Every year, I like to add a fresh batch of bluebonnet pictures to my collection. They’re the Texas state flower, and they only last about 3 to 4 weeks a year–plus they’re blue! The bluebonnets for 2018 sprung up a day or two before the equinox; I first noticed them on March 20th and started taking photos.

A small pano of bluebonnets. Shot with iPhone 6.

Bluebonnets blow in the wind. Shot with Canon S5 IS.

A patch of Bluebonnets. Shot with iPhone 6.

A red ladybug climbs the blue flowers. Shot with iPhone 6.

A single batch among a patch of bluebonnets.

Flowers in front of trees. Shot with iPhone 6.

This bluebonnet looks more purple due to the “golden hour” warm yellow sunlight bathing it and not adjusting color temp in post. Shot with iPhone 6.

Insect’s eye view. Shot with iPhone 6.

Using a long focal length to capture. Shot with Canon S5 IS.

Lone Bluebonnet. Shot with Canon S5 IS.

Bluebonnets with blue sky. Shot with Canon S5 IS.

Shot with Canon S5 IS.

For the 2017 bluebonnets, I used my Moto G4 camera phone. This year it was the iPhone 6 at first. I tried a small panorama picture of the biggest group of bluebonnets in our front yard and think it turned out alright. I also got the usual low angle shots, almost macros, and the top down view.

After using just my iPhone 6, one day I decided to try my old Canon S5 IS; I’m sure glad I did! I really enjoyed getting low with my camera’s vari-angle screen, holding its beefy grip in my hand, and, most of all, being able to optically zoom! Changing focal length does wonders for creative shots! I also played with aperture priority to adjust depth of field via aperture settings; bigger aperture, shallower depth of field.

Then after capturing the photos in camera, I fired up my laptop and had to physically transfer them via SD Card–no wi-fi or cloud syncing! Finally, I also used a tool I’ve ignored for a long time: Lightroom. I opened it and, as always, loved using its powerful organizing and editing features.

I’ve become so accustomed to using a smartphone camera with auto-backup and built-in apps that I’ve forgotten the utility and greatness of digital photo editing from just a few years past.

What turned out differently this year with the flowers was that instead of a single large clump there are also several smaller patches scattered around the yard. So I grabbed a few shots of one particular patch to show how they like to grow in nice ground cover bushes.

This year is also the first time I am sharing my pictures differently online. You won’t find them at Instagram or Flickr. They’re only here on my blog! But I might add them to Flickr at some point or maybe share one directly to Twitter…time will tell.

Hope you enjoy these wonderful flowers and my attempt to capture their beauty! Which one is your favorite? Let me know in the comments. Thanks! 🙂

Update 4/20/18: With today’s exciting announcement of SmugMug buying Flickr, I am thinking I might start using it more. I wrote just a few months ago and asked, “Is Flickr Still A Thing?” My answer was, I think it is. Now I say, Yes it is.