In Texas, we know Spring is finally here when the Bluebonnets bloom. This wildflower carpets areas of the countryside and city parks in a deep blue. This year I even saw some white Bluebonnets mixed in with the blue for a little variety. Bluebonnets are a religion in Texas (the Aggies, from Texas A&M, were accused of seeding the UT campus area with a hybrid that blooms in A&M's recognizable maroon!). The crops of Bluebonnets start in southern Texas and slowly make their way north through the state. When it is peak season in your area, the race is on to find the best, most dense fields, for the traditional photos.
You will find families by the side of highways in the flower fields all across the state. Those of us that are a bit more cautious, find patches off the beaten path, especially if you are photographing pets and animals. Yesterday, when out and about I saw a livestock trailer by the side of the county road with a photographer on a ladder taking pictures of a woman with her miniature horses. If you plant a thick Bluebonnet patch, expect to be invaded, nothing is sacred at this time of year.
Photographers and families stake their claims as the fields become peppered with adults, children, babies, and pets, not to mention the various types of furniture that find their way to that favorite patch. Part of the skill one learns is to get that shot without getting anyone else but your client in the frame! We photograph everything in these fields, it is tradition. I imagine every domicile in the state has a Bluebonnet photo. If not, well, you just ain't a real Texan!
To learn more about the Texas state flower, visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center website. Enjoy some shots below from my first week of BlueBonnet mini-sessions (yep, it's two weeks of craziness!).
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