Picturesque Poppy Photography in Palmdale – try saying that five times quickly.  (You’re a dork if you just said “that” multiple times.. ;) ) While I am lucky enough to travel the globe for a living – opportunities often exist to shoot interesting settings locally and I jump at the chance to photograph nearby gems.

About 30 minutes north of where I live in Southern California the poppies bloom every spring in the Antelope Valley.   California has of course found a way to squeeze some income from this annual event, and has established the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. A mere $10 is what it takes to park your vehicle and access the poppy fields.  The fields are quite spectacular when in full bloom.  Unfortunately, according the their web site, the bloom ended early this year.  Last year I was able to catch the bloom at its apex. Home to Edwards AFB, part of the Mojave desert, and endless Joshua trees the Antelope Valley has lots of image-worthy subjects for budding photographers.  My last jaunt into the area was to capture the final flight of the Endeavour space shuttle.  I wrote about it here.  The alienesque landscapes (probably including several actual aliens due to proximity of Edwards AFB) are always fun to shoot. Hey, back to the poppies – sorry, I always get distracted when I start talking about aliens. If you live in Southern California check the Poppy Reserve website.  If you can visit during peak blooming, do it.  Bring a wide-angle lens, and a fast 50 for some short depth-of-field work.  Enjoy!