Before the surge of family portrait season in October, there is a brief and wonderful opportunity for Pittsburgh Sunflower Photos. As the summer heat starts to subside in September, it’s the perfect time for family and senior portrait sessions in Pittsburgh’s sunflower fields.
And now is the time to start start making plans. There is a lot to consider and this guide will cover it all.
For any sunflower field in Western Pennsylvania, there’s about a week or two when the sunflowers are at peak bloom and photographers and their clients who are able to fit in a session with a few week’s notice are in for a real treat. It’s an amazing experience to be surrounded by sunflowers that are sometimes as tall as you. And it makes for a beautiful backdrop.
Everything You Need to Know
Here’s everything you need to know about scheduling. And it’s more than you’d think: science, agriculture, psychology and the technical aspects of photography are all involved!
First, we’ll start with the scientific aspects involved. It’s called heliotropism or solar tracking, which comes from the Greek word helio meaning “sun”. In the morning, all the sunflowers will face east, the direction of the rising sun. As the sun moves, so will the sunflower heads to follow it. But as summer turns to autumn and the sunflowers get big and ripe and heavy with seeds, they will stop moving, facing the east only.
Schedule for Sunset
So that rules out morning sunflower sessions because as the subject, you’d be facing the rising sun when the sunflowers are in the background. And unless it’s an overcast morning, that’s harsh, unflattering lighting. That means sunflower sessions are best scheduled closer to sunset for beautiful lighting coming from behind you and the sunflowers as the sun sets.
Keeping An Eye On The Sunflowers
In my favorite sunflower field, the farmers are expecting their sunflowers to bloom early September through early October. Sunset at the beginning of September happens around 8 p.m. and at 7 p.m. at the end of September, with the lighting being at its best in the last hour before sunset (golden hour). Also, please note that the farmers will predict when the sunflowers will be at peak bloom and this includes lots of factors like precipitation that the farmers are watching as the sunflowers grow. So when we schedule your session, we may need to shift the date up or back, depending on the progress of the sunflowers. I keep in close touch with a contact from the farm and have weekdays available for rescheduling needs.
Are Your Kids Happy Around 7 p.m.?
For families with young children, it’s important to consider if this is good timing for your session as younger children with regular sleep schedules may not be at their best based on their bedtime. Sessions are up to hours in length, so in early September, we could schedule for 6 p.m. and in late September we could schedule for 5 p.m. I like to start in the shade for the first half of the session and then move out into sunlight for the second half. If you think your kiddos would do best with just one hour, I’d recommend scheduling for the second half when the light is at it’s best.
One other thought is that bees love sunflowers, so if seeing bees nearby is upsetting for your kiddo, I recommend a fall foliage session or a Christmas tree farm session instead. The bees really aren’t interested in us as they’re just there for the sunflowers, but I realize just the sight of a bee can be upsetting for some kids.
Here are two examples of sessions from last year. The first example is before the light is really good. This cutie pie ran out of steam and felt a little uncomfortable after seeing a bee.
The second example is from a senior session and it happened to be an overcast day. The sunflower field was the second location for the session as the light there would be best during the golden hour.
Schedule Now, Sessions are Limited!
So, if you’ve read this far and you’re excited about scheduling your session, contact me now, as these sessions are limited, due to the many factors mentioned above. Each year, I schedule just a handful of sunflower sessions with confidence (knowing that I may need to reschedule due to weather.) So if you’re interested, please let me know and we’ll set a tentative date and adjust as needed based on the sunflowers and weather. Give me a call at 412-427-8371 or send an email here.
Captivating Imagery