IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN!

It was supposed to be the great pumpkin, but in actuality the pumpkins were nowhere to be seen.

As a photographer, sometimes my mind is bombarded with ideas for photo shoots.  That was the case this past weekend when I devised a plan to photograph one of the best pumpkin farms in all of southern California.  It’s almost magical to live in an area that allows me to shoot a mountain scene in the morning, a beach sunset in the late afternoon, and a farm scene in between the two!

My research had revealed this particular farm would not be open to the public until next weekend.  Perfect, I thought!  I won’t be bothered trying to shoot around people crawling all over the pumpkin farm.  Loading all of my equipment into the car, we began our 2 1/2 hour drive to the Ojai Valley and the little community of Santa Paula.

What I found was a beautiful farm divided into several sections.  Each section had a beautiful red barn adjacent to the living quarters and seemed to be about 20 acres in size.  Each 20 acre site produced a different fruit, vegetable, or flower.  It was an amazing sight!!  The homes were different in architecture from the original 1870’s Victorian style to the more modern, contemporary styles.  And, each red barn had been meticulously restored to its original condition! 

However, I found no pumpkins.  I was really hoping for the pumpkins because my intention was to capture a fall-like scene for an upcoming calendar I’m producing.  Not only were there no pumpkins, but each property was protected with a fence and locked gate.  I was not going to be able to roam about like I had envisioned.  And, there was no one around to seek permission to capture some images.  So, I was forced to shoot through and around the fences. 

Even doing that, I was able to capture one of the famous red barns in the background of this beautiful field of flowers.

I was also able to capture the original home, built in the 1870’s and restored to the beautiful condition you see here.  I would have loved to have seen the inside!

The one thing I’ve learned about new photo shoots – I never know what I’m going to get!!  Even when things don’t go exactly as planned, I have always enjoyed the shoot.  And this one was no different.  Traveling through the Ojai Valley which eventually opens to the beautiful area of Santa Barbara was a breath-taking experience.

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~ by photographyfree4all on September 21, 2011.