Prickly existence…

I originally shot this photograph because I liked the elements compositionally and, frankly, I was on a boat floating down the Colorado River and clicking pretty fast whenever anything remotely interesting caught my eye. Incredibly, given the less than perfect situation under which I was shooting, this telephoto shot actually turned out crisp and clean. Upon later examination, while I was pleased with the elements compositionally, I was even more intrigued by what the photograph actually illustrates. This prickly cacti appears to exist purely by extracting nutrients from the scorched rocks below it, themselves lined with thousands of years of erosion from heat, water, and wind. Once again, it’s another wondrous example of how life perseveres, even under the harshest, most extreme conditions.

f/11, 1/1000 sec., ISO 400, 270 mm