Went to the Ennis Bluebonnet Festival

[bobcool]

It was worth the drive - the festival was a little anemic (not many booths and way overpriced slide/pony rides) but we came for the map of the bluebonnet trail. The fine ladies at the Ennis Garden Club didn't dissapoint, and gave us all the information we needed. Area 3 was the place to be this year. We arrived at a farmer's 10-acre area overflowing with bluebonnets.

I planned on using my shoot-thru umbrella to get some soft light on my kids faces but it was very windy, so bare flash had to suffice. I used a tripod, my lone SB-600 and my new Cybersyncs to remotely control the flash. Here are a few keepers from the shoot:

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I heartily recommend you make the drive - it's definitely worth it if you want large quantities of bluebonnets in your kid pics. :)

[PaulP]

Very nice pictures.

Could you give some directions to area 3? I was out of town this past weekend and missed the festival.

Paul

[bobcool]

Originally Posted by PaulP

Very nice pictures.

Could you give some directions to area 3? I was out of town this past weekend and missed the festival.

Paul

Hi Paul,

This page should tell you everything you need to know about where to go - http://www.visitennis.org/Festivals/...et_Trails.html

Have fun!

[PaulP]

Originally Posted by bobcool

Hi Paul,

This page should tell you everything you need to know about where to go - http://www.visitennis.org/Festivals/...et_Trails.html

Have fun!

Thanks, looks like I have a trip in my near future!

[Westx]

Bob

Nice shots. I was down there Sunday also. Was really disappointed in the lack of flowers. Last year there were 3 times as many. At one time there was a group of photogs with a model at one of the locations. Pretty interesting watching the shoot..

[*~Karena~*]

Originally Posted by Westx

Bob

Nice shots. I was down there Sunday also. Was really disappointed in the lack of flowers. Last year there were 3 times as many. At one time there was a group of photogs with a model at one of the locations. Pretty interesting watching the shoot..

Last year was the drought, I guess you were talking about the year before last, 2007 was the best year in a few decades (according to the visitor center and that farmer with the big field in Area 3)

I don't own a field myself, what I can do is just pray for rain! rain! and rain! So next year will be better!

*~Karena~* added 16 Minutes and 8 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

And also, usually the VERY BEST fields are those "not shown on the map but close to the route", it's not working this year as we really don't have many bluebonnets. But it worked in both 2006 and 2007 for me, just have to drive around the route, pretend to miss a turn or so, then you may discover an 'unclaimed' bluebonnets field (not fenced). In 2006, we end up went back to the visitor center to report the location to them, so it will got "highlighted" on the map. But for 2007, I was so lost that I can't even tell where I was from their map, so I didn't report.

This is yet another fun activity to do though!

[Teddington]

I'm not sure if it's private land but theres a nice slope of bluebonnets on the east side of I45 just before the Ennis exit.

Fun photos. Your daughter is quite the poser. Looks like she was having fun ...

[bobcool]

Thanks all - yes my daughter is learning how to pose differently - probably from the thousands of times (it seems) that I take pictures of her. My son, on the other hand, can't stand still for 30 seconds and kept running off until I finally gave up and focused on her. We'll definitely go back next year, or maybe next weekend before they all dry up.

[playbak]

If you were at the Blue House, you may have seen us. Here are some pics from the model shoot there. It was a fun day and the property owner gave us the run of the place. He even pulled out the old Model T for us to use. He just wanted some shots with the models, which we happily provided.

[Westx]

Nice shots Bob. The folks I saw were in an open field. Didn't make it to the blue house.

Can't blame the man for wanting shots with these models.

[toverman]

Originally Posted by Westx

Can't blame the man for wanting shots with these models.

I was thinking the same thing.

Bob, great shots of your kids.

[JohnT]

These are nice. Next time, try reducing the power of your flash, and add a CTO gel for daylight to make them look more natural. I think you'll like the results.

[playbak]

Thanks. Except for the one with the hat on the foot, I didn't use any flash. Do they appear that way? I did some clean up on the skin and little saturation boost, but these are pretty much the way the came out of the camera.

Shooting with all that bright sunlight around was very, very challenging, so your advice is welcome.

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by playbak

Thanks. Except for the one with the hat on the foot, I didn't use any flash. Do they appear that way? I did some clean up on the skin and little saturation boost, but these are pretty much the way the came out of the camera.

Shooting with all that bright sunlight around was very, very challenging, so your advice is welcome.

I was commenting on the OP's images.

[bobcool]

Thanks John,

I played back and forth with the flash power - sometimes it's too much, sometimes not enough, especially when it's partly cloudy and the light changes every 30 seconds or so. Also, I warmed up some of the pictures in post - my daughter's skin is really that pale. I gotta get some older models because my kids got impatient and wanted to play in the bluebonnet fields!