Galax Portrait and Closeups

I found this blooming Galax plant along a trail in the Great Smoky Mountain National Forest on May 22, 2006. It is difficult to compose a pleasing photograph of this plant due to the general arrangement of leaves and the inflorescence. The leaves grow low to the ground, and the flowers grow on a long, thin spike. To include the whole plant in one photograph usually means including a very distracting background. Here I found Galax growing along a rocky cliff. The rock provides a pretty good background, but it close enough in color and texture to still be distracting. I will continue my quest to find an entire Galax plant in a location well suited for portrait such as this.