Tag: Sony RX10m4

Wildflowers and Running

Wildflower photographs and trail running. It’s a nice match.

I typically carry the small Sony RX100 VII camera when I go on trail runs. It easily fits into my waist pack or on the shoulder strap of my Camelbak water pack so it is always handy. Running should be about having fun and stopping to photograph the flowers makes for a fun adventure.

Wildflowers seen on Schultz Creek Trail north of Flagstaff, Arizona.
Wildflowers seen on Schultz Creek Trail north of Flagstaff, Arizona.
  • Evening primrose
  • Penstemon
  • Coralroot
  • Yellow salsify
  • Trail map
  • Columbine
  • Deerbrush
  • Cryptanthas
  • Penstemon

Sometimes all you need to do is walk out into your backyard and adjacent open spaces to see a variety of wildflowers. For these shorter trips, I carry the Sony RX10 IV.

Wildflowers seen in my backyard and adjacent open space.
Wildflowers seen in my backyard and adjacent open space.
  • Prickly pear cactus
  • Milkweed with a pollen wasp
  • Sticky geranium
  • Sonoran bean
  • Bluehead gilia
  • Prairie coneflower
  • Fleabane
  • Lupine
  • Flax

Both cameras have a zoom lens (24-200 on the RX100; 24-600 on the RX10) allowing me to get closeups of the flowers without having to get too close.

Wildflower Season Coming to an End

Wildflowers have been scarce for most of this summer because of a lack of rainfall. The summer rainy season was a bust but September was much wetter. As a result, we had a late–season burst of wildflowers across northern Arizona and Flagstaff. Shorter days and much cooler nights, however, signal the end is near.

Here are a few photographs from this morning (01Oct2025) along the Highland Trail just south of Flagstaff. I was using a recently purchased used-but-new-to me Sony RX10m4 camera. This has a 24mm–600mm (35mm equivalent) zoom and all of these photographs were shot at the maximum 600mm. (Note: I bought this to replace my old Sony RX10 which has an optical issue but cannot be serviced. “Parts not available.”)

Closeup of a penstomen. Flash fill was used to illuminate the shady side of the flower.
Closeup of a penstomen. Flash fill was used to illuminate the shady side of the flower.
A purple aster.
A purple aster.
A cluster of white asters with a bright background.
A cluster of white asters with a bright background.
A cluster of yellow goldenrod flowers.
A cluster of yellow goldenrod flowers.

And now fall leaf color season begins.