Sunflower Sessions

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Booking for 2024 is complete, the sunflowers are now starting to wilt and make seed for us to harvest. 

If you still want to do a photo session on our farm, check out link below to the details about our garden area. The u-pick garden area is available until frost, typically late September. 

We hope to have you enjoy our glorious fields of sunflowers again next season. Booking for 2025 season will likely begin next July. 

The earliest the field is ready for pictures would be mid-July and the latest that it typically still looks nice is mid-august. That is the window of possibility, but it doesn't bloom for that whole time span. The best "full bloom" experience only last about 10-15 days. The hotter the weather the shorter the bloom window. The longest window we have had was just under 3 weeks.  

Anyone is welcome to sign up for timeslot, once we open them. We have had everyone in every walk of life book times with us from a mom with a smart phone, to many true, trained professionals. Photographers can snag spots and then offer their services to clients for the time they selected, OR other times individuals grab a time and then hire one of their favorite professionals that can match up the scheduled timeslot. 

Basically, if you are purchasing a timeslot, we are expecting that you ARE the photographer or plan to FIND one on your own. Or you would be welcome to walk the field WITHOUT a photographer, just to enjoy the experience. But to be abundantly clear and prevent disappointment later, it is important to note that our team at Half Moon Blooms does not intend to do any photos for you. 

As much as we would LOVE to accommodate all photographers by opening up the option to schedule earlier in the summer that is just not feasible and mother nature is not one to be put on a timeline. We wait until we know with certainty that blooms are about to burst forth before opening up bookings. This practice helps us guarantee that we will have a top-quality background for you and not a solid green field nor a crusty brown over ripe view either.  This means from when bookings open until the first set of session timeslots can be as few as just a couple days. 

 Typically, we have about a ten-day span of scheduled sessions in the blooms. Some years we can add a few extra days, possibly up to a week longer on to our initial booking timeline, IF the temps don’t scorch the field first. But if it gets hot, like the 95-102 degrees we saw for many of the session dates last year, then no additional days will be added at all, and the field reaches the end of its modeling career much sooner.
Our last day scheduled currently, will be 7/29/24. We always HOPE we will get to add on more days but that is never a guarantee. It has been about 50/50 on adding more days, versus not being able to in recent years. If you missed sunflowers in the field inquire about our U-pick garden sessions which have a longer season and a beautiful variety of blooms!

Once we know our timeline to open our calendar, the first 24hours of booking will be ONLY available to those that are intending to book a lengthy timeslot of two hours. This is primarily intended for photographers that want to offer back-to-back mini-session style photoshoots to multiple families or clients. We book them first because we cannot squish the larger block in once the evenings are broken up into smaller timeslots. After this 24hour head start has passed, we then open to anyone wanting to book a single session timeslot. Singel sessions are individual timeslots, intended for one family/client + one photographer. If a photographer would like to book more than one family but less than a big 2-hour block, they are welcome to select multiple timeslots on the calendar. Large groups or special circumstances that don't fit traditional timeslot options will need to be addressed with HMB team PRIOR to booking. 

All time slots are evenings as that what most photographers have preferred. If you want to book an early morning time, please contact us directly to schedule. 

Please do not pick the sunflowers during your photo session. The sunflowers in the field are going to be harvested in October for bird seed. They are not the type that would work for a bouquet and if you cut them, we don't have as many to harvest for our income. We have a DIFFERENT area that is in our little garden (the same location you check in and get direction to the photo sessions) where we have many types of flowers designed to be picked. They are specific sunflower varieties intended for cut flowers. No appointment is needed to pick flowers in the garden during our public u-pick hours. 

Here are some details on field quality to consider when booking:
The first couple days of open sessions may have less than the full field blooming, but everything will be fresh and gorgeous! Pockets of blooms are great areas to work with for close up portraits. 

Mid-range dates are the sweet spot which everyone wants. Vast expansive yellow blooms as far as you can see. Some will be full open and some bud stage. Occasionally one or two have shown brown tips as they were the lead blooms of the field.

The tail end of the days has the benefit of having the most time to line up outfits and lock down details with your clients. While the field will have areas with great potential it may be mixed with a portion of blooms starting to look more ripened with some brown edges. 

***Great shots can still be created by good photography at any blooming stage.

 Please remember ALL our sessions are required to be family friendly. We do not allow boudoir or nudity during any sessions. Additionally, no pets of any size are allowed during the regular time sessions. If you are interested in bringing a horse, dog, maybe vehicle or any other unique request please contact us directly to schedule at a time when there will be less people. 

 NEW this year, we are adding “experience sessions” on select mornings. These are NOT ideal timeslots for photos, as the lighting will be harsh. But if you just want to come more for the unique experience of walking through acres and acres of blooms, rather than the priority of just getting photos, then this is a great option. You will still be able to enjoy the view, at a slightly less busy time when temps may be cooler than evening times! Many parents have requested morning times that work better for their toddler’s schedule. You are still welcome to take as many photos as the time allows and we know it will be just as special, even without that sunset glow of the evening sessions times. However, no matter whether you plan to take photos or not the fees to enter are still the same as we still have time invested into planting, setting up, scheduling and planning for you to enjoy this magical view. 

All of these services come at a cost, because our time, the work we do to coordinate timeslots and much labor to prepare for you have value. When booking a spot with us you are given full access to an amazing experience that is unlike anything else available. If you look at pictures below from past seasons, you can see it is truly magical, and well worth the fees to cover our efforts. 

Our sunflower fee for 2024 are NOT changing from previous seasons but this is likely our last year at this structure due to the increased cost of labor and supplies sue to inflation: 

Single sessions: $50 for a 40-minute session. Can be booked by anyone! But still only one photographer + one client/family per session is allowed. 

Morning "experience sessions": same applies to guests per group, cost and time allotted as our single sessions but at a more convenient time of day for some, with likely cooler temperatures. Not ideal for photos due to harsh lighting.

Mini Sessions: $300 Two-hour time block. Intended for photographers that want to bring multiple clients/families throughout one evening. Up to 8 groups during your time are allowed.