Austin Parnow

California is one of the world's 36 biodiversity hotspots, with an array of plant communities providing diverse opportunities for nature photography. Its Mediterranean-Climate ecosystems are second only to rainforests in terms of biodiversity, especially regarding the plant kingdom, and many different plant communities can be found within short distances of each other.

Famed horticulturalist Luther Burbank once described Sonoma County, California as "the chosen place of all the earth as far as nature is concerned."

In my photos I try to capture the beauty of the coast, redwood forests, oak woodlands, rolling grasslands, streams, estuaries and wetlands of Sonoma and nearby Marin counties, typically while hiking or in a kayak.