The Big Ivy area near Barnardsville NC is known for its spring wildflowers that line the gravel roads. It is easy pickings for photographers – little or no hiking. The only tricky part is finding parking and deciding on a subject. On one trip, there were 36 different wildflowers, but not all of them were photogenic unless you are compiling a wildflower guide.
I am very fond of Jack-in-the-Pulpit. I remember finding them in a secret glen near my home when I was a child. Fortunately, they are fairly easy to find around here, but not that easy to photograph in a different way. This one had its top up instead of covering Jack as they usually do.
Violets line the roads and paths in the Appalachians. I liked this grouping of white violets and added a little Topaz Impressions to bring out the colors more.
Blood Root are one of the earliest spring flowers to bloom and are usually found blooming in a bed of dead leaves from the autumn. This group was found blooming later at a higher elevation. The Blood Root leaves appear as the flower is about ready to die back. I used both NIK Color Efex and the clone tool in Photoshop to darken the leaves and eliminate the highlights. Photoshop worked better for me.
