When I first returned to Oregon after being away for nearly 2 months, I couldn't wait to return to all the favorite places I'd missed. However, I didn't limit myself to just the familiar haunts - I also discovered some new sites to visit.
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| Hello sunshine! |
One such place was the sunflower field at nearby West Union Gardens. I'd never been there before, but my neighbor and photo-mentor Cherri had visited a couple weeks prior. Impressed by her photos of the sunny yellow blooms I just knew this was someplace I had to see for myself.
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| Glorious yellow blooms |
West Union Gardens is a U-pick farm just west of Portland. I'd been there in prior years to pick berries, but didn't realize they grew flowers too. I discovered the garden property included a huge sunflower field that appeared to have been grown exclusively for the photo opportunities.
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| Photo subjects abounded! |
Unlike other flower farms I'd visited, West Union Gardens only charged a nominal fee to photographers for the privilege of photographing their sunflowers. A half day pass even allowed for sunrise or sunset access. Of course I chose an early weekday morning for my sunflower experience.
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| Someone etched a face in one of the flowers |
Well, I didn't quite make sunrise. As a matter of fact, it was well past 7 o'clock when I finally pulled into West Union Garden's driveway. But despite missing sunrise, I was still the only person at the sunflower field that morning.
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| Seed heads starting to droop |
The sunflower field was huge! Rows upon rows of the sunny flowers towered overhead, the area a sea of yellow faces.
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| Fat bird eating the seeds |
Peak bloom had already come and gone, but most of the sunflowers appeared to still be in good shape. A few droopy blooms were randomly scattered throughout, but they were easy enough to exclude from most of my frames.
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| Yellow bird getting a snack |
The farm management had cut pathways through the huge sunflower field, giving visitors an up-close look at the blooms. It felt kind of like a corn maze at Halloween, except you were surrounded by sunflowers instead.
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| Iconic view of the field and an old barn |
At one end of the field sat a weathered wooden barn, the perfect compliment to a wide-angle shot of the sunflowers. I may have shot several dozen images of this scene.....
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| Happy bunch |
Enjoy the next few photos of these bright, cheery flowers!
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| Extra large seed head |
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| One more shot of that barn |
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| Backlit bloom |
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| I really liked the photos in the shade |
After an hour I began to notice huge flocks of birds descending upon the field. The bids perched themselves on the sunflower heads, pecking away at the seeds. These feathered friends knew a free meal when they saw one!
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| Birdie convention |
Thinking I'd just be photographing flowers, I hadn't thought to bring my long zoom lens. So I was stuck trying to capture the birds with my 70-200 lens.
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| Another bird in the flowers |
It wasn't easy! Those birds did not let me get very close. Once and awhile I was able to sneak up and catch one of them mid-snack.
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| Backlit sunnies |
I discovered sunflower heads also look cool when you photograph them facing the sun.
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| Tall flower |
After about 2 hours of wandering through the field, I was hot and tired. About then, other customers finally began arriving. Having had the place to myself the entire time, I decided I didn't want to share and took this as my cue to leave.
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| And a zinnia for variety |
Before leaving, I decided to check out their farmstand store. Next to the store was another huge flower field, full of several different floral varieties. A U-pick bouquet was only eight dollars. I couldn't resist! So I spent another happy half hour roaming the different rows, picking out a bit of color for my dining room table.
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| Smile, it's a sunny day! |
A great way to start a day! Roaming this lovely sunflower field put me in such a good mood. I think every morning should begin like this.
West Union Gardens website for my local readers: http://westuniongardens.com
