Setting Sun on Poppy Hill
Near sunset, an extremely low angle of light divides the hillside between shadow and illumination. California poppies in the foreground have already fallen into shadow and are beginning to close while those higher on the hillside remain in direct sunlight and are still fully open. California poppies, pygmy lupines, goldenbush, fiddlenecks, bird’s-eye gilia and white layia fill the surrounding high-desert foothills.
This photograph was made in 1986, the first year I officially began photographing California’s wildflower landscapes. The sun was nearly below the horizon and the extremely low angle of light created a sharp division between the shadowed foreground and the illuminated hillside beyond.
The California poppies closest to the camera had already fallen into shadow and were beginning to close for the night. Higher on the hillside, the remaining sunlight was still reaching the flowers and those poppies remained fully open.
The scene existed only briefly. As the sun continued to drop, the illuminated area moved steadily higher across the hillside and the remaining open poppies would soon follow those below into shadow. It was an early lesson in how quickly light, flowers and timing can change a landscape.
