Ya’ll bluebonnets are coming!! We all know and love them, and especially love getting our children’s photos sitting in the bluebonnets. I’ve been shooting in various wildflower fields in the North Texas area for several years now, and here are a few tips to help you get your best bluebonnet images:
What are a few tips for photographing children in a bluebonnet field in Dallas?
Find a Kid Friendly Field . . .
When is the best time to photograph a bluebonnet field in Plano?
Shoot early or late. . .
Photography is all about lighting. Shoot in the early am or late afternoon when you’ll have the best lighting. If you cannot avoid midday sun, then shoot on a cloudy or overcast day. You can also be lucky to find a shady patch of bluebonnets, that is a bit tough since the bluebonnets love and need the sun.
Where is the best spot in a Plano bluebonnet field?
Follow a path. . .
In order to keep bringing back our bluebonnets each year, please follow a bare patch or a natural path in the flowers so as not to harm any bluebonnets. My boys here followed a path to a empty grassy patch at the top of this hill.
Please wear boots and stomp around a bit before taking the kiddos in there just to scatter any critters. Think fire ants, snakes, or chiggers.
Where should I position my child in relation to the sun in a Frisco bluebonnet field?
Be aware of the sun . . .
Position the sun to your child’s back or side. If the sun is directly on their face, you’ll get squishy face-no eyes-smiling photos Use your pop up blast to brighten your child’s face. If using the iPhone be sure to set the exposure for your child’ face.
Get down low . . .
Get down low so you are on the same level as your subject. Have them wear soft pastel or blue colors to complement those bluebonnet blues!
Bring along a crate . . .
Bring along a crate or a small child chair to sit on. Be sure to place the crate in a bare patch in the bluebonnets so as not to crush any flowers. The crate will avoid that “pooping in the bluebonnets” squatting look. Think small and child size, and place it in a bare patch of grass. Take a few closeup images of the bluebonnets by getting down low. You can also purchase an iPhone macro clip-on lens for some fun super close images.
Please don’t CRUSH me!
Please don’t CRUSH the bluebonnets. The bluebonnets require the plant to die naturally and “go to seed” in order to reseed the field to grow in the next year. See the pale green seedling pod in this image – it is getting ready for next year’s bluebonnet field, so please don’t CRUSH them.
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More info you say? Of course – Eliz Alex Photography (est. 2010) specializes in photographing families and children in Plano, Texas; Allen Texas; Frisco, Texas, and the Woodlands, Texas areas. Please message me to schedule your family’s photographic adventure!
Little people call her Camera Girl. Elizabeth’s little people, two boys, call her Mommy. She calls on her Canon, enthusiasm for the outdoors, creativity as a former toy maker, excitement for discovery, and addiction to Starbucks coffee to guide the littles, middles, and their families on photographic adventures. Elizabeth’s love of nature and volunteer work at a local conservancy keep her connected to the land, and always seeking new settings where she can capture the natural light, the beauty of the local fauna, and the candid and the magical moments of the families she guides.
