Girls In Field of Sunflowers
- Posted in :
- children
- Blog Post by :
- Images by Amber Robinson
This session features girls in a field of sunflowers. Be sure to read about it, along with some tips below!
One of the first songs I ever sang to my girls as babies was, “You are My Sunshine”. It became our theme song and I even decorated their room a in a bright yellow color palette. So when the sunflower in our area began to bloom, it was a given that we would do a portrait session there.
We are lucky to have one of the largest sunflower fields in the US right in our back yards. Each year the City of Raleigh farms over 100 acres of sunflowers and uses them for bio-fuel for various agricultural initiatives around the state. These flowers only bloom for about a week in late June to early July and brings thousands of flower lovers from all over to see and take pictures. It really is a photographers dream
First, we got dressed up in sweet little cream dresses that we found on Amazon and braved the bumble bees and June bugs to find a spot in the field that was secluded enough for some great portraits. I love my 85mm for portraits, but when you have acre on acre of beautiful yellow blooms, you just have to pull out the 35mm in order to take it all in.
The girls had an amazing time strolling the lanes between the 5 foot high stalks. Months later, they are still asking when they can go back. I have already promised that we will make it an annual adventure each year now that they are old enough. Who knows, maybe I will be able to convince my husband to capture a few of me with them next year.
Tips:
For other photographers out there that may be struggling to capture great portraits of their own kids, here are a few tips that I have learned along the way to keep it fun and stress free for everyone:
- Keep it short. 20 minutes is about the longest toddlers and young children will think taking pictures is fun, they are “over it” so quickly.
- Let them play. Posing young children can be harder than herding cats, so save yourself the headache and just capture them as they are. Instead of posing them, give them something fun to do. If you want them to look up, ask them to count how many clouds or birds they see. Instead of asking them to “smile” turn it into a game. “Let Me See” is one we like to play, and it works! “Let me see your silly face/sad face/sweet face/surprised face/sleepy face”. They think its a game. Meanwhile, you are capturing their personalities
- Make sure they are comfortable. Comfort is probably the key component to a successful shoot with your little ones. Making sure they are comfortable in both their clothing and environment is paramount to getting their sweet sides to come out. Let them be part of the wardrobe selection, and once you are at the location, allow them time to take it all in. Remember, we have experienced so much more world than they have, so our little ones may need some time to acclimate to new places, especially if they are locations that can be over stimulating to their inexperienced senses.
Amber is the creative heart behind Images by Amber Robinson photography based in Raleigh, NC. Although she mainly focuses her business on weddings, her portrait work of her own two daughters, Ivy Pearl (4) and Avery Jade (3) has made her a much sought after child photographer as well. See her website here.