*** Update: Booking for two-hour blocks will start 7/10/23. Single sessions for individuals (not groups or minis) will begin 7/11/23 Both days booking will open late. Likely around 9:30pm or after each night.
We don't start take any reservations for sunflower timeslots in our field until sometime well AFTER the 4th of July, typically. When we open up the schedule for booking, we will post about it on our online platforms. Tentatively, the 2023 crop is looking like we will have blooms the second half of July. This is VERY much our best "guestimate" at this time. The official timeline will be shared as we know more. Thank you for your patience.
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.
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.
All of these services come at a cost, because our time, the work we do to coordinate timeslots and 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 pricing for 2023 season will be the same as previous years:
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.
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.
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