You know you’re in the Bootheel when the mosquitoes attack like rabid wolves and the smell of defoliant in the air catches your breath. And then, when you see the beautiful cotton fields bloom like a blanket of snow, you know you’re here. Since I’ve been learning about and photographing landscapes this year, I have been looking forward to the blooming cotton fields and getting to photograph them.
Now, how I managed to shoot the first two images on this specific day is kind of a funny story. My three older kids were fussing and arguing with each other on our way back from school, and any parent knows that at some point that fussing and arguing can really get under your skin. All the while, I noticed how pretty the skies were, and the cotton was blooming, and although it rained a good amount the day before, I decided to go get my equipment. I told my kids that they had to deal with me shooting for a little while because of their bickering.
I took them to a friend’s cotton field, albeit muddy as can be, and let them have (almost) free reign over running around, thinking that the energy of the cotton field might calm them down and give them something better to do than argue. While I was shooting, all five of my children got lost in playing. Thank goodness for a little motherly insight (and a little selfishness to shoot for myself)! They played with the cotton bolls, chucking them back and forth at each other like grenades. (You gotta thank a boy who is all about the military)!
Needless to say, they got their frustrations out, played, got muddy, and managed to enjoy playing together again. And in the process, the first two images that I love from my personal mini shoot. The third image is my favorite because it shows the stark difference of just 15 minutes prior to this shot and this moment. Truly happy to be in a muddy cotton field.
