Maggie's Farm Current Events: Beach Bum Bouquet

We made it to the beach...finally!
Everybody needs a change of scenery once in a while and The Queen (Maggie) and I have been looking at the same scenery for a long, long time. So Friday night we finished our deliveries and headed east to Wilmington to visit my sister and enjoy a little sun and fun, some food and a little shopping.
But the first thing we did Saturday morning was to go to the beach to take some pictures that I had been thinking about for a while. I had asked Maggie to do a bouquet I could shoot on the beach and she is always so kind to indulge me.

I caught three breaks on Saturday morning.

First, the rain stopped. Friday night Wilmington was getting all the rainfall the rest of the state so desperately needs. I had thought I would shoot at sunrise but at 5:00 a.m. the thunder was still banging so I didn't rush. By seven, the rain had seemed to pass so by 7:30 we were on our way to the beach.
Second, Maggie came with me. It's not unusual for me to take the camera out early in the morning when we're on vacation, but usually The Queen sleeps in. I was delighted when she came along. I thought I had some good ideas about what I wanted to shoot but Maggie did for me the same thing she does for her clients, she makes your good ideas better.
Third, I ran into this little girl.

I'd had an idea that an photo of a little girl holding a bouquet under her chin might make for an interesting image of Maggie's work. I really wasn't expecting to do that, though, on this particular morning because it was still overcast and we were going to the least crowded part of the beach. But we had no sooner parked the van and tried to pay at the parking kiosk, than this young family - a big red headed guy, his petite wife, a very young son and their daughter, a pretty little girl with flaming red hair - walked up behind us. The little girl couldn't have been more perfect for the shot I'd had in mind. I walked up to the father, gave him one of Maggie's cards and told him who we were and what we had in mind to do and asked him if it would be OK. He said he thought so and checked with his wife, who was also OK with the idea.

About thirty feet away was a spot where the dunes and sea oats kind of framed the shot nicely so we all walked over there and I took three snaps. To their credit, Maggie, the mom and the dad tried valiantly to get the young girl to smile, but to no avail. I actually think that worked out for the best. It made the shots look less like something off a greeting card. It made the young girl look enigmatic. It made the shot more interesting.

I never asked the family's name but they were so nice and I really appreciate their help. I'm very happy with the shots. I hope they will be, too.

I only took three shots of the little girl but I took about thirty shots altogether. I mentioned before about Maggie taking your ideas and making them better. I had the idea of the bouquet and champagne bottle and glasses at the edge of the water. Maggie took it a step further and actually put them in the surf which made for a much more interesting photo.

Maybe I should have called this the Blanche Dubois Bouquet because of the way it depended upon the kindness of strangers. We met another nice family on Johnny Mercer's Pier. The woman holding the bouquet couldn't have been more delightful. I know flowers bring out the best in people but I really don't think that woman had anything else, just the best.