The Best Cotton Comes From Alabama Cotton Fields
Yesterday I drove past this cotton field. This time of year in Alabama, I can’t leave the house without driving past giant fields of white, fluffy cotton. It’s everywhere. Big fields. Little fields. By gas stations. Between houses.
When the sun is high, and the fields are vast, the cotton in the distance just glitters, as if it were a mirage. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
This is Alabama snow.
Pretty soon it will all be picked clean. It’s almost time to harvest.
It’s always a little sad to see the stripped bare, naked cotton fields.
But it’ll be back next year, just as white, fluffy and beautiful.
Yesterday, I drove past this beautiful cotton field, and I had to jump out and snap a few photos before it’s gone for another year.
So soft. Just like big, fluffy cotton balls.
I always want to reach out and grab it.
This one exploded.
Happy Fall, ya’ll. Love, Alabama.
Hi I’m looking for a cotton field for my engagement pictures! I’m trying to find somewhere near Shelby county if possible! If you have any suggestions or places please let me know! Thank you so much in advance!
Hello Kevin and Amanda,
Totally love your cotton field photos. i am looking to do an engagement photo shoot in a cotton field. My fiance and I recently moved to the Florida Pan Handle and are not familiar with the area. Would you advise us where could we find a nice cotton field in alabama this time of the year please?
Best Regards,
Hi Jessica! These were taken near Huntsville, Alabama. Unfortunately the cotton fields change every year. I will email you and tell you exactly where these were taken. It will at least be a place to start! Good luck!
Would love to know what part of Alabama has such white cotton fields?
Cotton fields are the most beautiful sight in the world. Thank you for sharing. I’m a senior, a new author, from California, and I’m asking permission to use one of your cotton field photos to show in a book I’m writing. It will be part of a story that takes place in Alabama. I really need one of your photos. Thanks. Please reply.
Doris Perez
Hi! I stumbled upon these pictures while searching for prints of “Alabama Cotton.” Do you have any of these prints for sale?? I’d love to buy some to hang in our bedroom! My husband and I are both Alabama natives and we live in Madison, AL now. I’ve always loved cotton season and would love to have some of your photographs on our walls!!
Read more at http://www.kevinandamanda.com/photography/black-and-white-photography.html#y06PGLwLzf8HBegI.99
I am 71 years old and I’m putting together pictures of how times were when I was growing up in Fayette Alabama for my grand children. I lived out in the county, not in town as we called it back then. My grandfather raised cotton and I wanted some pictures of what the cotton fields looked like. I was really happy to find these and thanks for sharing them with people like me and others.
My fiance and I are hoping to take some of our engagement pictures in a cotton field soon, and those are just beautiful! Can you please tell me where these pictures were taken? We’d love to look into it. Thanks so much!
Oh, Amanda! You have made my day with these pictures.
My Dad and I went on road trips all the time when I was a kid and he always stopped at cotton fields to show them to me. These are very fond memories I hold deep in my heart. Isn’t it funny the little things we remember and cherish from childhood? Beautiful Photos, thank you for sharing!
Oklahoma used to have lots of cotton fields, but you just don’t see many anymore. I really miss them. Beautiful pictures!
Amanda,
These pictures are gorgeous! Being from Noo Yawk, I’ve never seen cottton fields before! Love the Alabama snow!
Thanks for sharing them!
Kristen Hayes
Wow, so beautiful! I would love to do a photo shoot in a cotton field! Great photos!
danieladukleska.com
I’m in Alabama too! (I found your site through pinterest.)
We don’t have a lot cotton fields in Birmingham. I enjoyed seeing your pictures. Reminded me of when I was younger and we drove up north to visit family. Bunches of cotton up that way.
Beautiful!! I know I sound like everyone else but, I’ve never seen cotton fields before. Your pictures make me wanna reach out and touch the cotton!!
I love your pictures–they make me miss Alabama so much! I can’t wait until we live there again in a few years and are able to enjoy Alabama in the fall!
I love this post – I have never seen cotton up close like that – its gorgeous. Thank you :)
WOW :) What a beautiful sight!!!
Gorgeous pictures! What kind of camera do you use?
Oh, wow! I have never seen anything like this! Beautiful! Living in England of course we don’t have cotton fields – thanks for sharing! Will try to not take my cotton wool for granted! :D
Absolutely gorgeous!!!!
Absolutely gorgeous pictures ! It’s really incredible. I’m just passing by and I discover these. Really fascinating ! Thanks for sharing such beautiful shots ! Hello from France !
I would love to drive by a cotton field! Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures, in Oregon we have NOTHING like this.
I have never seen a cotton field before. This is beautiful. Thanks for sharing all of these beautiful pictures!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cotton field–it’s gorgeous! (Stumbled on your site and now checking out your posts)
cool
lucky you for living close to something this beautiful! thank you so much for sharing this little touch of the south!
I have never seen a cotton field in bloom! Absolutely gorgeous. Thanks for sharing your photos!!!
Love to see the cotton – I only have ‘snow’ – never have seen a real cotton field – thanks for sharing –
Beautiful!! I was just in the Athens area a couple of weeks ago and meant to get some pictures, but I ended up being rushed and forgot all about it! We have cotton here in NC, but the fields down there just go forever and the way the afternoon sun hits them just makes it beautiful!
(I was in bama for my besties big 3-0 and I took her to the Dismal Canyon for the day after I had read your blog post on it last year. It was amazing and well worth demanding she not go until I was down!)
Thanks so much for sharing! For those of us who have never seen cotton growing in the fields, it is fascinating to see what it really looks like :)
Wow! this is soo beautiful! I don’t think I’ve ever seen pics of a cotton field. Lovely.
Thats beautiful, I would love to see and touch all of those cotton balls!
Fantastic pictures! I can’t even imagine the sight… I’ve only ever seen corn and/or wheat fields. The little balls of cotton are really cool!
You know how to make an Alabama girl smile!
These are great pictures. I live here, in North Alabama and it IS just beautiful!
When I see the cotton fields in the fall, I think of the Bible Verse, the fields are white unto harvest…..One of the beautiful things about an Autumn in the South!
I LOOVE this post! We cannot live too far from each other! This looks like every little road around my little rural Alabama community! Isn’t it just wonderful! I really do take these beautiful fields for granted, so I am so happy to see this post. It reminds me of how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful state! (I live near J’ville/Gadsden, btw:)) Have a wonderful day!!!
Crystal
Homemaker in Heels
Breathtaking! I have never seen a cotton field before. How impressive! My sister’s boyfriend is from Mississippi, do they have beautiful fields like this over there as well?
Thanks for sharing, I’ve never seen a cotton field! I suppose it’s something you take for granted the same way those of us from Wisconsin don’t even notice the cows grazing in the fields. :-)
Beautiful photos, these are so gorgeous I want to frame one. Truly exquisite.
Living out West, I have never seen a cotton field. That is really cool. Thanks for sharing.
Love it! It’s my favorite time of year when I visit Arkansas in the fall and there is cotton everywhere.
I wish I lived near a field of cotton – so naturally plentiful and beautiful – thanks for capturing this view through your gorgeous photography.
Gorgeous! Love your work!
OKC, OK ; )
Thanks for posting these lovely pictures. I have never been to Alabama and I never saw what cotton fields looked like. Learned something new everyday. So pretty. Thanks for sharing.
WOW! Amazing pictures!
Amanda, I am so glad you stopped and took these pictures. I have never seen cotton plants let alone when they have gone to seed (?) What a crazy plant. It sure was fun to see them.
Thanks for sharing,
I loved those pictures and I love your blog. I would never get to see the world without you. You make my life happier guys!
Gorgeous photography! I haven’t ever seen cotton in bloom like that.
Very cool pictures! I didn’t realize how white it really is on the plant. I’ve seen it in movies, but never up close like this! Just amazing! Thanks for sharing, Amanda!
I’ve never seen cotton growing either – it’s just beautiful!
That is just so lovely! Isn’t nature amazing? I mean really. Beautiful, fluffy white cotton balls growing on a stick. Just amazing.
This is so interesting to me! Growing up in the North East and now living in Northern California, I’ve never seen cotton growing! I’ve always been so curious. Thank you for posting this.
Cotton plants fascinate me. It really is a miracle that there is a plant that grows something such as this which we can use to make soft clothing. Beautiful pictures. Love your blog – have a great night.
Beautiful Alabama snow! Wow! Thanks for stopping to take these gorgeous pictures. I love how differently beautiful each state is, and how the seasons are different everywhere, and how we all must learn to enjoy and treasure our own homestates’ seasonal gifts. Thanks so very much for these wonderful photos.
i actually had no idea that cotton grew like that and always looked like that. informative
Thanks for the pictures. I’ve never seen cotton fields before! I wanted to reach out to the photos and touch them! Thanks for sharing. :)
Oh, my! Love the gorgeous photos of the cotton fields.
Oh how I miss the south! Used to live in Memphis many, many moons ago. The white stuff in these parts (eastern PA) is of the cold and wet variety, and this year it came much, much to early and broke my pretty dogwood tree that was drenched in fall color =( Oh well. Thanks for sharing your photos are beautiful!
I love it! We have tons of these in Southern AL. There’s a field by our house & I just love the fluff. It is sad when they are bare. Beautiful photos.
Amanda! This is so dang cool- thanks for sharing! Being from Utah, I’ve never seen anything like it!!
I’m from the Pacific Northwest and I’ve never seen anything like this before. Incredible! Thanks for sharing :)
this is so cool! I’ve never seen cotton fields. Awesome pictures :)
Such a nice post. I have lived in central NC my entire life. We have cotton fields and they are very pretty, but those gorgeous foothills in the distance covered in fall foliage combined with those MASSIVE fields of “Alabama snow” is just breathtaking. Thanks for having such a sweet and true spirit, and not being afraid to share it.
I loved these pictures, Amanda!
I live in Utah where we have real snow, and I’ve never seen anything like this. How amazing!
Shirley
I grew up in Alabama and have recently moved back with my family after having have lived in VA for over a decade. We were driving to Prattville from Montgomery a couple of weeks ago. As you leave the city there are huge fields of white on the interstate. My five year old, who had never seen it said “Look Mommy, Snow!”.
Absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for posting these photos!
WOW! I’ve never seen such a thing. Absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous scenery and photos! A perfect setting for many photography assignments! Just so breath-taking!
I’m from Southeast Missouri where cotton is king! This is what I remember the falls there looking like, absolutely beautiful. I live in Tennessee now and have colorful foliage here in the fall and some tobacco fields, and the occasional cotton fields, but nothing like back “home.”
That is so beautiful! I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while, love your recipes, pictures, fonts . . . I’ve never been to the south, never seen anything like this. Thank you for sharing. :)
These pictures are just perfect! Love the colors!! Hope you have a great weekend!!
Wow! I have never seen anything like that before. Thank you for sharing:)
I love your analogy of Alabama snow! I live in a rural area of central Arizona and we too are having our cotton season. Every few miles the ginning operations are going 24/7 and the bales are lining up in between the cotton rows.
I always have to stop too to take pictures when the bolls are huge and fluffy. I love our “Mississippi Snow” and don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing the beautiful fields in the fall. Now the defoliant that they spray it…I could live without that. :) Beautiful pictures! And also the trees are so gorgeous too, it reminds me of fruity pebbles. :)
Alabama snow! I love it. Makes me sing that pick a bale of cotton song in my head.
Thank you so much for posting the beautiful pics. I live in the midwest and have been trying to get south for years. Just love it. It made me smile.
These pictures are beautiful. I do love Alabama in the fall!
Oh Amada I ditto that thought. When we drive to our place in No. Fl. the cotton fields are beautiful. Two weeks ago I had to stop and snap a few pics. Yes, it is the South’s snow. It always makes me think of all the people that pick it by hand. The husk are so sharp. My Grandfather talked about his Mother picking cotton and her hands would bleed. Thank Goodness for Eli Whitney and his cotton gin. This is a very special treat for us lucky few to see. Thanks for sharing with the rest of the world.
Thank you for sharing. How lucky are you to witness first hand the beauty of fresh cotton. I work with vintage chenille and am amazed how many forms cotton can become.
Nesha
Facebook: Nesha’s Vintage Niche
Absolutely amazing!!! I have seen plenty of snow in my lifetime of Upstate New York winters, and I would GLADLY trade it for yours :-)
Thank You so very much for sharing!
That is beautiful
Thanks for sharing! I was just looking at the pictures before beginning my work day here in Chicago and those photos reminded me of the famous Alabama song, High Cotton! “We were walkin in High Cotton, Old Times there are not forgotten, those fertile fields are never far away.” Which is one of my favorite songs! Thanks for putting a smile on my face today! This time of year is so beautiful!
Leave it to you to find beauty on the side of the road. I love that you called it “Alabama Snow!” Looks just like it!!
Beautiful pictures!!
Stephanie @ All Artful
Oh my goodness gracious Amanda, these photos are GORGEOUS! I almost felt like I was there! It was like I could reach out and grab them!!!
Thank You for sharing!! ♥
Lori
I love cotton fields! Your pictures are gorgeous, as usual.
Alabama snow…without the cold! I think I like that–being from Northern Maine and all. : ) Our Harvest has already passed, fields of potatoes dug, trees mostly bare, car windshields iced over with thick frost most mornings…already had a layering of real snow (which thankfully melted the same day)! I’ve been down south once, a few years back, but didn’t get the chacne to see a cotton field. Seeing a cotton field is going on my bucket list. May seem silly, but the idea of a field of white snow without the cold is worth experiencing at least once!
Looks beautiful!!
Love your pictures. My husband and I just moved to the Huntsville area from Florida. I gasped the first time I saw a field of cotton. I have absolutely loved driving by the cotton fields everyday!
wow, that is so cool!! i’ve never seen cotton like that before. thanks for sharing, i hope i get to see this someday!
I love cotton fields. When we lived in NC there was a huge one up the road from us and it was always so so pretty when the cotton was almost ready to be harvested!
Hi, Amanda.
What beautiful pictures, and it’s so funny you posted this right now. I literally just finished reading John Grisham’s book, “A Painted House”, which features cotton picking as a big part of the plot. Great book, by the way, though it takes place in Arkansas, not Alabama, but it was so neat to see your pictures! I had a picture in my mind of what cotton fields looked like, but the real thing is much prettier! Thanks for more beautiful photos. I always smile at your posts, whether they’re gorgeous landscapes yummy, mouthwatering desserts, or fun things like candles and other good things that make me want to run out and buy them! I live vicariously through you!
I agree! The fields in West Tennessee are lovely. I love visiting family there and driving past the the beautiful fields.
I would love to see this some day. Your photos make you want to reach out and pick the cotton. We farm here in Southern Ohio mostly grains like wheat, soybeans, corn and spelts, but we are always amazed what kind of crops other farmers raise. Your photos are gorgous and gives us all a little lesson on where things come from. Thanks for sharing.
Jodi
mmm beautiful.. you make me want to take pictures
That is absolutely beautiful! You’ve kinda put this on my bucket list now!
LOVE the south! Love. It.
So glad to see that a southern gal feels the same way I do!! I am from Indiana and have only seen cotton fields a few times. The last time being a couple months ago in South Carolina! It is so strange for me to see fields that look like that!! We might be moving to South Carolina and I am excited to see these fields more often!
Thanks for sharing! I live in Oklahoma and we have a few cotton fields here too. It is breathtaking when all of a sudden you see a field “snow covered” in the Fall!! I have to share a funny story I always think of when the cotton is in full bloom. In high school a very girlie girl told us she asked her boyfriend if she could have some of his fathers cotton to use for a school project in home economics. He asked her how many bolls she wanted and she said “Oh, I don’t need a whole bowl full just one or two is fine.” -us country girls laughed pretty hard at that one!
Thank you for the photos of the cotton fields. Never have I see anything like this in my whole life. I just can’t get over it. What an awesome God we have!!! WOW!
Gosh, these pictures are so surreal! I always think of cotton balls as being so manufactured and mysterious, but this simplifies it so much. So pretty!
Gorgeous. You take me back to my childhood. We would drive to my grandparents’ home almost every weekend. It was a 45 mile trek with cotton fields all over the place. I have to admit my sister and I would complain every time we smelled that chemical they used to put on the plants before harvesting. ;) That was in the late 60’s, early 70’s.
It looks like winter and autumn at the same time as the cotton appears to look like snow but then there are the lovely autumn trees around it. Really beautiful, thanks for sharing.
Beautiful photos Amanda.
Thanks for posting the photos of the beautiful cotton fields. Being from “up north” originally and now an expat living in London, I have never seen cotton fields. Your photos were beautiful – perfect time day with the blue sky, sun and wonderful color in the background! Will now forward this off to my kids to enjoy!
Amanda such beautiful pics….wow! The contrast with the white/blue, the crispness of the sky, the clarity in your pics; the delicateness of the cotton that you captured…I think the cotton industry should be hiring you with these pics :)