Mostly the Kids: Hello, Texas Bluebonnets

The ubiquitous Texas Family Photo opportunity in spring - Bluebonnets! Simple, beautiful, and everywhere (for a limited time). The last two years, I didn't get any decent photos in the bluebonnets. In 2010, I waited until May and ended up getting photos of weeds with only a teensy amount of bloom remaining. Less than spectacular, although cute baby Ian was good compensation. In 2011, I was too preoccupied with being very pregnant that I didn't even bother making plans to get out in the bluebonnets. This year, I was determined to get some shots! Luckily for me, there are some GREAT fields of bluebonnets right by my office, so I could scope them out periodically and see if the time was right to bring out the kids. Our first attempt this year was at high noon on a clear day, which I REALLY do not recommend for open field shots. I honestly knew better (open sun tends to produce very harsh shadows and far from ideal conditions for subjects' eyes), but it seemed to be the only time and day that worked with my family's schedule. I was very disappointed with the quality of photos, although I was able to make some interesting photos with a bit more processing effort. Although I tend to like my photos processed as little as possible, there are a few newer effects in Picassa that yielded some interesting results. To get some better straight out of the camera shots, I decided to stop by with the kids after work/school one day. There was a little bit of cloud cover and the temperature and light were perfect! Enjoy the flashback to spring!