Saratoga Cherry BlossomsSaratoga cherry blossoms photographed by Glenn Franco Simmons. Our rugged, snow- and rain-filled winter and spring have tapered off in June, but it is unseasonably cold in Carson City, Nev., for this time of year.

Going through my photos today, I saw some of my cherry blossom photos and it reminded me of what a wonderful year in blossoms of many types we had on our trees in our yard ~ many that my wife Kathleen planted (I helped, but mostly with shoveling dirt on some; she did the rest).

When I was in Silicon Valley, I took a lot of cherry blossom photos. While smartphones kind of ruined my photography-selling business, I have to be honest and say that smartphones of various makes just cannot represent the detail that a high-end 35mm Nikon can with a high-end Nikkor lens.

Sure, if the photo you are looking at is on the web or is small on your your phone, it may look great. But when you compare large, say 24-36 inch photos, side by side, you most likely will see differences. I see this difference in my own expensive smartphone when compared to my Nikon/Nikkor photos. There is no comparison and I'm an accomplished photographer.

Perhaps not for long, as smartphones continue to improve, but I remain skeptical that they will catch up with 35mm, film and/or other types of cameras such as the mirror-less models now on the market (which I haven't tried, so I cannot speak to their quality or lack thereof).

If you would like to see my published cherry blossom photos, please click Blossoming. For Saratoga, Calif., cherry blossom photos, just click Saratoga or click a photo to navigate to the Saratoga gallery.