A Desert Wildflower Session
Spring is beautiful here in Tucson. It’s my favorite time of the year to shoot, because the desert is covered in brilliant colors and soft blooms. This year was even more breathtaking. Fall and winter were unseasonably wet, and delivered us a spring superbloom. I couldn’t wait to shoot so I started scouting locations. Another photographer shared photos from Picacho Peak. It was covered in wildflowers. I knew I needed to shoot there before they disappeared, so I took to social media to see if anyone was interested.
The lovely Vanessa was very interested, so we decided on a day and time. I met Vanessa and her husband at Picacho one sunny, spring afternoon. Because we were shooting at the base of a mountain, I began our session early, because I wasn’t sure when the sun actually set. It was beautiful, but the sun was bright and high in the sky. Thankfully, the saguaros created a beautiful block from it. They also allowed me to create gorgeous sun flares that added to the drama of the photos.
I had Vanessa and Brad wander the trails of Picacho amongst the wildflowers kissing and cuddling. We were careful to stay on the trails as not to crush the fragile wildflowers. There were so many, however, using my long lens it was easy to shoot through the flowers to hide the trails. It wasn’t long before the sun settled behind the peak and the gorgeous colors of the flowers could be captured. The second half of their session was breathtaking. Brilliant greens, purples, yellows all nestled amongst the desert cacti. Combined with their love and the gorgeous outfits they brought, it is one of my favorite sessions of the year.
