Bikes and Flowers

Walnut Creek Park is a 293 acre facility in the north side of Austin. It was purchased by the city of Austin in 1964. Before it was a park, it was owned by the Gracy family as part of their farm. In addition to hiking/biking trails, there is a sports complex which includes softball diamonds, basketball courts, a swimming pool and large open grass areas sometimes used for cricket matches. Several creeks and streams cross the park.

I was invited by a friend of mine to do an unusual combination of mountain biking and Texas Wildflower photography. Bikes and wildflowers don’t normally go together. Basically, put all your photography gear in a backpack, strap it on and go for a ride. Not always a flat ride, mind you… Walnut Creek Park contains a maze of trails which can be confusing at times. I was lost most of the time but my buddy knew what he was doing. Not only did he know the trails but he knew where the wildflowers were that he wanted to photograph.

The image below is of a Texas Gafyfeather. That’s my mountain bike in the background. This native Texas wildflower is an amazing plant. The details and colors of the flowers are incredible. I really enjoyed the bike ride and shooting these wonderful plants.

This image was taken with my Canon EOS 5D Mark III using my Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro Lens. The camera was set on Aperture Priority mode with the aperture set at f/5, shutter speed at 1/1000th of a second and the ISO set at 100. I was shooting with a very bright sun behind me and it was great because not only did I not have to use a flash but I was able to boost the shutter speed high enough to freeze any movement caused by the wind. I chose an f/5 aperture to blur the background and provide a nice Bokeh.

Click on the image to get a better look at it. Also, you can access the portfolio for this post by clicking here. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions or suggestions.