Lifestyle Photographer| Clovis|Fall photoshoot tips
Fall photoshoot tips
Fall photoshoots are my personal favorite, not only as a photographer but also to enjoy with my family. For many reasons, one being the weather starts cooling down. Let’s say I’m not a fan of the heat. With cooler weather, I feel like doing more activities outdoors. I mean, no one wants to be sweaty during a photo shoot. Second, it’s the start of the holiday season. Halloween and Thanksgiving are like bliss in the air again. They’re also so fun, especially if you enjoy a themed shoot. You can’t forget the fantastic fall wardrobe. I could finally bring out my coats, blazers, and boots, which I love so much. I wish I could wear them around all year. Fall style is one of my favorites, personally. I’ve been a professional photographer for four years and learned how to help families prepare for fall photo shoots. As a mom, I’m a sucker for family photo sessions, couple photo sessions, mommy and me; you name it. I love capturing memories of my family. So as a client myself, I’ve also learned a few tips that I feel are super helpful in planning your fall photoshoot.
Tip 1 Book early
I’ll start by explaining my past train of thought when booking a photo shoot for my family. Fall is a tricky time because it’s during the prep to go back to school, the beginning of the school year, and the beginning of a new season. Many go shopping for unique seasonal decorations etc. So as a busy mom, I didn’t prioritize booking my photoshoots early. Typically, I tend to screenshot it and save it for later, and that was 100% not a good idea, and here’s why. When I got a booking, most of the times and dates I preferred were already taken. So I ended up with a date that didn’t work best for my schedule and a time of day when I knew I wouldn’t get the best photos. I’m a procrastinator by nature, so I had to prioritize this if I didn’t want to regret it later. Now speaking as a photographer, booking early also gives you your ideal time of day for the shoot and date. Usually, golden hours are the first time slots that are booked. Golden hour is probably the best time of day to have a photo shoot. The light is not harsh and balanced enough to make everyone look flatter. Also, I’ve noticed that everything gets booked up super quickly once the fall season comes around. Most moms use fall photo shoots as back-to-school portraits for their children and family. So they’re super quick to go. Book early if you’ve wanted to do a fall photo shoot. There are only two months in the fall and only about eight weekends. If you wish to book, do it now.
Tip 2 Plan wardrobe
So once you get your desired date and time for your photo shoot, the next step will be to plan your wardrobe. Usually, stores start rolling out super cute trendy fall clothes, and if you can get your hands on a few fall staples, do so early. I wrote a complete guide on what to wear for your fall photo session, so if you want to go ahead and check that out, I’ll link it below. The most important thing I cannot emphasize enough is that when planning the wardrobe, do not match with other family members. Please remember these keywords do not match; instead, color coordinate. When you match identically, even in color, you risk blending in, and it can be a little distracting. Think of it this way, when you look at the photo, and everyone’s wearing the same color or outfit, the first thing you think of is “they’re matching,” and you don’t see past that. By color coordinating, you start up with one color and find a color in the same family shade that compliments the other color but does not match. This is super important because when you look at a photograph, you want to look at the individual and not so much at what they’re wearing. This doesn’t mean you should take away from not putting effort into your wardrobe. Put effort but not enough to the point where it distracts you. A helpful tip I learned was that once I decided on the outfits we would wear, I needed to try them on and ensure they fit and that I liked how they looked. Please do not make the mistake of waiting till the day of your session to try on the outfits only to find out that they don’t work, don’t fit, and simply don’t look good. You’ll be freaking out and set the day's energy to be negative rather than positive.
Tip 3 coach family
This tip applies to families, especially if you have younger children. A common fear my clients share with me is their toddlers not cooperating during the photo session. They often share with me that they have wanted to do a shoot for a long time but hesitated because of the fear of their child having a tantrum and resulting in a waste of money. I have had a little toddler, and I know exactly what it’s like to worry about your little one running around, not wanting to stay put, or being cranky throughout the session. I can see why many families avoid doing photo shoots, especially when the children are young. But it doesn’t have to be that way; something that works great for me and my client is coaching your family before the photos. I know some moms tell me that their kids don’t like their photos being taken, and that’s probably because the experience behind that has not been great for them. It’s always them being in the middle of an activity when a parent pulls out the cameras on their face and tells them to smile, which they don’t want to do. So I recommend that you find a moment during the day when your child is in a good mood and a happy mindset, maybe after a nap or after they’ve had some food. Set them down in a location of the house where it’s not super distracting, and practice taking photos of them with your phone so that they can get familiar with the concept. Show them the phone, the camera, hand it to them, and tell them what it does. This will create a more positive experience around having the photos taken.
As enjoyable as the fall time might be, planning for our photo shoots is super important. That way, we make the most of it and have a good experience. I hope that these tips helped you and your family.
