Every season has its own unique beauty, from the golden leaves of autumn and the blossoms in spring to the white landscapes in winter and the green grass and blues skies in summer. Every season offers so many wonderful photo opportunities so it helps to know how to take the best photos at any time of the year.
Use the best possible lighting for your photos
Taking advantage of seasonal beauty means most of your photos will be shot outside, which means you should plan your shoots around the sun if you really want the best results.
By keeping track of the sun’s schedule for the day, you can ensure that you’ll have the best natural lighting. Natural lighting will add more depth to your photos and if you take advantage of the Golden Hour you’ll automatically highlight your subject’s best features.
When you do a session with me, I always make sure we are choosing the best time for great light!
Spend time thinking about your outfits
To make it easier to pick outfits for your shoot, choose a color scheme instead of trying to get everyone to wear matching outfits. A color scheme makes it much easier for everyone to look coordinated without looking exactly the same. Stay away from the latest trends. Opting to wear trendy outfits could backfire when those clothing items are no longer fashionable a few years from now so instead; go with colors and items that are timeless.
It’s also best to stay away from outfits that are really busy and will distract from the people in the photos.
Use a checklist
In order to eliminate any stress on the day of the shoot, put a helpful checklist together that includes your outfits, props and the time and location of your shoot. If you’re working with a photographer, provide them with your ideas for poses, locations and outfit changes ahead of time so that everyone is on the same page about what needs to happen on the day.
A checklist ensures that everything runs on time and that everyone is relaxed and enjoys the experience.
Simple is better
When it comes to creating great photos, the key is not to overdo it. This goes for everything from your outfit and your props to your background and your smiles. Being with a simple portrait to capture the beauty of the season, the more natural the better. You may find that the more basic shots make for the best prints because sometimes a busy photo takes away from the main focus of the photo.
Take time to choose the right background
Make a decision on the kind of background you’d like to have ahead of your shoot. You can choose to use a natural background that offers natural light or you can choose to incorporate props. Remember to check that your background won’t clash with your outfit. Your background plays an important part in the overall shot but it’s important that it doesn’t detract from the focus of the photo.
Working with the seasons will always leave you with beautiful photos, timeless photos that you’ll be proud to display in your home. Getting the basics right is all you need to create the best possible photos at any time of the year.