Buckeye, AZ Sunflowers

Sunflower portrait session for two sisters and their baby daughter/niece!

We took these photos at the beautiful Sweet Flower Home in Buckeye, Arizona. Every October, the farm rents out their sunflower fields to photographers. Other times of the year, usually in the spring, the farm rents out their broccoli and onion fields to photographers.

CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT ABOUT MY UPCOMING SUNFLOWER PHOTO SHOOTS IN OCTOBER 2026!

Buckeye, Arizona Sunflowers

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

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT ABOUT HIRING ME FOR YOUR PHOTO SHOOT, PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM:

Rocker 7 Farm Sunflowers

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.

Rocker 7 Sunflowers

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

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:

Buckeye’s Original Sunflower Field

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.

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