ANDERSON — Blooming flowers, greening trees and frequent rainstorms are convincing signs of spring familiar to many local residents.
To that list, add an annual migration of long-eared, leafy green-loving animals to Star Photo.
The downtown photo studio held its annual spring portrait event, with dozens of children sharing the spotlight with a group of rabbits brought from Twin Barns Rabbitry in Indianapolis.
Brittney Wilhoit, the photographer for the event, said she loves to watch families grow through their photos.
“My very favorite thing is our repeats,” Wilhoit said. “The ones who come in, the families I get to watch grow. There is one family that came in when their oldest one was just a baby. I posted an album of all their pictures…and it just starts with the oldest, and then you see their second son come in, and then the third son come in, and you just see them get bigger and bigger.”
Wilhoit said the event, normally scheduled close to Easter, is popular with families who want to get early portraits done for the holiday.
This year, premium sessions ranging from 20 to 30 minutes allow for more poses and more interaction with the bunnies, which Saturday proved to be a hit with many of the younger children.
Adrienne Wieman and her daughter, Amelia, traveled from Ohio to visit family over weekend. Adrienne Wieman said she liked that the event allowed for more candid photos of her daughter – many of which captured expressions of joy upon seeing the bunnies.
“It is a good opportunity to get a simple picture of (Amelia),” Adrienne Wieman said, “Also, she is an animal lover, so I knew she would have a great time getting to pet the bunnies and taking Easter pictures for the grandparents.”
Alyssa Reynolds, Amelia’s aunt, said she hadn’t heard about the event before and thought it would be an enjoyable outing for the three of them while Adrienne and Amelia were in town.
“I found it on social media and I am definitely going to be keeping an eye on that stuff a little bit more,” Reynolds said. “I’d like to see what other events they have because this worked out really well.”
Reynolds said the event was well organized, with the animals providing a unique experience for children who may not have been comfortable in front of the camera.
“I think for anybody that normally does not get an opportunity to have pictures with different animals, having that experience is great,” Reynolds said. “The grandparents are always going to love cute pictures.”
Wilhoit, who has photographed at the spring portrait event for several years, said it has grown in stature – and in meaning to many people.
“It is our biggest event of the year,” Wilhoit said. “We had somebody drive from Lafayette a couple days ago to do one of these sessions. People move and they keep an eye on our Facebook page, and they still come in for Bunny Day.
“It is nice to be a part of families’ traditions. It kind of cements us as part of the community.”