The Great Pumpkin hunt

In the past month we have visited three different pumpkin patches in our area. As an avid Fall lover it's almost a necessity to remind myself that it is indeed actually Fall.  California's idea of "Fall" is 80 degree and sunny weather and it lacks some of the autumn charm of the Pacific Northwest that I love so much. Not to worry, Starbucks will always tell us when Fall is here with their lineup of sugary pumpkin drinks.  I think that actually happened in late August this year, so you can't even trust them anymore (not that you ever could).

Besides loving Fall and pumpkins, I want to shoot our maternity photos at a pumpkin patch as I will be appropriately plump during this great time of year. So I've started scouting for the perfect patch.  The first pumpkin patch we visited was TJ Farms in Chico which is clearly not an option for our photo shoot but it was definitely a great pumpkin patch and worth mentioning.  I will call it a "real" pumpkin patch because the pumpkins are actually still on the vine and you have to cut them off.  Now that's a fresh pumpkin! They also had everything else you are looking for in patch - a petting zoo, homemade goodies, bouncy house (barf) and obstacle course. 

The second pumpkin patch we visited was Spina Farms in South San Jose.  This is a pretty popular and commercialized farm.  The lot is small but there is a large variety of pumpkins to chose from.  They had them arranged on straw which kept us from getting totally dirty as we walked around.  There are TONS of photo ops - large orange Adirondack chair, pumpkin cut outs, haunted house, cute red "barns" to pose in front of.  There is also a large train that you can ride around the perimeter of the patch. They have a petting zoo, pony rides and a farm stand with local fruit and vegetables for sale. The pumpkin patch is also lined with sunflowers around the perimeter which makes it very attractive. This is a very toddler friendly patch and it was evident by the hordes of people that were there.  I even ran into three people that I knew from my mom's group. So while this patch is great for photos, the crowds were a definite negative for me especially on a weekend.

Today we visited Giordano Farms which is also in South San Jose. I decided to check it out after reading a review on a local toddler blog I follow. It was advertised as being more down to earth and homey - no large Dora the Explorer cut outs or bouncy houses. Huge plus. It was a very large lot and it boasts as being the biggest pumpkin patch in San Jose. The pumpkins were arranged on the ground, but like you would see in a natural field. It was basically a large lot with tons and tons of pumpkins with one small corn maze and a hay maze. They had a small petting zoo to the side with goats, chickens, and rabbits.  They also had a small train that ran in a circle. This lot was also lined with some very beautiful sunflowers (must be a pumpkin patch thing). They had a small offering of tomatoes and strawberries that you could see were grown in the lot behind the pumpkin patch.  Despite it being, well, underwhelming I really loved this patch. It reminded me of the pumpkin patches of my youth that were simple and straightforward. As for it's possibility as a photo shoot location, I'm not sure.  There would be some great shots along the sunflowers and pumpkins, but not too many options beyond that. 

I may keep searching for the perfect patch or I may give up and start looking for parks.  One of the downsides of shooting at a patch is that there is zero shade making for some nasty shadows mid day. We might need to find a location with more background options or perhaps shoot at two locations. Ellie has loved every single pumpkin patch we've been to and has especially loved seeing the animals. I can see her working up the courage to pet the animals with each visit. Especially the bigger ones, like the goats, that are more scary.  What do you the readers think? Is it worthwhile to do photos at one of the patches we've seen? Find another one? Look for something else? I will have to consort with our photographer Heather and see what she thinks.  Stay tuned!