Some sessions come together easily. Others take a little extra patience, a few reschedules, and a whole lot of watching the weather and waiting for flowers to bloom.
Addie’s Central PA senior session was definitely the latter — and it was so worth the wait.
Her senior photos have actually been in the works since last year because there was one thing she knew she wanted: sunflowers.
We chased blooms across the season, missed fields because they had been planted earlier than expected, passed on another farm because the rental fee just wasn’t worth it, and finally had to reschedule after severe thunderstorms rolled through.
Then everything finally came together.
Golden sunshine. Endless sunflowers. Gorgeous summer weather.
And somehow, even a few adorable kittens.
When Addie first started planning her senior photos, she knew she wanted to be surrounded by sunflowers. And when you have something that specific in mind for your senior year, sometimes it’s worth being patient until you can make it happen.
Finding the perfect sunflower field in Central PA ended up being a little more complicated than we expected!
Sunflower season can be surprisingly tricky because bloom times depend on when each farm plants, the summer weather, and how quickly the flowers mature. A field that looks perfect one week can look completely different the next.
After checking out several options, we ultimately landed on Royal Oaks Farm in Lebanon, PA — and I’m so glad we waited.
Central PA Senior Photography at Royal Oaks Farm in Lebanon PA
Royal Oaks Farm gave us exactly what we had been hoping for.
Rows and rows of beautiful flowers, lush summer greenery, and that gorgeous golden evening light that makes summer sessions so magical.
After everything we went through trying to make this session happen, the weather could not have been more perfect.
As a Central PA senior photographer, this is exactly why I love evening sessions. That warm light toward the end of the day adds so much dimension and glow to photos, especially somewhere as colorful as a flower farm.
We wandered through the farm, took our time, and created a ton of variety for Addie’s senior gallery. The sunflowers were obviously the star of the show, but there were so many other beautiful little corners and flowers to photograph around the property too.
And then there were the kittens.
If you know me, you probably already know that finding kittens at a photo session is basically my dream scenario.
A few of the farm kittens decided to make an appearance during Addie’s session, and obviously I was thrilled. Beautiful flowers, golden sunshine, senior photos and kittens?
Honestly, we couldn’t have planned a better evening if we tried.
Celebrating Senior Year with a Central PA Senior Photographer
Senior photos are about so much more than getting a good picture for the yearbook.
Your senior year is this weird, exciting little in-between season. You’re celebrating everything that brought you here while also getting ready for whatever comes next.
That’s why I love creating senior sessions around the person I’m photographing rather than making every senior gallery look exactly the same.
For Addie, that meant waiting for the sunflowers.
And after all of the searching, schedule juggling, missed blooms, thunderstorms, and rescheduling, we finally got exactly what we had been hoping for: a beautiful summer evening surrounded by flowers.
Sometimes the best sessions take a little extra patience.
This one was absolutely worth it.
Cheers to your senior year, Addie! I hope these photos always bring you right back to this gorgeous summer evening — the sunshine, the sunflowers, the kittens, and all the excitement of everything ahead.
Planning a Senior Session for the Class of 2027 or Class of 2028?
If you’re looking for a senior photographer in Central PA, I photograph seniors throughout the Harrisburg, Hershey, Lebanon, York, and surrounding Central Pennsylvania areas.
Whether you’re dreaming of sunflowers like Addie, wildflowers, tall grasses at golden hour, a more urban setting, or somewhere completely different, your senior photos don’t have to look like everyone else’s.
I love helping my seniors choose a location and plan a session that actually feels like them.
If you’re part of the Class of 2027, now is the perfect time to start planning your senior photos. And yes, even my future Class of 2028 seniors can start thinking about what they want their session to look like!
Because if there’s one thing Addie’s session proved, it’s that sometimes the photos you really want are worth planning ahead for.
And if kittens happen to show up?
That’s just a bonus.
