Finding the Light: A Poppy Field Adventure

As photographers, we're always talking about finding the light. Sometimes that means waiting for the sun to dip a little lower. Sometimes it means moving ten feet to the left. And sometimes it means walking across three different flower fields with a determined little girl who has plans of her own. This was one of those evenings.

When we arrived, the first poppy field was absolutely beautiful—but the sun was still high and the light was much harsher than I wanted. I suggested waiting a little while, but when you're photographing a toddler, the clock doesn't always belong to the photographer.

So we started.

We made a few portraits, then headed toward another field where I hoped the light would be a little softer. By then we were all feeling the Kentucky heat, and our little adventurer had become much more interested in exploring than smiling for my camera.

So...out came the bubbles.

For a few minutes, they were pure magic.

She laughed, reached, chased, and completely forgot I was taking pictures. Those are some of my favorite moments to photograph because children aren't thinking about posing—they're simply enjoying being children.

But I couldn’t quite get that view I wanted in the available light there either. So against her mom’s advice I stopped the bubbles.

She wasn't ready for that.

Neither her mom nor I knew if we had another photograph left in the evening. But after a little encouragement and begging I convinced her to walk across the road to another field, and there something changed.

The light had softened. She started noticing the flowers again.

Not because everything went according to plan. But because it didn't.

One of the things I love most about photographing children is that they remind me to let go of the shot list. They don't care where the best light is. They don't know what Pinterest says the session should look like. They just live in the moment. My job isn't to make them fit my plan. It's to meet them where they are, keep looking for the light, and be ready when the moment arrives.

I guess we really did find the light.