ago. They were beautiful but a bit past their prime according to Bruce. Still, I thought they were gorgeous and focused in on one pair that I struggled to photograph as the breeze was erratic. I was not as prepared as I usually am so much of my gear was at home. Fortunately, on Bruce’s advice, I borrowed a polarizing filter from him that allowed me to capture the stunning beauty of the tiger lilies without the bright, mid-afternoon sun blowing out parts of the photo. With the pine trees as a background, their bright colors pop.
After spending an hour or so photographing the lilies, we decided it was time for a break so we headed back toward the empty Onion Valley Campground to eat our bag lunches. As we drove back, a young black bear cub suddenly sprinted in front of us and scurried across the road. I had my camera in my lap but was not fast enough to get off a shot. He was only a quarter mile or so from the meadow where we’d photographed the lilies and only another quarter mile or so from the campground. I kept alert for him and wary that his mother was also nearby, but we never got another glimpse of him.
Here is the pair of tiger lilies I was happy to finally capture after fighting the breeze, a shot of a single flower, and Bruce photographing the lilies.
