Sunflowers on the Farm

On July 25th, I attended the Costume & Camera event at Burnside Farms in Nokesville, VA. This event was in conjunction with Burnside Farms sunflower festival they have, so we were shooting in their sunflower and flower fields. 

For this event I used:

• Canon R6
• 24 - 105mm lens
• Cannon speed light

Camera Settings:

This shoot started at 4:30 PM and went to about 7:30 PM not the harshest sun of the day but not sunset either.  The sky had some clouds as there was the potential for storms to roll through later in the evening.  However, the biggest challenge for this event was I couldn’t use a light stand, and I didn’t have my voice activated light stand (i.e. assistant/husband) to hold the flash for fill.  So, I was shooting with the camera in one hand and the flash in the other to provide fill light. 

For this shoot I mostly used ISO 100 but did take a few images at ISO 200.  My aperture ranged from F4.5 to F13 with the most common aperture being F5.6 followed by F9.  My shutter speed ranged from 1/40s to 1/640s with the most common being 1/250s.  My focal lengths ranged from 24mm to 105mm with the most common being 24mm and 40mm.   

The Photos:

My favorite image from the event is this one of Phoquess in their 1890’s Umbreon cosplay. I like this photo because of how the black dress with yellow accents stands out against the sunflower field.  While the umbrella was not part of the cosplay, but what the farm handed out to people to provide shade in the field, I feel it pulled the whole image together. This image to me screams goth stuck going out in the sun to appease their normie friends.   I also like it because it is a back shot and has an air of mystery to it because you can’t see the cosplayer’s face.  In post-production I adjusted the exposure slightly, brought up the vibrance to make the colors pop, but the real secret is that I added a yellow (highlight) / purple (shadow) color grade that harmonized the image. Then, as with most of my images, I added a heavy vignette.

ISO 100, Aperture F5.6, Shutter 1/640s, Focal Length 24mm, No Flash

This next image is of Gloria of In the Long Run Designs in her 1780s era dress. I like this image, even though it doesn’t have sunflowers but just wild flowers in the background, because it looks rustic.  The swing with the field of flowers behind it just gives the image the feel of a wide open prairie. I did hand hold a flash for this image to help fill the shadows, as the sun was behind the model.  In post I adjusted the exposure slightly, kicked up the vibrancy, and added a yellow (highlight) / purple (shadow) color grade to the image.  I also applied a circular gradient to the model’s face to brighten it slightly.  I also removed all the people and flags in the distant background using the remove tool.  I then finalized the image by adding a strong vignette.

ISO 100, Aperture F9, Shutter 1/250s, Focal Length 24mm, Flash Fired

This next image is of Coralinx_cosplay in her Kiki cosplay from “Kiki’s Delivery Service”.  What was nice about working with Coralinx, besides her being an awesome person to work with, is she had her handler/fiancé with her who was able to help me by holding my flash. He took direction well.  What I like about this image is that it is an action shot, so it looks like she is lifting off on her broom.  It did take a couple of shots, because her hair kept covering her face, but we got one.  For editing I adjusted the exposure slightly and added several gradients.  The first gradient I added was to the sky to decrease the brightness and bring back the blue. I then added linear gradient to the ground to balance the foreground with the sky. The final gradient was a circular gradient I added to the model’s face to brighten it slightly.  I then added an orange (highlight) / yellow (shadow) color grade to the image to give it a warm glow.  I then finished the image off with a light vignette.

ISO 100, Aperture F13, Shutter 1/200s, Focal Length 24mm, Flash Fired

This final image, of Chaosbria as Petra from Fire Emblem was the last shots I took at the event as I was getting tired and hot.  I like this image because it gives the feel of grandeur and a warrior vibe, while maintaining a rather relaxed pose.  For this image I adjusted the exposure slightly and brightened up the vibrancy. I also used three different gradients, the first was a sky gradient to darken it and bring the blue back. The second was gradient that covered the whole model to ensure she was the same brightness as the foreground and the sky. The final gradient was a circular gradient on the model’s face to make that pop just a little more.  I also added a yellow (highlight) / purple (shadow) color grade to the image to harmonize it and warm it just slightly.  I then finished the image with a medium vignette.

ISO 100, Aperture F4.5, Shutter 1/200s, Focal Length 42mm, Flash Fired

Wrap Up:

This was a good event, but I do wish I had my assistant with me, as it would have made it easier to manage the flash.  I will say by the end of the shoot both my arms were tired as one was holding the camera and the other aiming the flash. No, I didn’t have the flash on the camera, I was actually hand holding it out to the side so I could point it in the direction I wanted.  It is a little harder but makes for a better picture. 

I was also pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to do a whole lot of people removal in post or work around a lot of people in the fields, considering this was part of the farm’s festival and they were hosting a concert that night. While yes there were a bunch of people most were towards the other end of the farm where the concert and food trucks were.  

You can see all the images from the meet-up here: Burnside Farms - Sunflowers