Wildflowers in San Diego don’t last forever, which is part of what makes them worth chasing. When Hattie reached out about a maternity session, we both knew the timing had to be right — and it was, in more ways than one. She and Steven were five weeks from their due date, leaving for a cross-country military move that Monday, and somehow in the middle of all of that, they carved out a Saturday evening to document this season before it was over. I’m so glad they did.

We shot in a spot in Carlsbad that I don’t give up easily — one of those hidden gem locations that doesn’t show up on any “best photo spots in San Diego” list, and that’s exactly why it works. Rolling green hills, wildflowers, open sky, and that golden hour light that makes everything look a little unreal. It’s the kind of place that does most of the heavy lifting for you.

Hattie and Steven came prepared. They brought a picnic blanket, a wooden crate full of oranges and drinks, and the kind of easy energy that makes a session genuinely fun to shoot. Since they were so relaxed with each other, the whole evening just flowed. We moved through the fields, spread out on the blanket in the grass, and let the light do what it does best as the sun dropped lower. There’s a series of shots from above — the two of them lying in the wildflowers with the picnic spread around them — that are some of my favorites from this entire year.

Five weeks out from meeting their baby, two days out from leaving California behind. That’s a lot of life happening at once, and these photos hold all of it without trying to. That’s what I love most about this gallery — it’s not just a maternity session, it’s a snapshot of an entire chapter closing and another one opening.

San Diego maternity sessions don’t always look like beaches and cliffs. Sometimes they look like a secret hillside in Carlsbad with wildflowers and golden light and two people who are completely ready for what comes next. If you want to learn more about what’s blooming and when in the area, The California Native Plant Society is a great resource for tracking wildflower seasons.

Hattie and Steven — wherever you’ve landed, I hope it feels like home. And I hope you print these big.

If you’re expecting and want to document this season before it passes, let’s connect.

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