Seasons
As the crisp and cold mornings have suddenly seemed to have appeared from nowhere i’ve found myself thinking about how our next location sessions will be different again from the milder, warmer autumn shoots we’ve just been doing. I thought It would be helpful to blog about some of the very best tips and ideas for location shoots as well as answering lots of common questions our clients have about how they work. Location sessions are a really fantastic way to capture unique images that can decorate your homes. Just as pieces of art, prints and posters have their place, Photography is both personal and can be the focal point of many rooms in your home. Throughout the year we see both cool and warm tones, stunning hues of greens, blues, yellows, gold, reds oranges and pops of vivid colour. You can create any look you want by choosing the best backdrop and season for your session and entrusting us to capture the moment. Family photographs outside can really capture those meaningful happy and playful moments within natures beautiful landscapes and are ideal for families who prefer natural caught moments and the unpredictability of what we may find along the way!
Every season offers unique and wonderful opportunities for any family photographs and I feel it inspiring that every time I go to a local place that I know so well, it has transformed in to a completely different backdrop for my photographs. I love to take my two children to our local parks and they enjoy the scenery with me, looking at all the different flowers that have bloomed at the time and the colours, It’s ever changing and it’s beautiful.
To give you some ideas of what kind of images you can capture throughout the seasons I have prepared a selection of Seasonal Photographs to showcase our location sessions plus some useful tips to remember for each season!
Spring
The season of fresh blooms and new beginnings, Stunning fields of yellow daffodils, swathes of bluebells, Spring is a beautiful season for photographs. The weather is finally warming and colour is slowly and spectacularly arriving in abundance.
It may have been 5 years ago but I treasure these photographs of myself with my daughter and remember planning what we both wear, it actually rained during the shoot but the photographs made my Mother’s Day!
Look out for: Flowers in bloom, Daffodils, Bluebells, Buttercups, Blossom
Special Dates: Mother’s Day
Complimenting Colours: Pastel Hues, Whites
Be Prepared: Rugs and Blankets for leftover morning dew, A brolly for a little surprise April rainshower!
Summer
We all love a bit of sun! Photographs can be bright and cheerful and show off our most happiest self. Speaking as a photographer Summer can be our most difficult season to photograph family portraits as the sun light can be harsh on our face and it can be extremely hot without shade. I would have to say though that these two shoots shown below are my most favourite shoots! I love working with backlight (where the sun is behind my subject) and this makes for beautiful light airy photographs. I am very happy working in the sun although I get very hot myself and I can assure you I will jump at the chance of some shade with you between photographs! The best tree to find and my absolute favourite has to be the willow tree. Summer is also prime season for capturing golden light sessions where the glow of the sun creates a soft warm glow on the skin and beautiful hazy portraits. Why not head to the beach for a golden light shoot? (These sessions are typically between 7-8pm at night until sunset)
I had to showcase Cate’s daughter and here she is; a beautiful and graceful little fairy glowing on the beach in the enriching and elegant light of the evening sun “Golden Hour”.
Below are two beautiful and unique settings for a maternity session
Look out for: Flowers, lakes, long grass, meadows, willow tree and wide open spaces, beaches, sand and stretches of water to splash in!
Special Dates: Father’s Day
Complimenting Colours: Pastels, Whites, Light colours
Be Prepared: Sun Tan lotion, plenty of Water, Sun Hat
Autumn
The stunning warm tones of Autumn is one of the most beautiful seasons for photographs. All the family having fun in the fallen leaves and the children throwing them up in the air! Woodland areas can make a great backdrop for your photographs with all those autumnal reds, oranges, yellows and browns. A pathway through the trees can look stunning, sitting on tree stumps or climbing on fallen trees. Hats and scarves can add nicely to the overall look of the images.
Here are my two children in my recent Autumn shoot just look at how many leaves they found!
A scattering of leaves is always fun!
Look out for: Pretty lakes, woodland areas, pathways, rows of trees, Pumpkin Patch,
Special Dates: Halloween, (its not to early to start planning gifts) Christmas
Complimenting Colours: Jewel Tones, Warm Tones, Creams, Whites and Naturals
Be Prepared: Wooly jumpers, hats and scarves, Wellies (If it has rained recently particularly in wooded areas)
Winter
It can be a cold and challenging few months but it can be a joy to wrap up warm and have fun in the winter sun. There can be beautiful clear days with bright blue skies and a stream of rich sun light to photograph family portraits in. Of course if we are lucky we may just get enough snow to shoot in too. A pop of colour amongst a bed of snow can make for a really magical winter wonderland scene; Wearing welly boots, a big coat, hats and scarves can set the scene for some gorgeous natural shots.
If you are thinking of Christmas presents for the family or a treat for the children, it makes for a lovely experience for all the family. You can even bring along your Christmas jumpers and Christmas hats for that extra fun family photo! We can arrange sessions at one of the local Christmas tree farms too for some unforgettable Christmas Photos.
Look out for: Snowy days on the weather forecast, woodland areas, Christmas Tree Farms
Special Dates: Christmas and New Year
Be Prepared: Warm Coats, Welly Boots, Hats and Scarves, Christmas jumpers, Christmas hats,
Complimenting Colours: Reds, Greens, Jewel tones
Let me know what Location you have in mind and we can get planning your session.
Questions and Answers:
What should we wear?
We always advise you to wear what makes you feel relaxed, happy and comfortable. Coordinating with seasonal colours can make the photographs look more harmonious and impressive. Light colours, whites and soft pastels are beautiful to blend in with the softness of spring and the glow of summer. Jewel and warm tones compliment the hues of autumn and winter. Jeans are always a nice combination for any member of the family. Please try to avoid large logos, prints and character tees as these inevitably don’t age well and may end up being distracting once printed and up on the wall. Think about yourselves collectively, do you compliment eachother? Hats and accessories are a lovely addition but we don’t advise wearing these throughout the entirety of the session to ensure you have a variety of different shots, so ensure you pack a small mirror and hairbrush etc if you feel you will need to. Think about the colours of the season and choose tones that work in harmony with the settings we are shooting in. That being said if you are all about bright crazy clashing colours then you do you! We are more than happy to discuss ideas with you and plan outfits.
What areas do you cover?
We cover areas within Surrey, Berkshire and West Sussex. If you would like us to travel further afield this is absolutely still possible and mileage fees will apply so please contact us for more details. International travel is also welcomed. The sky is the limit when it comes to location shoots and we are happy to liaise with different vendors and location owners to discuss shooting there. We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful areas of the country with plenty of choices for places to shoot. Sadly as of 2020 The Royal Parks require a substantial fee and licence to shoot there and as well as this many other popular locations such as the Lavender Fields, Wisley and other private gardens have a photographers fee too. This does not mean we can’t still shoot there but simply this fee must be covered by the client if they choose that particular location. As a starting point get in touch and let us know your dream and we will help to make it reality!
What if the weather is not on our side?
Weather can be unpredictable but it doesn’t always stop us from working with it and as the saying goes; “there’s no such thing as bad weather only unsuitable clothing” We love working with the seasons come rain or shine, however we know that the weather may throw us some curveballs so we will always allow flexibility should the weather be against us and schedule the session for an appropriate time.
Can we bring our family pet?
You are welcome to bring your pet along to the photoshoot, we are highly experienced working with animals and we especially love dogs, ponies and horses! Please check with your location whether dogs are permitted within the area you would like to be photographed as we have been caught out before, some national trust parks have recently put new restrictions in place.
What products do you offer?
We have 3 core packages in place for you to choose your high resolution digital images, these are a selection of your favourites from the session including 10 images, 20 images or the whole session – (that’s everything we shoot from 40-50+ images) this will be sent to you on our own branded usb stick and sent via a downloadable link should you wish to have your images quickly. Having selected your digital package we offer a wide variety of products such as our framed wall art, sequence frames, box canvases, prints and unique acrylic artwork. We have designed additional collection packages that offer a combination of products, prints and digital photographs. You will see examples of the wall art we can create using your images on your viewing Gallery.
We offer personalised Gift Vouchers which make the perfect Gift for your family and friends this Christmas.
If the outdoors isn’t for you and you would rather have access to a cosy sofa with a cuppa tea and a warm fireplace then we can arrange a fun family session in your home.
We have flattering professional studio lighting and we can even plan for a seasonal shoot in the comfort of your own home.
Thank You for reading and I hope this has inspired you for our session together x
Best Wishes
Orli
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