Five Reasons for Planning Winter Portraits

Five Reasons for Planning Winter Portraits

Everyone is familiar with the two most popular times for planning portraits: autumn, and the weeks leading up to Christmas!

The emphasis on fall foliage is understandable of course! Who doesn’t dream of those warm rich colors when it comes to family portraits, senior portraits, and the many other types of sessions one can plan!

In addition, when the fall school semester begins this is usually the first time high school seniors and their families start to think about senior portraits-so scheduling an autumn session is typically what follows in the race to capture images with glowing autumn leaves!

Around Thanksgiving, is also when we typically see families rushing to capture family images for Christmas cards, or, they choose to have portraits made around the holiday season because that is when most of their family members have come home and there’s a great opportunity to capture photographs of extended family members all together.

Here at Lamoureux Images, we love to embrace each of the seasons, but often we like to give attention to the times of year that people are not generally thinking about portraits.

You’ve heard me mention how fun summer photos can be especially when you are able to get creative and think outside the box a little. I’ve been lucky in the past to join families on summertime horseback rides, trips to the river, as well as summer picnics, and we have really made the most of capturing unique moments during a time of year people are not often planning portraits!

Today, I want to emphasize one of the most unique times of year in my opinion, to get great photos made, and that’s wintertime-after the holiday hustle has come and gone!

Before we dive in, I want to be clear that cold temperatures are not always ideal for small children and the elderly, so when planning such sessions, it’s important to keep in mind what everyone in the group can handle and what is age appropriate. However, bundling up your family in cute wintertime wardrobes can be fun and doable for teens and adult children. Getting cozy with quilts, or planning a bon fire on your property, or sharing hot cocoa together, can make for a fun time of engaging lifestyle themed portraits (bringing hand warmers to have just in case the temps get a little too frigid for some, is a great idea as well!).

When it is appropriate and doable wintertime images can be dreamy, and they will definitely stand out regardless of if you are in a snowy climate or find yourself in a milder wintry region. Here are some of my favorite reasons for planning winter portraits:



You can really accessorize! 



No doubt about it, if you love to accessorize, winter is for you. Scarves, boots, hats, fur…this is the time of year you have every excuse to make a statement with your wardrobe planning and stand out, and it’s so much fun!  



You can enjoy your portrait time without the holiday rush, and also make your back-to-school season less stressful!




This rings especially true for senior portraits. Jumping back into the school season as a high school senior can be hectic, so why add fall portraits to the mix? Planning wintertime portraits after you have found your new rhythm can be a great way to ensure you enjoy yourself and senior portraits will feel less like a chore you need to check off a growing to-do list.





You’ll be booking a photographer at a time when they don’t feel as overwhelmed with the holiday workload.




Autumn and holiday portrait season is a fantastic time of year, and I personally always look forward to it! Yet, with it comes stress for everyone. I sincerely love the magical winter portraits I have been able to spend time taking when I am not managing multiple deadlines and carrying on 15-20 conversations daily with different clients. I love it, and it’s simply part of the job, yet the photo sessions that come after the busy season often are some of the most rewarding for both the client and the person taking the photos.





Waiting to book last minute in the peak of autumn, or a few weeks before graduation is never a good idea!




Booking far enough in advance to ensure your photographer has had time to connect with you and understand your portrait needs is one of the best things you can do for yourself. Last minute sessions can work, but in the hustle they can feel frantic.

If your goal is autumn, make sure you’ve connected with a photographer months beforehand so you both can plan accordingly and ensure deadlines are met and the experience is an enjoyable one. This also ensures you are on their radar well in advance rather than being a last-minute booking they are willing to make in the middle of a very tight schedule.

Taking wintertime photos also allows seniors extra time for choosing the photos that will mean the most to them and finds everyone less rushed to make something happen because of fast approaching yearbook and graduation deadlines. Avoiding this is a better way to honor your senior and really make this special time more about celebrating who they are and less of a chore that simply accompanies high school graduation.



Ok, this is my favorite…
WINTER LIGHT IS THE BEST




As a photographer, I am simply in love with winter light. The crisp air and lack of humidity creates clean imagery that really makes me giddy inside. I love the tones one finds during winter especially in urban areas and cities. It’s just classic, and the lack of overpowering greens from summer or the reds and oranges of fall, flatter skin tones in such a beautiful way! Frankly, everyone looks absolutely stunning in crisp winter light and it’s a timeless look that I will always be enamored with.





Conclusion


Wintertime simply provides more opportunities for creativity. Often, warm lights and the remaining Christmas décor that’s left up after the holidays will be present to add fun elements to your images, and of course winter wardrobes provide endless possibilities.

Lack of mosquitos (for southerners) and crisp humidity free air, along with the opportunity plan styled shoots that center around family activities like campfires, snowshoeing together, cuddling in grandma’s quilts, and cocoa drinking, provide endless material to really make your session special!

I hope this article has helped you think a little more outside of the box when it comes to the dates you consider for your upcoming portraits. Winter portraits should be on everyone’s radar, and if you think planning a winter session sounds perfect for your personality, let’s start making a plan together!