Don't Change Your Lens Surrounded by Flowers!

Before my Southern California trip last month I was careful to clean my sensor, and I took test photos to ensure that I had done the job well.  Red Rock Canyon State Park, Malibu, Corona del Mar… sure, I picked up a dust spot here and there, but everything was going fine until +Lori Hibbett and I decided to make one more stop before the photowalk in La Jolla.  

We stopped at the Carlsbad Flower Fields, where you can shoot for personal use for $11.  There were signs noting special permission was required for professional photography, and there were monitors driving around on golf carts in case someone looked like they were shooting professional portraits.  I started with a 16-35mm lens on, but there are a lot of buildings in the background, plus a lot of people walking around, so 70 – 200mm seemed like a better way to isolate the flowers from the surrounding distractions.  I walked around one of the large plots of flowers, found a few compositions.  We moved on to la Jolla and checked into our hotel just in time for the photowalk.  

The photowalk was a blast, there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out along the rocks and reefs, but when I looked at my photos later, it was clear that I'd have a little dust spot removal to do, and the spots were smaller and more numerous than usual.  I guess the lesson learned is that when you're going to be surrounded by flowers extending for miles, make sure you make your lens selection and change before you get out of the car!

Carlsbad Flower Fields

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