At this point, most people have come across the photo session popular among a certain type of influencer: a rolling field of bright flowers and, in a less-than-subtle illustration of being one with nature, one or several people peeking out from the plants that are covering the areas where clothes would otherwise be.
Some photo studios even carve out a market by helping clients find spots and positioning themselves as specialists in this type of photo style.
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But while some particularly lush fields may be better-suited for a naked photo shoot than a sparse one, farmers have started sounding the alarm around visitors stripping off their clothes in what is supposed to be a family-friendly area.
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'This must not happen during our public sessions,' sunflower farm pleads
"Reminder to all we are a family area and please keep your clothes on in the sunflowers!" Stoke Fruit Farm, which runs a sunflower field attraction on England's Hayling Island every August, wrote in a recent Facebook (META) -) post. "We are having an increase of reports of naked photography taking place and this must not happen during our public sessions please."
The post quickly blew up social media due to what should have not needed saying.
"My plans have been scuppered," nearby resident Beth Christine wrote underneath the post while others also jokingly commented on how they would now need to "quickly change their weekend plans."
The 350-acre farm, which was started by current sibling owners' Sam Wilson and Nette Petley's grandmother, both grow crops such as potatoes, pumpkins and corn and organize tours for visitors looking to see flowers and animals. Throughout the end of August, Stoke Fruit Farm is holding a number of events in its sunflower fields. On Aug. 24, visitors can bring their dogs while a maze walk that can also be used for (clothed) selfie sessions costs £6 ($7.64) per adult and £4 ($5) per child.
"We've always had people take risqué pictures but this is the first year it’s been a problem, which is why we've put signs up," Wilson told CNN of the now-viral Facebook post.
Selfie sessions are driving tourism (but also harming the environment)
Due to their aesthetic quality, flower field photo sessions have exploded in popularity over the last few years. While helping drive business to small farms and rural areas, they have also been causing some serious problems.
In 2019, some popular social media personalities' posts of a Southern California poppy "superbloom" sent a rush of visitors that ended up trampling fields and leaving hordes of garbage in the Lake Elsinore area.
"The city's not advertising this," the local mayor said at the time. "It's not an event, and for those reasons it's really hard to plan for anything like that."
By 2023, local authorities issued a warning telling visitors that those who disregard instructions to stay away from certain areas could face fines and even arrests leading to sentences of up to five years.
"Many Lake Elsinore neighborhoods were literally severed from access to the rest of the city by traffic gridlock," current Mayor Natasha Johnson said during a press conference on the city's efforts to crack down on the influencer-propelled crowds that have started coming down every year.
