Spring Beauty Sprout

Spring Beauty Sprout, March 10, 1996
This spring beauty sprout is less than 1 inch high, and my camera was just a few inches away. This is a HAND HELD snapshot using a Cannon AE-1 with my 50 mm macro lens. I was not doing a photo shoot. I was taking a nature walk with a friend. I didn't expect to find much growing since it was still early in the year, and there were numerous patches of snow on the ground.
As we walked along the trail, the forest floor was somewhat muddy. My boot accidentally kicked up some leaf litter while strolling along. I happend to glance down and could hardly believe what I'd found. There beside my foot was this tiny pink spring beauty sprout growing through a small patch of snow.
Photo shoot or not, tripod or not, I had to give this shot a try! So I plopped onto the soggy ground and propped my camera as carefully on a lump made of curled-up mittens, using part of my hand to help keep the camera steady. I shot several frames, during which time the clump of snow visibly melted! I had to hurry and cross my fingers as I shot the remaining roll of film. I was shooting negative film that day, like I said, because this was just a nature walk, not a photo shoot. A few days later, as I studied the prints, I was relieved to see that one of the images came out looking they way I had intended: crisp and clear, with with a substantial patch of snow still intact.
Interestingly, spring beauty sprouts always come out of the ground pinkish red, though most people don't notice them during this stage. Once the sprout comes in contact with the sunlight, it gradually turns more and more green as its chlorphyll develops. I love the way the flower buds are rolled up tightly in this photograph. Eventually, as the stem lengthens and the plant develops, the flowers will bloom sequentially, starting at the bottom of the stem and working their way toward the top.
[I scanned the negative using a film scanner, but now that I have a better film scanner, I ought to dig up the negative and try again. I think I can do a better job this time.]