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.

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!

Sunflowers at Sunrise

Sunflowers at Sunrise ~ My client and her daughter met up with me early in the morning, not long after 6 AM, in the middle of October 2022 at Sweet Flower Home in Buckeye, Arizona. I’d only ever done one other sunrise session (with twin toddlers and their mom at the Agritopia peach orchards.)

This session made me decide that I will probably do sunflower sunrise sessions again in the future. There was something absolutely magical about being out there in the dawn twilight just as the sun was rising. I see a lot of sunsets, but in the morning I’m usually so busy getting ready for the day that I don’t concentrate on the rising sun. Seeing the morning golden hour was very memorable.

I check the weather a LOT. I have three different weather apps on my phone (two that I pay for because of all the great info they provide to me as a photographer) and so I know that the coldest time of day is usually daybreak.

My client and her daughter and I got photos in the morning blue hour as we walked further back into the sunflowers. We saw that the sun was just about to break over the horizon and so we looked east to watch and for just a few quick seconds it was like the sun rise sent a wave of air towards us, like a breeze hit us and the temperature dropped a few degrees. Such a surreal experience!

I really want to go back in the early hours to see if I experience that again!

Are you a photographer thinking of photographing at Sweet Flower Home during sunflower season in Fall 2023?

Here is some info for you!

• Follow @sweetflowerhome on Instagram. That is how I found out when the owner announced that she was opening booking for sunflower sessions.

• In 2022, sunflower season was very late September until the end of October. The sunflowers are at their tallest the last two weeks of October.

• In 2022, the cost was $65 per one client or $100 for 2 or more clients.

• The best weekends (mid October) fill up quickly. So if you want those time slots, be prepared.

• Mondays and Tuesdays seem to be the least crowded days, so they are a great choice if you want a lot of room to wander around and not have other people in your shots! If you really want the place all to yourself, try sunrise sessions!

• The fields can be really, really muddy. I saw photographers wearing irrigation boots and thought this was a fantastic idea. Warn your clients/set expectations about how they will probably get muddy feet (maybe bring extra shoes to change into.)

• Speaking of setting expectations, let your clients know that there are plenty of bees and insects in the sunflower fields.

• The sunflower field is VAST. The first few times I went there, I photographed on the north side, because that is where you enter the parking lot. Later on I realized I would find a lot of great sunflowers if I went south.

ARE YOU A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT SUNFLOWER SESSIONS? SEND ME A MESSAGE! ARE YOU A POTENTIAL CLIENT WHO WOULD LIKE SUNFLOWER PORTRAITS IN OCTOBER 2023? SEND ME A MESSAGE!