Tips for Beautiful Fall or Winter Photos
There is a special kind of magic that comes with outdoor, seasonal photo sessions. The snow lightly falling and icicles hanging from the branches . . . wait – what?! We live in Southern California! Snow or no show – So Cal is gorgeous and there are plenty of places to host a seasonal family session! And I will travel to Big Bear, etc. for snow! Here are some tips to make your seasonal photo sessions go smoothly.
- Dress for the weather. You will be surprised at how often this is overlooked. Since you’ll be standing outside for a long period of time, short sleeves, thin fabrics, and open toe shoes will not be comfortable for very long in cold weather – as well as when you want a cozy look and it’s 80 degrees outside. Shivering or sweating makes it hard to look happy and pose properly. If you want to look cozy in the warm weather, simply layer – wear comfy clothes and just add the cozy scarf and sweater when we actually take the pictures.
- Wear sunscreen. Protecting your skin should be a priority throughout the year, not just in summer. Use a good moisturizer to protect your skin from chilly winds.
- Watch the weather. If we do head up to the snow . . . warmer days may seem more pleasant, but melting snow can change the entire look of your backdrop. If you are looking for light snow flurries, try and keep an eye on the weather forecast to make sure that you don’t end up with melting or heavy snow.
- Be flexible. If the weather isn’t exactly what you had hoped for, see if you can still make the photo session work. I had several sessions in one day that was overcast with light rain and the images came out beautiful as the light was so even.
- Incorporate color. Even though fall and winter have some amazing colors to work with, why not wear a splash of color to really stand out in your photos? For example, vibrant shades of blues and greens look amazing among crunchy brown leaves. Keep in mind, if we have sunshine, you will not want to wear anything too bright that will reflect on someone else’s face.
- Plan your day. Taking your photos just after the sun rises or just before it sets will provide you with amazing lighting so try and plan your session around those times.
Take some hot tea, cocoa or coffee along to make your photo session even more enjoyable and get ready for some beautiful results.
(We can also just create snow in PhotoShop! LOL)
