Sunflower Field Sisters Photoshoot

| Allison

Hello, dears!

Ahh, I love how these photos turned out! Megan and I have been planning this photoshoot ever since Dad first mentioned planting sunflowers months ago. Because, of course, aren’t sunflower fields for taking pictures in? Heh, no, he planted them as a crop for the doves or, more to the point, the dove-hunters. 😉

But this field did make for a marvelous photo location. As always, I took the pictures of Megan, and she took the ones of me. Ready for some sunny pictures?

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We drove out to the field in a hurry to get there before the sun went down (per usual). Megan tried to put in her earrings during the ride, but she didn’t quite make it, so she used the car mirror to finish up when we got there. :’D I keep telling her she should wear earrings more often so it’s not such a struggle… *shakes head* 😛

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Loooook, isn’t it lovely? Not as perfect as a standard sunflower field, but that’s okay. Dad planted sunflowers in a couple other locations, but this was best overall because of the nice background and amount of blooms.

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Of course we couldn’t forget the obligatory flower-in-front-of-face photo. 😉

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I love these of Megan picking sunflowers! They look so peaceful and pretty with the sun and the pose and the colors… ahh.

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She didn’t actually pick the flowers (except the one she’s holding, obviously). Because, for Megan, “picking” is putting it mildly. She’s most enthusiastic in harvesting blooms, and it ends up looking a bit violent in pictures. O.o But I think we can all agree that she not-picks flowers beautifully. I mean…

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It seems wrong to put sunflowers in black and white, but I did it anyway. Isn’t this lovely, though?

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This is a favorite for both of us. Classic and beautiful!

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Megan will probably end up using some of these as her senior photos since she’s graduating this year. This one depicts what she will feel like when she is finally done with school (and math, especially).

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Since Dad planted a mix of crops, not just sunflowers, the foliage was quite dense and enveloping when you sat in it. It made me nervous to put down the extra lens bag I brought along in case I should lose it. I didn’t lose it, but Megan accidentally lost my watch when it fell out of her pocket somewhere in there. Sadness. Oh well, it was time for a new one.

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Megan also walked quite well. (Aren’t you proud of her?) It looks more natural and less stiff in photos if you walk with more movement than usual – swinging your hands, swaying a bit, etc. She walked unnaturally very naturally. *applauds*

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When I was editing these pictures and scrolling back and forth, this one always made me happy for some reason. It’s so pretty and peacefully cheerful and just makes me smile. ❤

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I need to improve my photography skills in the taking-pictures-of-people-running-toward-you department. This is rather blurry. But I’m realizing that those can be lovely. People smile much more easily when they’re moving fast enough to blur – especially running through a sunflower field at golden hour with a tiny bouquet in your jean pocket.

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Whoa, Megan looks so different here, maybe because of the vintage portrait style. I really like it in black and white. There’s just something about this one that makes you stop to look again…

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Megan has a much better “serious face” than I do for photos. She looks like she’s in a movie scene where they show someone’s face with sad music and you’re supposed to figure out what they’re thinking about and how it relates to the plot – you know what I’m talking about?

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But really, she was probably just feeling remorse for uprooting this poor sunflower. (WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT HER FLOWER PICKING SKILLS??) I must have mentioned that before I took the picture, which made us both laugh. To be fair, the stems were TOUGH. I think I uprooted one too.

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Intermission picture before we switch to pictures of me. 😉 I worked extremely hard at making a Lightroom preset for these photos, and am mostly satisfied with the result. Probably won’t be next year, heh. I definitely want to make a LR tutorial post in the future. Anything specific I should cover?

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This is one of my favorites Megan took of me! Get ready for a lot of twirling photos, because it was FUN.

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I mean, I actually look kind of graceful here! I’m so proud of my arms for looking normal. *fond smile* I have double-jointed elbows which makes for can make for some VERY odd and non-graceful photos. :[]

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And sometimes I just look like this. Heh. I’m not sure if this was on purpose or on accident… I talk WAY too much when people are taking pictures of me, oops. But it’s like going to the dentist: when they ask you something, what do they expect you to do??

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The moral of this photoshoot is, while posing your subject like a doll can yield beautiful results, it’s often easier for non-models (a.k.a. me) to look natural instead of stiff if you have them DO something. Run, jump, twirl, reach, swing their arms or dresses, smooth their hair, hold a bouquet, etc.

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Okay, at this point I JUST REALLY LOVE THE B&W ONES.

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If your subject is wearing a dress or skirt, ask them to hold on to it (gently) or give it a little swish. I wasn’t able to twirl around fully, but you can fake it by just pulling out the fabric a bit.

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I loooove the golden glow in this photoshoot and the way the sun shines through Megan’s and my hair. (That sounded really weird. I need to ask my brother if that was proper grammar…) Of course, backlighting highlights the frizz in my hair, but it also turns it a pretty color, so I’m good with that.

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The cornfield in the background really did make for a great backdrop. I love how it gives these a natural, farmland feel.

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Let’s talk “photogenic.” People always comment on our sisters photoshoots telling us we’re photogenic, but… well, we just don’t show you all the outtakes – especially of me. 😛 I have awkwardly long arms, legs, and fingers, and in case you haven’t noticed, I’m sure not a model. HA. But I DO smile a lot when I’m with people (including whoever’s behind the camera), and I think a genuine smile – or really, any genuine emotion, happy or sad – is one of the most beautiful, photogenic features of any portrait. It’s what connects with people, no matter what you look like.

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Like here: my arms and hand look disturbingly awkward and my hair is, um, NOT perfectly styled; but the main thing that gets conveyed is joy, because that’s what I was feeling. That’s what connects with people. We get so caught up in outside appearance that we sometimes forget this. Many of my favorite portraits from other photographers are breathtaking because they show a little bit of the soul of the person. Faces are lovely, but not what we ARE. I want my photos to show what IS.

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If your photographer’s any good, they’ll take care of creating the beautiful pictures – you just need to take care of being there and not being too afraid of the camera.

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Another example of a very blurry picture that I love anyway. I hope Megan wasn’t falling over here. O.o But the tilted horizon and flying hair and black and white filter tell a story and convey emotion in a way a perfect shot wouldn’t.

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Like I said earlier, I just naturally smile a lot when I’m around people. I don’t, like, smile at my computer screen when I’m working in my studio or anything… although I’m smiling right now just thinking about that. XD But anyway, it’s hard for me to look serious in pictures without either cracking up or looking extremely bored or tired. Heh. I think this one worked since I wasn’t actually looking AT Megan.

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Also looking down makes serious faces easier. It’s funny because despite what this blog may convey, I can be very serious (or sad) and I love real conversations about important topics. But I can’t look at someone holding a camera and look photogenically serious unless I try really hard. *shrugs*

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I shall end with a picture just for Aria, my best friend who always teases me about my strangely long fingers. 😛 SORRY, DEAR, I CAN’T HELP IT.

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Well! That got long. But this was so fun to make for you guys. I hope you enjoyed those heaps of pictures and photography tips/ behind-the-scenes stories sprinkled in. 🙂 Make sure to check out Megan’s post to see her favorite photos from the shoot!

Which photo(s) did you like best? Do you feel more natural looking serious, or smiling in photos? And aren’t sunflower fields such wonderful things?

Thanks so much for reading, dears, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my Nikon D3400 and a 35 mm lens. Edited with Lightroom.

98 thoughts on “Sunflower Field Sisters Photoshoot”

  3. Oh! These are great! I love all of them, they’re beautiful! Now I want a sunflower field..
    For some reason I feel more comfortable looking serious in photos, but that tends to turn out looking kinda funny XD
    Great post!

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  4. “She walked unnaturally very naturally” Yay, Megan! XD I’m so glad you’ve mastered that (very important) art. *nods seriously*

    As always, the pictures are lovely and the models, if not perfectly photogenic, make me smile. Thank you for sharing!

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  6. Aw!! I LOVE these, Allison!! You two look so much alike! You know it’s funny– I think my favorite photo is your sister putting on her eating’s in the car mirror, haha! But I do love candids…

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    1. THANK YOUU! Yeah, people seem to think we look very similar. I guess when you’re the people, it’s harder to tell. XD Haha, I thought that was really funny too.

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      1. Lol! Yeah, people think my sister and I are twins a lot, but we look SO not alike!! She has blonde super short hair, I have dark brown long hair, she’s taller (even though I’m three years older), we have completely different taste in clothing, and our faces are not similar– yet it still happens all the time! 😂

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        1. Ha, that’s SO WEIRD. People think our whole family looks very similar. I think it’s mainly because we all have dark brown hair (though mine is a bit lighter), dark or brown eyes, and we’re all tall. 😛

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  7. What beautiful photos! I saw the ones on Megan’s blog last night and loved them! Golden hour + sunflower + sisters = awesome photos. Maybe my sister and I should do some photos like these. She likes to buy sunflowers a lot. 😀 For me, I think I feel more natural looking seriously when others take photos of me. Sometimes, being ‘forced’ (so to speak) to smile is kind of hard! If I do need a smiling photo of me, I prefer to take them myself, preferably as selfies, because I dislike posing. XD I prefer being behind the camera anyway. And yes, sunflowers are very wonderful!

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    1. Thank you so much! Yesss, I totally agree. 🙂 Ooh, YOU SHOULD! Haha, YEP, I totally get what you mean. Being forced to smile doesn’t feel very good or make you happy enough to smile usually. 😛 I like your new profile picture, speaking of! Thanks for the lovely comment. 🙂

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  8. Too bad you lost your watch. 😦

    The B&W photos are AMAZING, but I also like the golden glow and the cheerful yellow of the sunflowers. Megan’s “movie scene” photo is one of my favorites ’cause it seriously does look like it’s from a movie. I also really like that first one of you. (And hey, I’ve always wanted to have long fingers. It makes it easier to do crazy cords on the guitar.) I feel a bit more natural smiling for photos, but if I’m smiling for too long, it begins to feel awkward. I’m pretty good at serious faces too… I think (and as long as no one is making me laugh…)

    YES!!! Sunflower fields are wonderful! I tried planting a few sunflowers this year, but none of them came up. 😢 Several “volunteer” sunflowers popped up elsewhere though, so I’m happy. 🙂

    Also, a big round of applause for Megan. Congratulations, graduate! 👏 👏 (I was happy to be done with math, too.)

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    1. *sniff* Poor watch.
      THANK YOUU! Ha ha, doesn’t it? I love that one too! (Ah, good point. And it’s super helpful for playing piano too – I can span ten notes which comes in handy sometimes. XD) Yeahhh, same. If I keep the same smile for too long it just feels weird. Wow, multi-talented! *applauds* Hee hee, that’s seriously so nice, though.

      Oh deeeear, I’m sorry the sunflowers didn’t come up. :/ Sunflowers grow very well around here. Our birdfeeder fell down and the leftover seeds are sprouting out of it now. XD

      YES! She can’t wait to finally be done this year! I’m happy for her that she is graduating a semester early.

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  10. 1, How did you both avoid getting bit by the eventually attacking bugs???
    2, that tilted b&w shot of you taken by megan is possibly one of my new favorites
    3, this just brought a considerable amount of seratonin to my day. so thanks for that. : )

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    1. 1. Well I, at least, paid for it in bug bites later on. But that’s a good point… it wasn’t very buggy that evening, which is kind of unusual.
      2. I KNOW I LOVE IT.
      3. I feel so honored. *bows*

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  11. Yay! I loved how you edited these pictures! Also I think people just must not like their own serious faces, I was thinking while making my post that your serious faces are way better than mine. XD

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  12. Allow me to say that you are really so beautiful~ 🙈 I loved all the pictures smily and serious both came out great! Allow me also to say that I knew that it was a genuine smile bcs it had a special energy than a faked one~ God bless you both dears~🥰💝

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  14. So beautiful! Also, I loved your whole ‘she looks like she’s in a movie scene where they show someone’s face with sad music and you’re supposed to figure out what they’re thinking about and how it relates to the plot’ description because it was SO true and hilarious 😂

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  15. Eeeeek! I loved these all so much!! 😀 😀 You two are both very good models indeed. *nods* And wonderful photographer’s as well!! Y’all’s sister photoshoots always just make me so happy! 😛 Wondermous post! 🙂

    -Laura ❤ 🙂

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  19. Ahhh, these are so pretty Allison!! ❤ I absolutely love golden hour photoshoots! Also, I really liked what you said about being photogenic, especially because I think that a good photographer should make you look good in the photos, no matter what your hair color, skin tone, body type, etc. 😉

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  20. Ahh I adore these so so much! The summer aesthetic is amazing. 🤗 You both look stunning, and I appreciate how authentic your photos are. Imperfect hair, long fingers, and blur is real, and I think our world needs that more than ever. 🤍

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  21. Y’all are beautiful. ❤ It’s impossible to pick a favorite! I truly love them all.

    I’ve been on the look out for a camera for my blog photos and your Nikon D3400 seems to have done wonderfully for this photoshoot. I’m a cheapskape, but willing to spend the money if it’s worth it. In your opinion, is it worth the cost or would I be better off going with a cheaper camera for the desired purpose?

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    1. Thank you so much!
      Ooh, how exciting! I totally get you about the price, though -ha. The thing is, it totally depends on how you use it when deciding if the cost would be worth it. If you use your camera a lot and are interested in really investing some time and effort toward improving your photography, I totally recommend the D3400! If you’re just looking for an easy way to take some photos here and there, a DSLR probably isn’t necessary or worth it. But I LOVE my camera and would totally recommend it!

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      1. Thank you for the insight! I will definitely be looking into this. I’ve also considered the Nikon Coolpix B500, which did well for my sister. There’s so many great camera choices out there, that it’s hard to choose!

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        1. I KNOW! It can be overwhelming. The Nikon L840 is a great camera if you’re not sure you want a DSLR yet. My sisters and I all had it at one point and we loved it!

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  22. I appreciate your photography, Allison! All photos are excellent and great! Among them, I like the 8th most which is amazing!!! KoKo.

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  23. Omg these are STUNNING. Megan looks AWESOME especially where she poses near the vehicle. Alison you really look like an ANGEL in that white dress especially in the b&w pic. You woud both make WONDERFUL models😍

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  24. I feel for you. I don’t have long arms, but I get to have long legs instead, so my siblings sometimes tease me about how I can’t touch my toes with my legs straight. Also, you never cease to amaze me with your beautiful pictures. For someone who loves art and taking pictures, you sure grew up in the right place.

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    1. Oh yesss I feel you. (I have long legs too. 😛 ) Haha! Yeah, I can sort of touch my toes, but not very well. Aww, thank you so much for your kind words!

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  25. Very pretty photos. I love the sunflower landscape and the lighting. I also like how your poses look natural and not awkward, as I know that it’s hard to do. Great job!

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  28. I was hesitant to comment because of the mountain of comments you already have and because I’m just stating the same thing everybody else has. So, to restate it for the millionth time, you are an awesome artist and I love your pictures. Please keep posting and keeping our days bright.

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    1. Aww, never feel bad about commenting. I love reading each and every one. 🙂 Thank you so much for the kind words, Ruby! I’m so happy you enjoyed the post. ❤ ❤

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  29. Oh I love all of these! The lighting and colors are so pretty! I have the same shade as your hair so I love when the sun turns it red too. It’s so pretty. 🙂 And the B&W ones are so cool too! With your hair and outfits it kinda looks like they could’ve been taken in the 60s or 70s. XD

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  39. Amazing photos, sunflowers are so interesting to photograph. Sadly I’m not aware of any sunflower fields in the UK.

    Although I’m more of a nature photographer than portrait this looks an awesome location for a portrait photo shoot.

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    1. Thank you so much! Aww, well that’s a bummer. :/ Yes! I loved the location because I could do both nature photography and the portraits at the same place. 🙂

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