Here in Southern California, spring has sprung and the Super Bloom is on. Flowers are blooming and Painted Ladies are migrating.

I had a post on Butterflies and Wildflowers and came upon an article in LAist and decided to rethink my post. This shows some top Influencers in LA doing the same thing, being selfish and disrespectful just to get a shot? Photographers doing models shoots and others doing product shots in the flowers?

I hope this article was meant to shame these photographers like their article on the parents involved in college cheating scandal. Every one of these photographers are a disgrace to our photo community and they proved it in their photos.

LA-based Modern Hiker is promoting the hashtag #nowildflowerswereharmed for photos of the super bloom.

Bruce Davis let us share this photo of his FJ. When he parked it in the wee hours of the morning he was the only one there. Ha and he thought he was getting there before the weekend crowds.....well he was the first car there.

The news is calling it the ‘Poppy Apocalypse’ and the City of Lake Elsinore is now closing off areas to end the traffic jams and to protect the area from further destruction. Sadly the media has picked up on this and are now blaming it all on photography / influencers. As much as it bothers me that there are photographers destroying natural areas, it bothers me more that all the blame is put on us. Doing a search on Google and YouTube will yield you some disturbing results.  Anyone with a cell phone is a photographer.

To be a truly great influencer, you need to set an example to others. Not just in your photography but in how you conduct yourself. Get the shot, but leave no footprints/trample no blooms in the process!

#NoFlowersWereHarmed #SuperBloom2019 #WalkerCanyon #LakeElsinore #Naturephotography #LeaveNoTrace