Buckeye, Arizona Sunflower Shoot

Where can you see sunflowers in Arizona this fall?

One location is Sweet Flower Home in Buckeye, Arizona. Farm owner Carrie Mayfield plants acres and acres of a variety of sunflowers and then rents out her sunflower fields to local portrait photographers. Permits are $125 a day. So a lot of Arizona photographers will be out there all during the month of October (well, actually from Saturday, September 28th to Halloween on October 31st.)

I currently have plans to be there on Saturday, October 5th, 2024 and will probably purchase permits for some other dates also, probably Saturday, October 26th.

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ABOUT UPCOMING SUNFLOWER AND FALL PHOTO SHOOTS!

Sweet Flower Home Sunflower Photographer

This is my friend Georgia and her Baby C. They were the first people I ever photographed at Sweet Flower Home, back in the fall of 2022. Wild to think Baby C is now around two years old. She was absolutely brand new here and I feel like this photo above represents new motherhood/parenthood with an artsy take. It’s a hypnotic, slumberous blurry time of life taking care of your brand new little human. I feel like when you look back at that time in your life, it’s all kind of a blur. Which is one reason to get photos like this, to remember how it was and to remember how tiny they were.

The owner of the sunflower fields does staggered planting of sunflower seeds, so that there will be rows of beautiful flowers all month long. Sunflower blooms don’t last all that long, they start to fade after a week or two, so it’s so extremely helpful for photographers to know that at this location they are way more likely to be able to have lovely blooms in their photos. If you are a photographer and want to photograph here, contact Carrie at Sweet Flower Home.

If you would like me to photograph you/your family amongst sunflowers CLICK HERE to find out more and book with Brenda Eden Photography.

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ABOUT UPCOMING SUNFLOWER AND FALL PHOTO SHOOTS!

Where To See Sunflowers in Arizona

ARIZONA SUNFLOWER LOCATIONS

CLICK HERE FOR BOOKING SUNFLOWER SESSIONS WITH BRENDA EDEN PHOTOGRAPHY

I met up with this mom and daughter at sunrise and let me tell you, sunrise in a field of sunflowers is somehow even more magical than at sunset! Sweet Flower Home gives photographers who buy permits to their farm access to the farm all day, so we can do sunrise sessions for folks who are ok with getting up really early. Sunrise comes at about 6:20 AM in Arizona in later October.

There are lots of places to see sunflowers in Arizona, but in every location they are only in bloom for about 2 to 4 weeks, so here’s a guide to when and where you can see them. THIS ARTICLE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS!!! I am slowly listing all the places that I can think of, so I welcome you to come back to this article in the future, as I will continue to add locations. If you know of any places I have not listed, please let me know!

1. VERTUCCIO FARMS - MAY/JUNE

2. MARICOPA/RALSTON ROAD -JUNE

3. AGRITOPIA - JUNE/JULY

4. GILBERT AND QUEEN CREEK ROAD SIDES - JUNE AND JULY

5. FLAGSTAFF ROAD SIDES - LATE JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER

6. MORTIMER FARMS -SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

7. SWEET FLOWER HOME - ALL OCTOBER

8. ROCKER 7 FARM PATCH - MID TO END OF OCTOBER

9. MARANA PUMPKIN PATCH - OCTOBER

10. MOTHER NATURES FARM - OCTOBER

11. APPLE ANNIES - OCTOBER

12. SCHNEPF FARMS IN QUEEN CREEK

13. YOUR BACK YARD - ALL YEAR LONG

14. ANYWHERE WITH GUERILLA GARDENING - ALL YEAR LONG

In this cell phone video, I am taking photographs of my two young cousins at Rocker 7 Farm Patch. They are running around on the sunflower farm and I am chasing them with my camera and taking pictures of them. It is 2020, back when I dyed my hair pink and wore masks.. There was a storm rolling in. The day started out bright and sunny, but by the time we were doing this photo shoot, there were 15-20 mph gusts of wind and the clouds were rolling in. Which was really nice because the temperature dropped a ton in a short amount of time. They day went from feeling like summer to feeling like Arizona winter.

AGRITOPIA IN GILBERT, ARIZONA ~ 3000 E Ray Rd Gilbert, AZ

I recommend signing up for Agritopia’s newsletter to get info about when to see sunflowers there. Here’s what they say in their June 2024 newsletter:

Sunflower and Tomato U-Pick When: Saturday, June 15 & 22, 2024 6:00 AM - 9:30 AM Where: Agritopia Farm, 3000 E Ray Rd Gilbert, AZ What: U-Pick!! Join us Saturday morning and pick your own sunflowers and tomatoes. Multiple varieties will be available. Tomatoes:  $5.50/pound Sunflowers: $3.00/stem. Walk toward the fields and look for the big white tent near the sunflowers.  We'll have clippers available to u-pickers. Bring your own container or we'll have one for you.

I took this photo of Sarah, who I think is a farm manager at Agritopia (maybe that would be the wrong title.) A couple years ago, Agritopia opened the sunflower fields to photographers. I paid the studio fee and had a sunrise date set, but there was a lot of rain. Like one of those torrential monsoon downpours that just floods everything. There was no way we could have walked into the sunflower fields without sinking deep into mud. Sarah was soooo awesome in helping accommodate me and my clients for a different time slot and I really appreciated it. At the end of my photography session, Sarah gave me this huge bouquet of sunflowers. I shared some of them with my clients and then put mine in an emerald colored vase on my kitchen table and it was so lovely to have these gorgeous yellow blooms to see for a week or so.

MORTIMER FARMS IN DEWEY, ARIZONA ~ Mortimer Farms will have a Sunflower Festival this year in 2024 on these dates: August 31st, September 1, 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, and 22. Those are the weekend dates for their festivals, but they are also open all week long. So sunflowers should be on view from August 31 to September 22. I’ve gone to their Sunflower Festivals twice and I think one of my favorite things was how they planted lots of different varieties of flowers. I spent a lot of time wandering through a wild field of sunflowers of all different varieties and taking pictures with my cell phone. Later on, I found out there was a whole field of sunflowers that I never even visited. So that leads me to share this advice: This place is huge. Ask when you enter for directions about finding all the sunflowers.

One year they had an adorable pony garlanded with flowers. Here’s a photo from their website (note: not my image):

This image comes from the Mortimer Farms website and shows a pony dressed in flowers at their Sunflower Festival. Posting it here to show the whimsical way they approach the Sunflower Festival. I think one year they had a Sunflower and Fairy Festival. Maybe they will do that again for 2024. I am hoping to visit on Sunday, September 22nd, 2024, the last day of the festival, because I will be in the area for a family reunion.

This shows how long it takes to get from Phoenix to Mortimer Farms. In my experience I have never been able to get there quite that quickly, as I always seem to stop off at Rock Springs (where you can get the most delicious and unique slices of pie) and/or the Sunset Point rest stop.

UPDATE AS OF SEPTEMBER 15, 2024: I WENT TO THE SUNFLOWER FESTIVAL AT MORTIMER FARMS IN DEWEY, AZ YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND IT WAS MAGICAL! HERE’S A VIDEO:

Sunflowers at Mortimer Farms in Dewey, Arizona on Sunday, September 15, 2024.

APPLE ANNIES IN WILLCOX, AZ ~

Apple Annies in Willcox, Arizona seems like the place to be in the fall! There are apples orchards, a corn maze, hay rides, 20 different varieties of pumpkins, and sunflowers starting in later September and going through October. I think if you are looking for sunflowers in Arizona that are classic, with those huge dinner plate faces, Apple Annies is your best bet, from the photos I have seen on their Instagram and Facebook. It looks extremely picturesque, as you can see in this photo below taken from their website.

I have never been to Apple Annies, but I am definitely going to go someday, hopefully this October to see the sunflowers. Just from this photo on their website I can tell it would be an amazing location for a photo session with these bright blue skies and the really pleasant background of Goldwater pine trees and mountains.

This shows the route from the Phoenix metro area to Apple Annies in Willcox. Depending on the route you take, it’s a 3 to 4 hour drive. I would almost definitely stop along the way, which would turn it into a 4-5 hour drive, at best. I might actually be going here soon to visit their cherry orchards, and I think my plan will be to stop in Tucson at a trampoline place called Defy with my 5 year old nephew who will be traveling with me. It’s just not a lot of fun for him to sit in a car for 4 hours. But if we break it up with a trip to a jumping place, we should be good to go!

SCHNEPF FARMS IN QUEEN CREEK ~

MOTHER NATURES TREE FARM ~ 1663 E Baseline Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85233

This is how Mother Natures describes themselves on their website:

Mother Nature's Farm is family owned and operated. We have been farming at this location since 1968, we planted pine trees in 1980, and our pumpkin patch we started in 1991. We provide lots of grassy areas for birthday parties or any other occasions you can think of. We do school tours for thousands of children. Mother Nature's Farm has so many activities, it will be hard to experience everything in one day. In October we have a pumpkin patch where you can select from thousands of pumpkins, and then use your artistic skills to decorate it as you wish! Visit us in December to pick out the perfect Christmas tree!

I’ve seen what I call wild sunflowers growing at Mother Nature’s and I have heard that some years they have planted rows of sunflowers that bloom in October. Check before you go to make sure that they have them. Here is a link to their website: Mother Nature’s Farm

SWEET FLOWER HOME IN BUCKEYE, ARIZONA

Sweet Flower Home in Buckeye, Arizona is a farm owned by Carrie Mayfield. She plants a variety of crops every year, including cotton, wheat, corn, and broccoli and then rents out her fields to photographers before the fields are harvested. (Broccoli is absolutely gorgeous for photos with its yellow flowers - something I did not know until I started following Sweet Flower Home on Instagram.)

I met Georgia and newborn Baby C at the Sweet Flower Home sunflower fields in Buckeye, AZ.

I got to photograph lots of mamas and their baby girls this particular sunflower season at Sweet Flower Home in Buckeye, Arizona.

ROCKER 7 FARM PATCH ~ 19601 W Broadway Rd, Buckeye, AZ 85326

Here is the link for Rocker 7 Farm Patch in Buckeye, Arizona. I have become extremely fond of Rocker 7 Farm Patch in Buckeye, not just because it’s a magical place of sunflowers, but because the people who work there seem so extremely kind. I discovered the place in fall 2020 and have done sunflower photo shoots there every year since. And since I went there so many times with all my photography equipo

From where I live in Tempe, the South 202 freeway is almost always my best bet for getting from the east valley to Rocker 7 Farm Patch. Sometimes Google maps recommendedtaking surface streets instead of heading north up to the 10 (mostly due to freeway construction.) When this happened, it took me in a really zig-zaggy way where I was constantly having to turn to get on other roads, but was ultimately pretty fun because I got to see parts of the valley that I had never seen before,

VERTUCCIO FARMS IN MESA, ARIZONA

SUNFLOWERS AT VERTUCCIO FARMS

Vertuccio Farms is located at 4011 S Power Rd, Mesa, AZ 85212. I have been visiting this entertainment farm for years and years, since I was in high school and there was pretty much nothing else out on Power Road. I had one of the most fun nights of my life running around in their corn maze with my friends one late October night, all of us getting lost in the corn maze and scaring ourselves, but in the way that gives you an adrenaline rush and is really darn fun.

According to this article by Zach Perry, Vertuccio Farms owner Joseph Vertuccio planted five different varieties of sunflowers across four acres, including purple and red and branching sunflowers. The great variety of types of sunflowers was one of the first things I noticed when I first scouted out the location on their opening day in anticipation of creating portraits for people there.

This glowing field of wheat (?) was growing next to the sunflower fields and had a few sunflowers here and there. I thought it would make a beautiful backdrop for model Taylor ( @ tjstravelingtales on Instagram ) Around 7 PM on June 1st this location just catches the light in an amazing way! I love summer nights, even when it is hot, just because they can be so beautiful!

SUNFLOWERS IN YOUR

BACK YARD IN ARIZONA

This is where you can get native seeds, in other words seeds that Sunflower seeds from Native Seeds in Tucson sells that are known to grow well in the Arizona desert. There’s a group on Facebook called The Sassy Sunflower - Arizona’s Sunflower and Flower Growing Group where you can get advice on growning sunflowers in the desert and get to see everyone’s gardens.

SCHNEPF FARMS IN QUEEN CREEK ~ Schnepf Farms 24810 S Rittenhouse Rd. Queen Creek, Arizona 85142

Currently I do not see anything on the Schnepf Farms website about sunflowers, but if you go to buy tickets for their October 2024 Pumpkin and Chili Festival, look what they show!!!(emphasis mine):

 $25.95 per person* 2 and under are free! Admission includes:

***********1 acre Sunflower Fields*************

Photo opportunities Bon fires Live Bands every night Roller Coaster Hyperloop Ropes CourseHuff N Puff Traincarts NEW Tilt a Whirl Ride NEW Zip lines Jumping pillows petting zoo lawn games  Hillbilly Bob's Pig races Stunt Dog Show Back by Pop Demand Entertainment Flying farmers Ride Bonfires 4 acre maze featuring SNOOPY 10 acre "Celebrity"  corn maze honeybee adventure Ride carousel rides Play yards Ropes Course Rock wall  Swinging lady bugz Ride Mini golf - 9 holes of fun! Sweet Shop Pig Shack (NEW)   Toy Shoppe  Schnepf Family MuseumGLOW Shop * does not include: Train, Food, Pumpkins & Haunted Bus Hay rides Line Dancing Nightly NEW starts at 7pm

I will absolutely be going to check out their sunflowers, along with everything else! I will report back!

Sweet Flower Home Sunflowers

It’s June. It’s hot. Arizona hasn’t had any monsoons yet. I am finding myself thinking of fall and sunflowers a lot these past few days. I will definitely be doing sunflower photo sessions at Sweet Flower Home in Buckeye again. This mom and her baby girl and her baby-on-the-way looked so beautiful out in the sunflowers on this October evening when the weather was turning from hot to beautiful. I will be posting info about my fall 2024 sunflower sessions pretty soon.

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ABOUT MY UPCOMING SUNFLOWER AND FALL PHOTO SHOOTS!

CLICK HERE FOR INFO ABOUT MY UPCOMING SUNFLOWER AND FALL PHOTO SHOOTS!

Emily's family at Sweet Flower Home

Here is Emily Gipper and her family at Sweet Flower Home, the farm in Buckeye that plants acres and acres of sunflowers that bloom in October. It was early October 2022 and I had just got my new Canon 5D Mark 4 in the mail and wanted to photograph models before I tried out my new camera on clients. There are significant differences between my old 5D and the new 5DM4. One of the significant differences is that the M4 has way higher ISO, which is sensitivity to light. So I was eager to find out what my new camera could do when it was almost completely dark outside.

I’d say the first photo here was taken during the blue hour and the last image was taken when there was barely any light left at all in the sky, like almost completely dark. I have to admit, I did not use the ISO on my camera this night as well as I should have. Being completely new to such high ISOs, I just didn’t think to use it at a higher ISO. After this I went and read a lot about the 5DM4 and ISOs. And I shot this whole session in JPEG!! UGHHHHH was I soooo upset when I realized I hadn’t shot it in RAW. RAW is so much better/easier to edit. But that is why I photographed this family as models with my new camera before I used my new camera to photograph clients. I learned a ton right away from this photo shoot.

There is always soooooo much to learn when it comes to photography. I both enjoy the challenge and somehow wish I could just download all the world’s info about photography and cameras and editing and just know it and never have to look it up, and especially never have to relook it up. For me, it’s not like riding a bike. It’s one of those things you just have to constantly practise and learn and relearn. And of course, technology changes, new products come out, and there is always something new to learn.

Emily is a doula and photographer who specializes in birth photography and we did this shoot the day before her birthday. I’m so glad she and her family were able to make it out the sunflower fields in Buckeye and be my models. Thanks Emily! Check out her website, especially if you are expecting and would like to have your baby’s birth documented.

If you would like to have me photograph you/you + family/friends at the Buckeye sunflower fields in October 2023, fill out this form and I will make sure you are on my list of people first to know about sunflower photo sessions when I figure out when they will be.