Up Close and Personal With Utah’s Wildflowers

Wasatch Mountains | Angie Payne

Macro photographer Angie Payne shares her tips for capturing the classic beauty of wildflowers in an untraditional way.

If “wildflower season” brings to mind hillsides blanketed in a kaleidoscope of color, you're not alone. I traveled to Utah, camera in hand, hoping to capture a specific vision: an alpine slope ablaze with yellow, red, purple and blue, framed by sun-kissed mountain peaks at dawn.

With some basic wildflower knowledge, a camera and a willingness to hike, that quintessential capture of wildflower season can be yours, too. However, don’t fret if you arrive outside of “peak” season or if you don’t want to trek far into the mountains — there's a novel's worth of other photographic opportunities waiting. With a few photography tips and an open mind, anyone can find joy and adventure in wildflowers, whether deep in a floral field or admiring a single bloom near the parking lot.

Following spring snowmelt, Utah's alpine wildflower season lasts from early June to September.

With some planning and weather-watching, you can chase the blooms from lower to higher elevations as the thawing progresses.

While pursuing a specific shot, it's easy to overlook the wealth of photographic moments around you. Persistence is key, but don't let it blind you to the millions of opportunities you're passing by.

If you feel that your creativity is being stifled, simply changing your lens can help mix things up.

Sometimes narrowing your view through a macro lens can help you escape the metaphorical tunnel vision.

The only risk of zooming in on the wildflowers is that you might never want to zoom back out.

It won’t take long to find all of the insects that make frequent visits to the flowers. A true 1:1 macro lens is optimal for this photography, but you can achieve similar results with budget-friendly options like reversing rings and extension tubes.

Using a wider aperture (lower f-stop number) when shooting photos of wildflowers can help showcase the subject by softening the background. A variation on this idea is to set small, delicate flowers against an imposing, harsh backdrop by using a longer focal length and a wider aperture to create an interesting photographic juxtaposition.

What seems like a single, unassuming wildflower can become a spectacular subject.

Using a longer focal length lens to frame it against a contrasting backdrop reveals its brilliance.

Often the petals get all the recognition, but other parts of the wildflower are fascinating and beautiful as well.

Similarly, the graceful curve of a stem or a leaf or a somewhat abstract capture of the infinite colors and shapes that wildflowers contain can be equally as captivating as the colors of the flower itself.

Changing your focal point while shooting with a macro lens can serve to highlight an often under-appreciated portion of the flower, like the pistil.

The magic hour — a short period of time around sunrise and sunset — is a common photography phrase for a reason. The light is most ideal for showcasing the subjects during these times of day, and wildflowers are no exception.

If you don’t want to rise before dawn or stay out until dusk, using the more harsh midday light to backlight your subject can also accomplish a unique and beautiful look.

The death and decay of blooms can also be beautiful in their very own way.

Finally, don’t be intimidated by the technical aspects of photography that will inevitably pop up while using a camera.

The wildflowers will not judge you for your lack of experience nor will they commend you for your expertise.

They will simply continue being spectacular works of nature’s art, so go out and enjoy them before they are gone.

Viewing Responsibly

Do not pick wildflowers. Picking blooms and digging up roots are pushing some species to extinction (i.e. echinacea). To sustain them for future generations, apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure.

Tips for Responsible Travel

When to View Wildflowers

The optimal time to view Utah wildflowers depends on temperature and elevation. Wildflowers can bloom in Utah anytime between March and September. At higher-elevation meadows, peak season is June, July and August. Wondering where the wildflowers are? Apps like AllTrails can really help. Just check out recent posts and photos for the latest bloom updates.

Utah Weather

About the Photographer – Angie Payne

Angie Payne discovered her love of photography while exploring nature and traveling the world as a professional climber. Countless days spent in the mountains of Colorado, and subsequent climbing expeditions to Greenland and French Polynesia, opened Angie’s eyes to the magnificence of nature and her desire to capture photos of it. Her early photographic pursuits involved an iPhone and inexpensive magnetic lenses. This simple setup was enough to ignite her iterest in pursuing photography more seriously, and in 2012 she purchased her first digital camera. Her current work is mainly concentrated in the world of macro photography, as she is especially obsessed with the tiny worlds that exist within bigger landscapes. Angie currently lives in Boulder, Colorado.

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Utah Wildflowers

Stop and smell the roses, so the saying goes. That may work in the English countryside, but here in the Beehive State, it’s Utah wildflowers that deserve notice.

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