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Just west of Carefree, Arizona is Bartlett Lake, a reservoir lake formed by the damming of the Verde River. We had heard that the Arizona Desert poppies where bountiful here, so we just had to check it out! On our arrival, we noted these yellow-orange poppies covered the landscape and they were indeed beautiful! That said however I was most taken by the unique mix of saguaro trees and the soaring mountains in the background. Some of the key elements that I like in this photo include: -The darkest dark shadows (group mass), demands the viewer's attention, creating a strong focal point. -The strong vertical lines (the saguaro trees), adding contrast. -The color variety, that makes the depth of field stand out.
This photo was captured west of Carefree (Scottsdale, Arizona), near Bartlett Lake. The tall peaks in the distance are the Mazatzal Mountains, which are part of Tonto's National Forest. I was intrigued by the unique mix of saguaro trees and the soaring mountains, “How unique” (I had never seen that before). I began searching for a good composition, and after some scrambling over borders and dodging of the cholla cactus's (ouch!), I found this shot. Notice how the many lines in this photo, all point at the tallest saguaro tree; the focal point. Desert scenes always remind me of an old black and white movie, so I chose to show it this way.
