CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT ABOUT MY FALL 2026 PHOTO SHOOTS!!! (INCLUDING SUNFLOWER SHOOTS.)
If you are a morning person, or if you are forced to be a morning person because your babies or kids are morning people, consider doing a sunrise photo session with me at Sweet Flower Home in Buckeye, Arizona this fall 2026! There are so many good things about sunrise photo sessions at Sweet Flower Home. Here are a few I can think of right off the top of my head:
The temperature can be so much cooler. In Arizona, during the hot months the temps can be 15-20 degrees cooler at sunrise vs afternoon temperatures. 95 degrees vs 75 degrees! Makes wearing clothes that seem more “wintery/autumnal” a little easier.
Not as crowded or no people at all! These sunflower fields are full of people on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, but when we got there early on Saturday morning, we had the place all to ourselves. Acres and acres of sunflowers all to ourselves.
Sunrises are magical. I schedule my earliest shoots to start before the sun rises, so you will get to see those magical seconds where the sun starts rising above the earth’s edge! I feel like most people see way more sunsets than they do sunrises. Seeing the sun arrive is just a totally different experience than seeing it leave for the day. First you experience the predawn dark, then blue hour, then golden hour, then the bright light of the morning.
The green flash is real and I am pretty sure I experienced it once in a sunflower field at sunrise. What is the green flash? Scroll down to the end of this post to read about the green flash. Did I really experience it? Hmmm….it only lasted for a second or two, I was not expecting it, and I was all like WHATTTTT WAS THAT??? It was like a shot of light along the horizon, and I remember feeling it was more like blue-green light. Anyways, sunflower sessions at sunrise increase your chances of experiencing the green flash.
All the birds are out in the morning and you get to hear bird song.
Your morning hot or iced coffee will taste so much more delicious in a field of sunflowers.
Mature/open/blooming sunflowers are much more likely to face east. Before they bloom, sunflowers track the sun. They will face east at dawn, then follow the sun westward until sunset, and then reset to the east overnight. This is called heliotropism. When I am taking photographs, I can work with whatever way the sunflowers are facing. No matter what there are challenges: stuff in the background and direction of light being my two main challenges. But I really like sunrise shoots with flowers facing east, because I do not have to work around all the powerlines and farm equipment in the background.
The morning glories might be in bloom! Scroll down to see those blue flowers, they are morning glories and they bloom at sunrise. Later in the day, they will not be as open or bright.
You will feel like you accomplished something fun and fantastic for the day and then you earned yourself brunch (maybe at Crepelatte or Goode Roots Patio Cafe in downtown Buckeye or maybe at One Story Social Dining or Anthem Coffee in Verrado ?) and then you will still have the whole long day to go do more fun things, or maybe just go home and chill!
You get bragging rights for getting yourself and your fam out the door at such an early hour. If you can do that, you can do pretty much anything lol!
Here is copy/paste from Wikipedia describing the green flash:
The green flash at sunrise is a brief optical phenomenon that occurs just before the sun rises above the horizon, appearing as a green spot or ray at the top edge of the solar disc. This phenomenon typically lasts only one to two seconds, making it a rare sight for many observers.
Understanding the Green Flash
The green flash is a fascinating atmospheric occurrence.
Occurrence — The green flash can be seen just before sunrise or just after sunset, when the sun is near the horizon.
Duration — It lasts only one to two seconds, which is why many people miss it despite watching sunrises and sunsets regularly.
Cause — The phenomenon is caused by atmospheric refraction, which separates sunlight into different colors, allowing the green light to be visible at the rim of the sun.
Visibility — Conditions such as clear skies and a flat horizon enhance the chances of witnessing the green flash
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