After weeks of looking, I’ve finally managed to beat both the weather (which if too hot shrivels them up), the natural cycle of the poppy (to only flower every 2-3 years in the same field), and also the farmers knack of cutting them down before I arrive…. and THIS was the result, one of natures most gorgeous locations for a shoot. Yep, at last I managed to delight in the joy of taking some poppy portraits!
I almost can’t believe it, after numerous attempts to track down a poppy field over the last couple of years, I found one. And it was only 5 miles down the road from my new house! It wasn’t the easiest to find however, and involved me reversing up a cycle path (I swear it started out as a road and suddenly narrowed… at first I thought it would widen out again but I was wrong… and only when coming face to face with a puzzled looking cyclist did I realise I may have taken a wrong turn). Followed by serious contemplation as to whether I’d remain intact if I jumped over a wide ditch and then scrambled through brambles to get into the field. Before finally deciding some off-roading was the best option!
So as I bumped and scraped my little Polo up a dirt track/bridleway which ran parallel to the field, it seemed to just go on and on (much like the maze in one of my fave 80’s films ‘Labyrinth’). And I started to wonder if this mystical poppy field would remain off limits for another year, and also feared at any moment I’d come face to face with a confused horse rider or angry farmer instead.
But just as I was about to give up and reverse back down the dirt track it curved round to the left, and there is was!!!!!!!! And boy was it worth it. However having never reached such mythical lands before I had no idea how scratchy poppies actually are, and we both ended up with stinging and bleeding legs! Not to mention stains on my new skirt (from what I’m still not sure… bug juice?!).
So fellow seekers of these lands you’ve been warned…….! But I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a small price to pay for THIS. Enjoy!
