Spring brings with it greens, florals, rainbows — and a resurgence in outdoor portrait photography as warmer weather hits. This week, we highlight five photographs with hints of spring from rainbows to green tones. Take a look at these stunning spring photos from Megan Kelly, Irina Dzhul, D’Ann McCormick Boal, Amanda Vaelynn, and Janina Brocklesby. 

Megan Kelly 

Utah-based photographer Megan Kelly shoots at the Bonneville Salt Flats at least once a week — but this spring photos shoot was the first time the location delivered such an epic rainbow shortly before sunset. “I thought this session was going to be basic and dull, it was storming like crazy with enough wind to knock a semi over, so I didn’t think there would be sun or a reflection on the water at all,” she explained. “But as soon as we pulled in the clouds parted, the wind stopped, and we had rainbows behind us and a flaming sunset in front of us. The reflections were perfect and this is so rare at this location.” 

Kelly says she chose a natural pose and used the rainbow as if it was a spotlight on the couple. The image was taken with the Canon R5 and a 70-200mm lens. 

Irina Dzhul 

This spring photo by Irina Dzhul was inspired by the location, a “stone village” in Ukraine surrounded by mossy boulders. “I wanted to capture the soul of this place,” the photographer said. “Nature is my best inspiration.” 

To tie into the natural surroundings, Dzhul made the dress and added ferns at the location, inspired by the look of a forest nymph. She used a Canon 5D Mark III and the Canon 85mm f1.2. She created the fog effect with a smoke bomb. 

D’Ann McCormick Boal, Smitten & Swoon Photography 

D’Ann McCormick Boal keeps an idea journal where she can jot down inspiration and ideas. This floral spring photo self-portrait, she says, was an idea she had had in that journal for more than a year. While the shot required three different lights and a self-timer, she says the most challenging part was actually hanging the flowers, which were so heavy they kept tipping the light stands and garden lattice they were tied to. 

“There was a fair bit of prep work that went into creating this self-portrait,” she explained. “First, I purchased several bouquets of flowers and tied them into many small bundles.  Next, I hung them from light stands and a garden lattice. I layered three off-camera flashes in one at a time starting with some fill light on camera left. Then I added some direct warm light behind me on camera right using a magnum and orange gel.  I placed the third light in front of me with a grid and softbox to give some directional short light. Using a remote on timer mode, I triggered my camera, sprayed some atmosphere in a can, and then got the shot.” 

Amanda Vaelynn 

This rock at a spring photo hotspot in Sedona, Arizona is photographed frequently — wedding photographer Amanda Vaelynn wanted to do something different with the iconic spot. She decided to do just that by moving around and adjusting the composition, using a wide-angle lens to create a sense of scale. Vaelynn captured the image with the Canon R5 and the 35mm EF f1.4 lens at f1.8, ISO 100 and 1/8000 of a second. 

“The biggest challenge of getting this shot was timing the lighting just right,” she said. “This morning was very overcast and cloudy, but I wanted the depth and contrast of the shadows on the rock, so we waited to set up this shot until the sun was just about to come between some clouds—and only had a few minutes before the sun hid behind the clouds again. There was also a challenge of exposing the spring photo to not blow out the highlights of the bride’s wedding dress while also preserving some of the shadows to bring up in post/editing so you can see the rock hidden in the shadows.” 

Janina Brocklesby, Reportage Studios 

This spontaneous spring photo was inspired by the deep green tones in the dress matching the bottles of Peroni. Janina Brocklesby of Reportage Studios said she was inspired by the repetition of the colors. The image was captured with a Sony a7 III and a 25mm Batis lens. 

“I did spot the Peroni colors and lady’s dress beforehand and saw opportunity for something,” Brocklesby said. “The most challenging was to be patient for all elements to come together in perfect composition with colors and repetition.”  

Dig into our Photo of the Day archives for even more timeless photos, eye-catching wedding photos and portraits. Submit your wedding, editorial, documentary and other interesting imagery to: [email protected].