After a short 12 day break from photography, due to a bit of exhaustion from my recent trip, yesterday afternoon I went for a short walk around the farm as the sunset looked promising. The sunset fizzled out on me which is nothing new at this time of year due to the horizon often being blocked by massive storm fronts. I just take it in my stride as that is a big part of landscape photography and nature cannot be reckoned with. Behind me however a massive storm appeared from seemingly nowhere with the most ominous looking clouds and was coming in from a direction other than where our normal rain comes from. My immediate reaction was “this does not look good” but despite that I used the opportunity to shoot something different against this incredible looking sky.
At this time of year just as the sun sets, the White Evening Primrose (Oenothera tetraptera) burst into flower when they sense night is coming. If you stand for 30 minutes watching a field of them they just keep increasing in numbers. The flowers are pollinated by moths and bees although at the time they flower most bees are inactive. In South Africa the White Evening Primrose is a declared weed of disturbed places and particularly agricultural areas and is native to Texas and Mexico.
That aside, they do make for an incredible show but photographing them is not the easiest thing as you are working against the light which is fading fast and also with the fact that they only stand 2-5 cm tall from the ground. I’ve tried on a few occasions in the last 5 years to produce a scene of these wildflowers which worked for me and yesterday evening I was for once happy with the resulting image and scene.
The storm turned out to be wish-wash and there was not much to speak of as far as rain or lightning goes but I actually feel the image is better for the lack of any lightning as there is rather the feeling of anticipation of something to come and I hope you enjoy it too. The pink flower buds in the left foreground are more of the White Evening Primrose waiting to open.
A photo of White Evening Primrose (Oenothera tetraptera) set in the landscape of a Magaliesburg farm. This photo shows the plant in the environment in which it commonly occurs in South Africa. (Print, stock or editorial enquiries may be directed to image@livingcanvas.co.za with REF: M-X3535
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This is a stunning shot. I love the flowers in the foreground as well as the flowers dotted around in the distance that would not look like anything if you hadn’t emphasised them in the foreground. Well Done …
Thanks Elise