Wildflowers have been a favorite subject for me over the decades, and each year I discover a wildflower in a whole new way. Indian Paintbrush graces our alpine meadows each July and August and is sometimes found in vast numbers, creating an explosion of color. That’s what I found in a high meadow along the Pacific Crest Trail. I worked with different compositions over a couple of days, and I found that the ones where I got down at ground level to explore the flowers were the most intimate, with the added pleasure of having hummingbirds buzzing around me. In this picture, the composition emphasizes the brightness of the flowers, but also incorporates the colors of other flowers and the blue sky, out of focus but adding a shimmering effect in the background.