The desert always provides plenty of opportunities to make photos of cactus and succulents.  In the spring, flowing cactus are an annual event, not to be missed.  Here are a few hints for making the most of your spring cactus shooting.

Saguaro cactus only grow in the Sonoran dessert below 4,000 feet.  They are found in southeastern CA, southern Nevada, and southwestern Arizona.  They tend to cluster in groves and bunches, often times on the south facing slopes of dessert hills.

When photographing clusters, try to create space between them and make sure none of them “touch each other” in the photo or the edges.  See example below.

If you can, place a little foreground in front of the tall cactus to give it some balance in the composition.

In the spring look for flowers, especially among the Santa cactus or Englemann’s hedgehog.

If you have a macro lens, get closer.

Finally, look for patterns in succulents and get close to capture the patterns.

Here is a link to our popular blog about Photographing Cactus.

To see more of (and buy) our photos, please go to www.pamphotography.com.