Location Taken: Cypress Hills Provincial Park, Saskatchewan
Time Taken: June 2010
This is one of the very few photos where I had to really think to decide to put it in the Almost category rather than the Best. Usually those photos that have enough flaws to post on my Almost day aren’t anywhere close to the quality I seek for the Best photos. But this one…
It’s just a random wild flower at the edge of a scenic viewing point’s path, nothing special really. And I took the photo at twilight, and the light was already fading fast. It colored everything a dim blue, and removed a lot of contrast. I also didn’t quite get the focus right, since I didn’t want the flowers to be blurry.
On the other hand, well, look at that composition! You’ve got the flower rising out of the grass, showing itself beautifully against the distant landscape, which is showing itself off nicely. And that angle of the flower! The dim light, while it removes the contrast, actually creates a beautiful shade of green saturating the piece. The flower is at once part of the background and set apart from it, elevating the ordinary to the realm of the spectacular.
Hence my dilemma. On one hand, obvious flaws, on the other, marvelous merits.
I think if I’d gotten the focus just a little clearer on the flowers, I would have put it in the Best category. That’s all it would have taken.
