Monet Gorman
Layers of wildflowers spread across the rolling Gorman Hills during the extraordinary bloom of 2003. Viewed through a telephoto lens, the distant slopes compress into overlapping bands of yellow, orange, blue and green, giving the landscape a naturally painterly quality reminiscent of an impressionist landscape.
The rolling Gorman Hills had an almost Monet-like quality, with broad areas of color blending together across the slopes. Coreopsis, goldfields, California poppies, lacy phacelia, globe gilia, desert dandelions and lupines combined into a remarkably varied landscape during the 2003 bloom.
The Canon 80–200mm L telephoto lens compressed the distant hills and layers of flowers, emphasizing the repeating contours and bands of color rather than individual plants. Wind was blowing across the long telephoto lens, causing vibrations, while clouds raced overhead and the hills shifted rapidly between shadow and sunlight. I had to wait for brief periods of calm while also watching for the right balance of light across the landscape.
On Fuji Velvia, the combination of distant flowers, layered terrain and constantly changing light produced a naturally painterly quality that reminds one of a Monet landscape.