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The True Colors of a Flower



Small flowers are popping up everywhere right now in the Sonoran Desert, courtesy of the rain last November and December, presumably. Nothing seemed extreme when I took this photograph, but now I have to wonder whether the camera was malfunctioning, perhaps because I was aiming too close to the sun. No, the camera seems OK. The backlighting is bringing out the yellow in the desert flower that ordinarily is not noticeable.

It's strange that our notion about "color" in nature is usually aimed at reflective colors rather than transmitted colors. We hardly ever think about it. This suggests some idea of wider applicability. But what is it?
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Comments

Paul said…
Photography is a wondrous and beautiful thing that sometimes allows us to see what we would otherwise not. There are hidden fractals in everything, we simply can't see them or do not take the time to notice. What a beautiful surprise it is to find them through the wonders of photography!
February 13, 2012 at 1:03 PM
kaBLOOnie Boonster said…
Indeed, Paul. The small flowers popping up everywhere are not too interesting to a casual walker: he tends to lust for the sheer optical poptitude of huge splashy voluptuous flowers. But the camera can move in close to these small "uninteresting" flowers and fill the screen up with interesting shapes and surprises.
February 13, 2012 at 6:44 PM
Paul said…
I'm not too proud to get down in the dirt, on my belly, and admire things from their own perspective. Sometimes, it's the only way one can realize how small we really are, in the whole big scheme of things.
February 13, 2012 at 7:38 PM
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