A year ago, I learned about the almond orchards through Instagram and I realized how close by they were to me! I am always willing to make a 2-hour drive to find flowers, however, it was too late last year. The blossoms were already falling off the trees and they were becoming bare. I made a mental note to visit the following year. As March started quickly approaching, I began researching the area. My original intention was to just go with a friend and shoot, but I soon learned that these orchards are farmer-owned and they don’t just let anyone on their property. Local photographers tend to have special permission, so I decided hiring a photographer was the best way to go. After searching #bakersfieldalmondorchards on Instagram, I came across Vic & Sasha!
In addition to doing a fun shoot for myself, about a week before, Vic & Sasha had posted on their Instagram about how they wanted more couples to bring their dogs. Well, I hadn’t taken a professional shoot of my boy, Oliver, in about 3.5 years, so of course I was down! They got shots of us together that I seriously love! Best of all, they deliver the photos to you so you can order them as prints or canvas – and you bet I printed a canvas of me and my boy together. 😉
As I mentioned before, they had said something about wanting to shoot more dogs on their Insta, but just in case, I wanted to reach out on email and make sure it was okay. They suggested I bring somebody who could wrangle Oliver while they shot just me. Enter: Shelby. Shelby is my closest friend out here in LA. Her friendship has meant so much to me over the years, so I told her that if she came, that of course we would get pictures of her too! Even better, she treats Oliver like her own son, haha! So over the course of the shoot, we got lots of great photos of all 3 of us together. I should also mention that Sasha suggested I bring an outfit change, so don’t be confused when you see me in two outfits. 😉
Oliver is the sweetest, cutest, derpiest dog you will ever meet, and while he is very well-behaved for the camera and will pose, he gets super camera-shy. He smiles all the time at home, but never smiles for the camera! He just looks so serious all of the time. Despite that, Sasha & Vic still managed to get some fantastic pictures of my little lovebug!
Towards the end, we just got a bunch of shots of just Shelby and just me. Both Vic and Sasha did a really good job making us feel comfortable in front of the camera. They constantly showed us shots on their camera after taking them (which I loved!) and made jokes with us. It felt like we were hanging out with old friends.
Believe it or not, this is maybe only a third of the pictures they sent me! Would I do this again? Absolutely! Tom even mentioned how gorgeous the area looked and seemed like he may be down to do a couples shoot there in the future. Who knows! All I know is that I am definitely going to be back next year, and I will definitely use Vic and Sasha again. If you live in Bakersfield or around that area, be sure to reach out and set up a photoshoot with them! They are seriously amazing.
Are you a flower junkie like me? What’s next on your flower bucket-list? Leave a comment below! I’ve got plenty more fun flower adventures coming your way this year. 😉
Cameron Butler
You May Also Like
