Now that spring is in full bloom, and honestly summer seems to be right around the corner, it’s time to talk portrait sessions! I realize unless there’s a new baby coming to the family, most people don’t think about updating their family photos during these seasons. I’m historically in my busiest season during the fall months and I love fall shoots, BUT I’m going to tell you 5 reasons why you should consider doing it now during the spring and summer!

Better Weather

Ok, so those of you who live in Washington might debate me on this, but if we’re going with statistics, spring and summer have a higher probability of sun than rain! Since I’m a natural light photographer who shoots on location, that’s going to benefit us for sure! Shooting outdoors is my favorite thing for a session, especially when we can catch some golden light from a beautiful magic hour. Naturally I yearn for a dry, sunny day that’s going to capture beautiful skies and lovely sun flares! For this, our best chance of catching these ideal days will be during spring or summer. Once we get into the fall season, our chances of more clouds and rain definitely go up. If you’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest for any number of years (or even number of months) you know rain is always waiting to make its return! Let’s try to get ahead of the game and schedule those annual family portraits before the weather turns south!

Flexibility

For those who live in Pacific Northwest, even with the more promising seasons, you know there’s still a chance of unpredictable weather. For the times that we end up running into rain anyway, we can always have a back up plan! I’m going to vote for a dry day anytime I can, but if schedules are tight and there’s just not an opening in the calendar during the fall, we will have to make do with what we are given (i.e., umbrellas, back up studio location, or hour-by-hour watch on the forecast). I’m not saying it’s impossible to reschedule a fall shoot, but I am saying it will be much easier for us all to make changes to a shoot date in the spring/summer months if a sickness occurs, weather is bad or something unforeseen comes up! As mentioned before, September, October and November are some of my busiest months of the year. This means my calendar (and other photographer’s calendars) book up much faster than any other time of year because most everyone is trying to get a session in for their holiday cards! I encourage you to plan ahead and get your booking on the calendar well before the year-end rush! I will be better able to accommodate the reschedule if we need to and honestly, you probably will too— think summer vacation and the kids having more free time from school and extracurricular activities!

Less Stress

Piggy-backing off of my last point, you’re going to feel less stress during these months. Putting a photography session on your calendar may not feel urgent in May, June or July, but come September you’ll be doing all the back-to school prep for your kids, maybe you have a family trip planned in there somewhere, planning for the holidays (hosting or plane rides) and before you know it, it’s November and you want to get the ball rolling on making holiday cards! If you haven’t booked a session by October, it likely will be very hard to find someone with availability, or the available slots won’t be ideal for when you need! Most people don’t want to to feel rushed, in any capacity, but especially during the holiday season. Don’t give yourself more stress trying to look around for a photographer, schedule and plan a session and then try to design and order holiday cards all before the new year!

Flowers

While some love the fall leaves and the autumn colors, others may really love the spring blooms offered in various locations! There’s lot of colors offered during spring and summer that might be overlooked when thinking about booking your photography session. April normally has cherry blossoms over in Tacoma or wild flowers over in the Columbia River Gorge. Puyallup has spots for tulips in May or lupine in June! Tipsoo Lake is a gorgeous, adventurous spot that offers wildflowers in August or even the Orting & Bonney Lake area where scotch broom grows in the spring. There are many locations that offer florals, just let me know if you’re interested in booking a session with flowers!

Milestones, Birthdays or Anniversaries

Maybe I haven’t convinced you yet, but here’s one last thing to think about—birthdays and anniversaries! Think through the important dates during your year and see if any of your kids’ birthdays land in these months. Or perhaps you have an anniversary coming up and you haven’t done proper photos since your wedding day! I love couples sessions. My photography roots are grounded in wedding and engagement sessions and I would LOVE to capture your love with your spouse! Heck, even if it isn’t an anniversary, when is the last time you have a fun, carefree, romantic photography session with your significant other? Let’s chat and get you scheduled for an epic couples session! OR if your child has a birthday, documenting their stage of life now is so important. Their birthday may come and go and their sweet face that they had at 4-years-old will soon fade into an older version of themselves. Don’t let those moments slip by! Finally, it’s always perfect timing when you’re expecting a baby because it’s the perfect reason to get updated family photos! I want to document your now so that you will remember it YEARS from now. If you contact me today, I’m happy to get you booked for whatever date works best for you—just remember all my tips!