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.

Buckeye, Arizona Pumpkins and Sunflowers

Rocker 7 Farm Patch Sunflower Photo Shoot in Buckeye, Arizona

Pumpkins at Rocker 7 Farm Patch

This coming year in Fall 2023, I will be doing sunflower photo shoots at Rocker 7 Farm Patch on Thursdays and Fridays instead of the weekend so that I can serve clients better and we can all have a great time!

Lupita and her family pictured here had their photo shoot on a week day and it was absolulely magical to have the place mostly to ourselves. We had originally planned for the weekend, but Rocker 7 Farm Patch got rained out. There was a massive storm that turned the sunflower fields and pumpkin patch into a lake. There were a few other people there that week night, but we didn’t have to try to stay out of other photographer’s shots and could go about the photo shoot in a much more leisurely way!

After the portrait session part of our photo shoot was finished, we went to the pumpkin patch just as it was getting dark - during the blue hour - and I took a bunch of documentation type photos. I love doing portraits, but I also just really love getting these slice of life type pics.

If you would like to get on my list for when sunflower photo shoot dates open up in Buckeye at Rocker 7 Farm Patch, message me here and I will make sure you are the first to know when I announce fall dates!

My portraits of this sweet family at Rocker 7 Farm Patch in Buckeye, Arizona

Rocker 7 Sunflowers

It’s April 2023 as I write this. I find myself thinking about the sunflowers in Buckeye. I know I will be photographing there again this fall. I have made the decision that I will only photograph on Thursday and Friday evenings so that I can best serve my clients and give them a fantastic experience. It’s less crowded on Thursday and Friday evenings and so we can wander around and not get in anyone’s way for photos. There will be limited spots available. Available dates are usually the middle to end of October. If you are interested in sunflower portrait session in Buckeye this fall with me, drop me a message here!

Arizona Wildflowers

UPDATE: HERE IS THE INFO ABOUT WILDFLOWER SESSIONS COMING UP!

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO READ ABOUT THE TWO LOCATIONS.

PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM TO SIGN UP FOR A WILDFLOWER PHOTO SESSION:

ZANJERO LOCATION - This is a water retention area in Gilbert, Arizona. It’s one of the only places I can find within the metro area that has wildflowers. It is a gooooood place for photos. Some of the things that are good about it: EASY parking, close to the freeway so it’s easy to get to, has a LOT of variety for backgrounds, there are almost no people there so you don’t have to worry about people being in the backgrounds of your photos. Right now it has a TON of wildflowers!!!! Soooooo many more than last year.

The bad things about this place: some of the plants are thorny/sticky and you can get goat burrs in your shoes, so you should definitely not wear open toed shoes.

VISTA DEL ORO AND THE BEELINE HWY: Here is the pindrop for this location. Don’t be alarmed by dry and unpretty this place looks on Google streetview. Right now it is green and GORGEOUS and there are SO many different kinds of wildflowers!

https://goo.gl/maps/zbEr8sHzCKdA5jJk9

Victoria and her daughter met up with me one early evening last April in 2022 for photos in the wildflowers. I absolutely loved how these turned out, though in the almost year since then I have learned more photo editing techniques and I have bought more editing tools for Photoshop, so I kind of want to go back over these and edit them again. We had this field of flowers all to our selves and it was so cute to watch how Vicki’s daughter picked the purple and yellow wildflowers and gave them to her mom.

With all the rain we have had in the last couple months this past winter, I really am so excited about our prospects for amazing wildflowers and even super blooms in Arizona. I’ve gone out searching and found flowers around South Mountain, Usery, and next up I will be exploring Picacho Peak.

I will be announcing Wildflower photo sessions and mini sessions as soon as I figure out when and where to go! If you would like to hear more about those, please subscribe to my newsletter in the form below the photos! They are perfect for engagement photos, maternity, mommy and me, and family photos.