Spring in the Bay Area isn’t just a season. It’s a rolling parade of color. From the delicate white petals of almond blossoms in Dixon around February to the intoxicating purple rows of lavender fields at Capay Valley in June, nature is constantly resetting the stage. And for spring portrait photography, that means one thing: timing is everything.
As a full-service maternity and family photographer serving Walnut Creek and the Bay Area and beyond, I spend each spring chasing flowers so my clients don’t have to. Here’s your spring guide to what’s blooming when, and why booking early for your spring portrait session makes all the difference.
Table of Contents
- Late January – Mid March: Mustard Fields & Wildflowers
- Mid February – March: Almond Blossoms & Cherry Blossoms
- March: Tulips
- April: Iris
- Late March – Mid April: Lupine (Book Fast, This One’s Fleeting)
- Late April – Summer: Rose Gardens
- June: Lavender Fields
- Why Booking Early Matters
Late January – Mid March: Mustard Fields & Wildflowers
The season opens early with sweeping golden mustard fields, especially stunning through wine country in Napa and Sonoma and the first wave of wildflowers beginning to peek through the hillsides. You can even catch these gorgeous fields in the East Bay as well as Half Moon Bay. These blooms arrive quietly and carpet entire landscapes, making for dreamy, portrait backdrops. This is one of the longer bloom windows of the season, giving you real flexibility to find the right weekend for a spring portrait session.
Mid February – March: Almond Blossoms & Cherry Blossoms
From Vacaville and Dixon to Woodland and beyond, almond blossom season transforms the Sacramento Valley into one of the most breathtaking spring portrait settings you’ll ever see. Soft, cloud-like canopies overhead, petals drifting like snow… it’s the kind of scenery that stops people in their tracks every single year. Cherry blossoms closer to the Bay Area, particularly in San Ramon and Fairfield, offer a similar magic a little nearer to home. Both typically peak from mid-February through March.
A word of warning: almond and cherry blossom season is breathtaking but brief. A single warm spell or rainstorm can end it in days. This is the one bloom you want to be ready for, not scrambling to book last minute.
March: Tulips
March brings out that Bridgerton-like elegance of tulip season, with vivid, jewel-toned blooms that are as bold and graphic in portraits as they are in a vase. Tulip fields and gardens make for incredibly vibrant session backdrops with rich color that pops in photos. Like blossoms, tulips have a short window, so this one rewards planning ahead. Filoli Gardens and a few gardens in the South Bay make for the perfect spring portrait backdrop for tulips.
April: Iris
There is something almost regal about iris season. By April, these deep purple, blue, and yellow blooms are in full force, and the way they photograph in golden hour light is just stunning. It also happens to be one of the nicest months weather-wise, which makes sessions feel easy and relaxed. Placer County has some beautiful spots to find them, and I love incorporating them into sessions when timing lines up just right.
Late March – Mid April: Lupine (Book Fast, This One’s Fleeting)
Of all the blooms on this list, lupine requires the most urgency. Those iconic fields painted in purple and blue that you’ve seen all over social media? They typically last just two weeks in mid-April. Two weeks. The window is incredibly short that I actively monitor conditions each year to help clients time their sessions perfectly. And here’s the thing: some years the blooms simply don’t come back, which makes the good years even more special. I’ve even spotted rare yellow and white varieties tucked into the hillsides and reservoir on lucky occasions.
Because of all this, lupine sessions work best for clients who are flexible on location and willing to drive a little (ok, a lot) for the most epic shots. I’ve found beautiful blooms in places as spread out as San Ramon, Los Gatos, and Folsom, so being open to wherever the flowers show up that year makes all the difference. If lupine spring portrait sessions are on your wish list, reach out early. I cannot stress this enough. The waitlist fills up fast and this is one session where advance planning truly pays off.
Late April – Summer: Rose Gardens
Here’s where the season takes a more relaxed pace. Rose gardens typically begin blooming at the end of April and continue their rolling blooms well into summer, with different varieties peaking at different times. This makes rose garden sessions some of the most flexible of the year, as there’s almost always something beautiful in bloom. From classic romantic reds to soft peachy tones, roses offer a timeless elegance that works beautifully for couples, families, and individual portraits alike. Some of my favorite rose gardens are in the South Bay and in Sacramento that offer the most beautiful light and blooms.
June: Lavender Fields
June belongs to lavender. Capay Valley is one of the most breathtaking lavender destinations in Northern California, with rows of purple blooms stretching out under warm early summer light. It creates a soft, dreamy quality in late spring portrait that is hard to replicate anywhere else. And the scent is absolutely divine! It lingers long after you have left the field. If you have younger children, the lavender farm in Fairfield in the North Bay is a wonderful option closer to home, with a relaxed atmosphere that works beautifully for family sessions.
One of the best things about lavender season is the longer bloom window. Compared to those other blooms in spring, lavender gives you a little more flexibility to find the right date and lighting conditions.
Why Booking Early Matters
Here’s the reality: some of these blooms last weeks, others last a few days. I track conditions every spring and do my best to guide clients toward the perfect timing, but I can only do that if we’ve already connected and have a session on the calendar.
When you book in advance, we can:
- Monitor bloom conditions together and choose the best weekend
- Select the right location for the look you’re going for
- Have a backup plan if the weather doesn’t cooperate
Spring sessions book up quickly, especially around peak bloom windows. If you’ve been dreaming about portraits in the flowers, the best time to reach out is now, before the season gets away from us.
Ready to chase some flowers together in the Bay Area? It is never too early to start planning. I had clients connect with me in the fall about their spring blossom portraits.
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