Field & Farm Portraits

August 19, 2015 / Deborah Skahill

June is a busy time here at the farm.

Early spring quickly arrives after a chilly winter break, and it is a time for prepping, planning, and working hard to get the farm season-ready. Around June 1st, the buds on the English lavender begin to form. Mid-June creeps up on us and suddenly we have an explosion of color. Light and dark purples compliment the silvery green leaves of the lavender plants all throughout the four acres of field. Guests visit each day of the season – piling out of cars and dotting the field with sundresses and wicker baskets.

And if you were one of the few guests who arrived a little early or stayed a little late, you may have witnessed the golden hour.

That’s my hour.

From 7-9 a.m. and 6:30-8 p.m. I (Seana McCroddan Photography) was out each day during our season holding portrait sessions. The “golden hour” is the photographer's dream. It is the time during the early morning and late evening when the sun is low in the sky. This creates soft, “golden” lighting perfect for photography. I had families, soon-to-be moms, newly engaged couples, and individuals interested in solo portraits drive from all over the DMV to get their photos taken at the farm.

With ages spanning from infants to grandparents and the weather doing its typical summer storm thing, each session was completely different from the next. Various cloud coverage and weather fronts made the lighting vary from day to day, and for a natural light photographer, that is one the best parts of the job – it forces you to be on your toes and work with what you've got. Seven Oaks Lavender Farm is the perfect place for portrait sessions. I may be biased, but it has been my favorite shoot location since starting my portrait business. It is just big enough where if you know the farm well, you can find a different backdrop and different ways of posing clients to make every single session unique and specific to each family.

And it's not just about the lavender (although that is our favorite part), which is we call them Field & Farm sessions.

If you look out into the cow pastures behind the shop, the rolling hills and golden wheat grass provide a soft and beautiful backdrop. Deb & Edie, the owners of the farm, have yards filled with all kinds of vibrant seasonal flowers that bloom at various times throughout the season. The white wooden doors of the farm garage, the gazebo, and the tall grass lining the lavender field are just some of the many places besides the lavender that I used often throughout my sessions.

And for some of my luckier clients, the farm cat, Fuzz, made a couple appearances as well :)

We wanted to share a few of our favorite photos from all of the sessions this season. It was such a great success this year, we can't thank all of you enough for coming out and enjoying your time at Seven Oaks!

Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you all next June!