Lost in the fog on the Sonoma Coast, which always seems to be in some state of superbloom. Happy Monday, friends. 720nm #infrared #flowerphotography

Briza shows off some surprise colors under UV. I see (and hear rattling) this grass all over the SF Bay Area and I agree with Helen – it is beautiful. #flowerphotography #phtoography #FlowersonFriday

Sad to awaken to the news that the California Cherry Oak isn't actually a cherry, nor even an oak, but a figment of last night's dream. #infrared #photography

This is not a drill, people ;) #photography #flowerphotography 𝐼𝑝𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑒𝑎 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑎 (Morning Glory)

It's fun to watch Mother Nature getting high on her own supply. This one makes me hear a fairground organ. #flowerphotography #photography 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑎 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑎

The Catherine Wheel pincushion protea. Unclear whether it is named for the medieval torture device or the 90s shoegaze band (suspect the former.) Either way, a spectacularly expressive #flower in both visible (normal) light and here in ultraviolet. #photography

Mirrored close-up of an Acanthus flower for #MacroMonday I've been taking relatively fewer pictures lately as I ramp up some writing projects. I won't get to even 10% of the creative stuff I'd like to in my lifetime. How boredom even a thing for some people is a great mystery. #uv #photography

Some unusual last light at Black Diamond. We sometimes refer to taking photos as "making memories" but it's amazing how even just one landscape photo from years ago can spark that entire day back to life in the mind. #infrared #photography

A dry storm rolling into Alhambra Valley, California. Every time I wander off trail around here I think of the TICKsplosion! headline from a couple of years ago. Hoping not to get Rocky Mountain spotted fever again – '94 was a rough summer. Happy Monday, friends! #infrared #photography

Daytrip! Cabin fever needs corrected. Please enjoy an ornithogalum if you happen to be on a screen and keep being one of the good ones. #flower #photography

Springtime at the coal mine Experimenting with some b&w #infrared #photography

I thought 'escapism' photography was getting corny but as our current era unfolds I'm starting to find it incredibly appealing. Anyway, there's a reason we put up with the cost of living in California. There's simply no other place like it. Monterey Peninsula #infrared #photography

A 200-year-old Monterey Cypress clings to a cliff above the Pacific Ocean. A rugged life, but the views are amazing. False-color #infrared #photography

Stewartville, California (ghost town) At Black Diamond Mines, now a beautiful preserve for hiking and observing about a dozen raptor species. It's one of my favorite East Bay Parks to photograph. #infrared #photography

A very good Friday to you! I'm flinging down the keyboard and running off to the gardens. Shirk work and go enjoy some natural beauty. (Or become a photographer and make that your legitimate work.) #flowers #photography #FlowersonFriday Allium triquetrum, our glorious spring 'weed'.

A famous monument on a foggy day #infrared #photography

An unusual day at Deer Valley No one else was there to see it. #infrared #photography

California Buckeye, at Briones Our regional metro parks system is the largest in the USA. Redwood forests and coastal trails are within 15 mins of the heart of the city. My favorite: the miles and miles of rolling hills rippling out from the Diablo Range. False-color #infrared #photography #EBRPD

Some great work in here. Thanks for including my UV passion flower, @immcarvalho.bsky.social!

UV highlights the iridescence of Butterfly Ranunculuses, showing off the petal veins. Somehow each blossom is unique, and I never get tired of them. They last forever and are so lovely to have around the studio and house. #flowers #photography

Mainly an appreciator of the #BlueSkyArtShow, I couldn't resist today's #Odd theme. A Storksbill seed, photographed in infrared. They're a super common weed, but I never really noticed them til the pandemic gave me little else to work with. #photography

On the last day of #ButterflyWeek, here's the one and only in my portfolio - a false-color #infrared of migrating #monarchs at Pacific Grove, taken on my birthday trip a few years ago. Fun fact: #Butterflies use infrared to thermoregulate. Happy Friday, friends! #photography

Little baby tree out wandering the Diablo Range foothills. #infrared #landscape #photography

‘Unhealthy’, ‘strange’, ‘unsettling’… sounds just about perfect.

The Crowletariat gather for a union meeting outside my window. An #infrared from the archives, while I wait for 13TB of photos to restore from backup. #wildlife #photography #naturalperch #birdoftheday

Bee and Magnolia at the incomparable San Francisco Botanical Garden A false-color infrared (my other favorite 'invisible light') #flowers #photography @gardensofggp.bsky.social

Sometimes, as a treat, I take my camera outside #eastbay #landscape #photography

The already-magnificent passion flower, electrified ⚡️ Much of California is under a 'heat dome'. It'll be around 90°F / 32°C all week here. Normal would be 65°F / 18°C. I'll be sheltering in cool darkness with my glow-in-the-dark flowers. #flowers #photography

Belladonna Delphinium The individual flowers are pretty small and kind of transparent in the middle. I got a closer look at one with the macro lens, and thought I'd share. Happy Friday, friends. Spring equinox is officially only a week away here in the Northern Hemisphere. #flowers #photography

It is March, so the town is carpeted with Three-cornered Garlic. One of the prettiest weeds around. UV light reacts with the chlorophyll in 𝐴𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑚, causing the stems to appear bright red. #flowers #photography

Velveteen jewel box Today's 74°F temp makes it feel like spring is already here. Three more weeks! 𝐶𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎 𝑗𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎 #flowers #photography #FlowersOnFriday

I may be coming down with something, so it is imperative that I take the day off and do a studio shoot. 😜 A 'Drama Queen' 𝑃𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑛𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑢𝑚 from my friend's yard last summer. This species has medicinal properties. #flowers #photography

Last year I dedicated six months to only shooting and editing for my UV floral series. Just one long flow state. I highly recommend the experience for anyone creative. If you can't swing that kind of time, just keep in mind what sick days are really for: making art. #flowers #photography

A little UV 'sketch': I love the golden glitter covering this rhododendron bud and its leaves. The tropical rainbow of colors feels free and gentle to me. 𝑅ℎ𝑜𝑑𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑛 '𝑆𝑎𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑎 𝐴𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑟' #flowers #photography

The most joyful of springtime joys, wild 𝐴𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑚 Getting started on a new series of wild alliums. For my sanity and yours. 😸 #flowers #photography

Our NorCal seasons seem to be running 3-4 weeks ahead of schedule lately. But your pal Rain is on top of it, stalking the sidewalks and yards where she knows the wild alliums bloom earliest. 𝐴. 𝑛𝑒𝑎𝑝𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑚 is popping up in exactly ONE lawn at present, and I am here for it! #flowers #photography

Agape is an intentional, universal, selfless love. It means to seek the well-being of others, to act with kindness and empathy toward all. It fosters a connected way of being in the world. #flowers #photography 𝑅𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑛𝑐𝑢𝑙𝑢𝑠 𝑎𝑠𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑢𝑠

Happy New Year! Wishing you all the energy and vibrance of this lovely Amaryllis throughout 2026. 𝐻𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑢𝑚 #flowers #photography

Oh good morning! Here's a brand new one from my studio, for your Thursday enjoyment. Need a last minute holiday gift? I can help with that. Check out my 2026 UV Floral Calendar - it's a stunner, guaranteed to impress. www.rainhayes.com/product/2026... #flowers #photography 𝑂𝑟𝑛𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑚

Curiosity and attention are behaviors that allow us to disengage from the rapid-fire chaos cycle and stay grounded. Medium and subject are not really important. Find something interesting and let it take over your mind for a bit. Enjoy the refreshment! 🌿 𝑁𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑓 𝑀𝑖𝑙𝑘𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑑 #flowers #photography

Is there a more lush beauty than the coral peony? Four thousand years of cultivation brought this perfect specimen to us. I try to bring flowers into my life every day. They remind me that beauty and perfection are easily accessible, if you just stay open. #flowers #photography

Methods of distraction include wigging out over the hidden details of nature. Proven effective time and again! Unrelated pro tip: There's only one way to host Thanksgiving, and that is to do as much as possible in advance. #flowers #photography

Check out this pincushion protea I found growing on the other side of the lake! It almost looks like something microscopic you'd find growing IN the lake. The 2026 calendar is looking great and I'm excited to share, but had to take a time out to photograph this beaut first. #flowers #photography

Just your garden variety starfish... or a teeny, single milkweed flower. Man, the things you can find growing right out of the ground are just amazing. Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend with plenty of offline, outdoor time. Happy Friday, everyone! #flowers #photography

Best comment 🪽

Before I tried UV, I worked in a different 'invisible' light, Infrared. I started doing infrared macro flower portraits, like this clematis seed head, during the 2020 pandemic isolation. People are often still drawn to this one amid all my colorful UV work. I agree, sometimes minimalism is best.

An allium flower, apparently taking the old 'dance like no one's watching' adage to heart. I love its unruly spirit. #flowers #photography #PhotographersOfBluesky

I think that I shall never see A poem as lovely as this ameno... anen...anenem... this flower that I have such trouble pronouncing. In any case, this is what I'm up to today, and tomorrow, and hopefully all my days beyond that. #flowers #photography 𝐴𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒 ℎ𝑢𝑝𝑒ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑠

In our darkest times, we must remember that we can't possibly know what tomorrow will bring. We just can't. We keep going simply because the future might hold something good. Or even pretty amazing. #flowers #photography 𝑃𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑓𝑙𝑜𝑟𝑎 𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑖𝑠

At age 22, I drove across the country, alone, in a VW Rabbit that leaked half a quart of oil a day. Over the stress of it, I whipped a left turn at Albuquerque, ended up in the high desert, and discovered the astonishing beauty of cacti in bloom. A life changing 'bad' day. #flowers #photography