The small patch of California Poppies caught my attention when we arrived at the Bird of Prey Health Group Meet and Greet on Sunday. At the end of the afternoon’s activities, I noticed my friend Truman in the midst of the poppies. When I joined him, he said (and I am paraphrasing here), “weren’t you just beach panning in the sand recently to photograph birds? Why not poppies?” So, I flattened myself onto the grass, which was thankfully dry, with my 400mm lens with the 1.4 teleconverter attached and took a few shots. And, just to prove it, here is a photograph taken at the moment I was photographing the poppies. I normally reserve this kind of shooting for the beach, but the technique is just as effective with poppies as it is with birds so I may have to add panning for poppies as one of my favorite photographic techniques. Photo, courtesy of Truman Holtzclaw.
