Cactus Blooms Gallery

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Close-up of two red claret cup flowers.
Bright red Claret Cups cactus flower photography.

My flower photography journey literally began while living in Santa Fe, NM. The high desert landscape is a wonderful place to explore. With a very short bloom cycle, photographing cactus flowers became a focus.

I encountered the bright pink cholla cactus flowers years ago while hiking in the foothills of Albuquerque. However, it’s the vibrant red claret cup cactus flowers that blew my mind while hiking in Santa Fe. With such painful looking spines, how could a plant like that create such beautiful blooms? Not to mention in such barren terrain!

I’m grateful for the cactus plants I found around neighborhood gardens and botanic gardens within my locale in Colorado. Now back in Santa Fe, NM I cannot wait to photograph the cactus blooms I encounter!

Capturing photos of cactus flowers can quite literally be a prickly affair! You need to get up close and personal and timing is of the essence. Having a better idea when cactus plants will bloom, I now come better equipped with a tarp to sit on for the close-up shots. Let’s just say plucking cactus spines out of my legs and bottom was getting a bit old! What about using a tripod? I tried that, but I rather get in the dirt!

Within the Cactus Blooms Gallery below is a collection of close-ups of various cactus and succulent flowers. Claret Cups, Cholla Cactus, Prickly Pears and more.

Photos of these briefly blooming cactus flowers have been taken in New Mexico and Colorado at the peak of their bloom cycle. An art photography lens which yields unique, soft effects is most often utilized.

Click on the images below and you will enter into a slideshow with photo descriptions.


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If you have any questions about original photo imagery found on this website, please reach out via email and contact me. I’d be happy to help!