This sunflower shoot in Buckeye, Arizona at Sweet Flower Home farm with Stacey and her baby was done at sunrise on November 2nd. Sunrise sessions sometimes work really well for babies, so I suggest considering them! I will get up early and meet you at the sunflowers! I used a gold light reflector to get that glowy gold look. I shoot sunflower sessions in May and June in Gilbert, Arizona, in Dewey during September and August, and in Buckeye in October and very early November.
Hi there! If you are looking for a photographer for Rocker 7 Farm Patch in Buckeye. Arizona for October/November 2025, I am definitely available! Please feel free to CONTACT ME HERE!!
Or if you are interested in my sessions coming up this Fall/Winter 2025, CHECK MY BOOKING SITE HERE!
Rocker 7 Farm Patch, located at 19601 W Broadway Rd, Buckeye, AZ 85326 was the prettiest I had ever seen it on this Friday afternoon in October last year (2024.) The farmers who own Rocker 7 had planted sooooo many more flowers than in past years. Acres more. And they were absolutely gorgeous! And because it was a Friday the place was pretty quiet. I know it gets very lively/busy on the weekends, but pro tip: go on a Thursday or Friday to have the place largely to yourself! It’s so peaceful during the week.
I met up with my cousin K, her husband, and her kids - my little cousins pictured here. K and I live on opposite sides of the valley/metro Phoenix area so I only see her every once in a while. I wish we lived closer!
As I was looking at these photos of my cousins, I started getting curious about how we are related and went down some internet rabbit holes looking things up. I was specifically interested in finding out more about my grandmother Caroline’s mother. All I ever knew about her is that her name was Bessie Park and that she was from northeast Oklahoma. I decided to do the free Ancestry dotcom trial and found out when Bessie Park was born: January 18, 1883 in Oktaha Indian Territory, Oklahoma. I learned that she lost her mother when she was about 8 years old. I always wondered if she was from a native tribe. The one photo I have seen of her makes me think she might have been. Bessie had three children - Caroline, Donald, and Vivienne, but very sadly she passed away when they were still just little kids, with my grandmother Caroline being the oldest at about age 10.
So then I started looking up info about the Oktaha Indian Territory. It was a multicultural settlement within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation, just before Oklahoma became a state in 1907. The Muscogee (Creek) people were forcibly removed from their ancestral lands in Alabama and Georgia during the 1830s as part of the Trail of Tears. They were displaced to so-called Indian Territory, including the area around Oktaha. The Creek nation was a Matrilineal Society meaning lineage and inheritance were traced through moms and grandmas. Around that time, native children were being forced to attend mission schools and boarding schools and were being kept from speaking their languages, erasing cultural identity.
I often wish I had just a few photographs of my grandmothers and great-grandmothers—and my grandfathers too. I know so few photos were taken back then, so having even one feels like a treasure. It makes me hope that the photos I take today might one day be seen by the descendants of the people in them—offering them a glimpse into their own history.
Oh how much my little cousins love each other!
I like using sunflowers to frame people. There are endless possibilities with this method!
My cousin and her family at Rocker 7 Farm Patch. We walked past the cotton field to this tall grass that was growing near the irrigation portal. It caught the setting sunlight in a beautiful way on this windy evening.
On Stage with Sunflowers!!! That is how I think of the very end of this photo session with Jessica and her daughters and husband at their sunset photo session at Sweet Flower Home in Buckeye, Arizona. I loved how the sky turned shades of pink and lavendar.
GO HERE TO FIND OUT ABOUT MY UPCOMING SUNFLOWER SESSIONS IN 2025!
Sunflowers at the blue hour—that magical time just after sunset when the sky turns a deep, velvety blue—are a breathtaking sight. Their golden petals, usually so bright and bold in the daylight, take on a softer, almost glowing quality against the cool tones of the evening sky.
A field of sunflowers, their faces still turned toward the last memory of the sun, silhouetted gently against a horizon that fades from indigo to sapphire. The air is calm, maybe carrying the scent of warm earth and the faint rustle of leaves. The contrast between the warm yellows and oranges of the flowers and the cool blues and purples of the sky creates a dreamy, cinematic palette—like nature’s own painting.
Photographers and painters absolutely love this moment because the light is diffuse and moody, casting soft shadows and enhancing textures. The sunflowers seem almost contemplative, as if pausing before nightfall.
Victoria and her husband and their baby-on-the-way at Rocker 7 Farm Patch in Buckeye, Arizona.
I was so happy for the pretty clouds we got for this photo shoot at the sunflowers at Rocker 7 Farm Patch. This was taken around 10 in the morning and those clouds just gave us dreamy light.
I think something about the color red looks amazing in sunflowers. I think it's sort of related to red being a bright/prime color and it matches the intensity of yellow sunflowers and especially looks great when blue skies are bright blue and have a similar intensity. So if you like wearing the color red, definitely consider it for your sunflower photo shoot.
I have read that Rocker 7 planted even more sunflowers than in past years, so I am very curious to see what that looks like. I appreciate that they always plant a fantastic variety - plenty of the traditional bright big yellow sunflowers, but cream and red and orange variations, too.
I have sunflower photo sessions coming up at Rocker 7 in October. I now only do sunflower sessions at Rocker 7 on Thursdays and Fridays. The place is so beloved (understandably so) and gets crowded on weekends, but if we meet up on a Thursday or Friday, we don't have to navigate the crowds. In all of these photos of Victoria and her husband, I had to edit out people in the background. With Thursday and Friday shoots, I shouldn’t have to do that as much.
Here is the info for those sessions coming up: https://book.usesession.com/i/7aUFvsYCJ
I have sessions at both Rocker 7 and a nearby sunflower farm called Sweet Flower Home.
Thanks to Victoria for having me photograph her and her little fam here! Thanks to Rocker 7 Farm Patch for creating such a magical place!
Here is what Rocker 7 is saying about their upcoming sunflower season:
It’s our 10th Anniversary on the farm, and we’re ready to help you make new memories! A lot has changed for us over the past ten years. The same fields you have enjoyed for fresh air and making memories are open, but in a simpler way for Pictures, Pumpkins and Play Areas. This year offers more of our signature sunflowers along with historic Arizona cotton and Sudangrass (Sorghum Hybrid) for your enjoyment. Yes, we will still have pumpkins for purchase! Our focus will be on celebrating the family farm, enjoying the outdoors, giving the kiddos a place to roam and explore, and enjoying some tasty treats from local food trucks and local vendors on the weekends along with local entertainers from time to time as well!
What’s included in admission?
Cotton Field
Sudan Field
Sunflower Field
Pumpkin Patch Entry
Jumping Pillow
Tractor Tire Playground
Pedal Carts
Pumpkins and concessions are sold separately, including vendors on Saturdays and Sundays. We do have an open food policy for anyone who would like to bring their own picnic to the farm; alcoholic beverages are not allowed.
