Chain Fruit Cholla

A cactus can be hard to photograph. Usually when I am photographing anything I am looking for a good graphic design, interesting lines and textures, and a clean background. With a cactus, you have the textures covered, but often the lines are anything but uniform and the background is often full of scrubby brush that just looks messy.

Near our campsite in Why, Arizona, I discovered there were some unusually large Chain Fruit Cholla, one of the varieties of cactus that has eluded me in photographic pursuits in the desert. Finding a good Saguaro is one thing, but finding a good Chain Fruit Cholla is quite another!

As with all plants, a big factor in making a good photograph is in finding the perfect specimen. So when I saw this Chain Fruit Cholla, with it’s green parts all at the top of the plant, and with an interesting graphic design in its branches, I knew that given a low angle, all my requirements would be fulfilled.

Please click the image to view a larger version.

This particular cholla is quite unlike most of the others that I have found. They are usually much more disorganized. Here is another photo that I like of a different cholla, which shows the challenge a little more clearly.

Even this one is more organized than most.

Do you have a particular plant that you’ve found difficult to photograph?