Photo of the Week: Feb. 10, 2008

HOW I GOT THE SHOT: Israel turns the corner very quickly from winter to spring, a season highlighted by vivid displays of wildflowers throughout the country. Beginning in mid-February and continuing well into May, a variety of colorful wildflowers make their appearance in Israel following the winter rains. I had the good fortune to pass this site while en route to a beach along Israel's southern coast near Ashkelon. I spent the night camped nearby and returned to photograph the next morning. To take this photo, I had to traipse about 100 meters through waist-high grass wet with dew to obtain a vantage point that obscured the road and a series of power lines running alongside the field. Israel is a small country and there are few places where the works of man don't intrude upon the natural scenery. The early morning light gives the grass a golden glow, which nicely complements the red poppies. I chose a wide angle lens to take in as much of the scene as possible, maximize depth of field, and emphasize the feeling of standing in a wide open space. The long cloud mass hovering over the field, another small stroke of luck, rounds out the composition.