The angle and power of the sun will change throughout the year. When it sets, how high it is in the sky, the number of clouds we can expect… that will all matter when it comes to getting the best lighting. Most often, my summer morning sessions start at 9am and afternoon times start at 3 or 4pm.
Weather
If we are shooting the in mountains, afternoon rains and winds can be a large concern. If it is very windy and we are doing an engagement session or portrait, we will either move sites or reschedule If it is a mini shoot or wedding, the show must go on. For these mini shoots, I will look for places where the wind is blocked and I encourage you to dress in clothing that embraces the wind. Hair back, lighter fitting clothes, no hats. Should the wind be out of control on a mini shoot, I will cancel.
Location Location Location.
Ask me what time of day is best at the site we have chosen. I have a few sites that shoot particularly well in the afternoon, or morning. Some sites are just not an option at certain times of day. If we are doing a mini shoot, I will be exploring the entire site for portrait sessions so it might be you are booked at a time that is awesome… or not.
Toddlers and Babies
Forget lighting, schedule these sessions when you child will have eaten, napped, and is typically the most up beat. If you are driving to the site, please leave a little time for your kiddo to “wam up” before I start taking pictures.
Newborn Photo Shoot
These sessions can be booked at any time because more than likely, they will be done indoors. If there is a chance you want to be outside for a few of the shots, schedule the session late in the afternoon or in the morning, starting before 10am.
Engagement Photo Shoot
Book these sessions as late in the evening as the lighting will allow. Late light will give that special glow to your shots and there will be more opportunities to take creative photos with the sun setting. If we are going to more than one site, be very organized with parking, outfit changes and tracking your walking times.
PHOTO 1: The photo above was taken at a mini shoot on an over cast day in Littleton, Colorado. The session time was in the early afternoon and the clouds gave me the chance to shoot in some spots that would have been unavailable otherwise.
PHOTO2: The photo above was taken at a portrait session in the early evening in Boulder, Colorado. The sun sets a little early there and it was a summer shoot, so the sun was pretty high in the sky (even late in the day).
The reason the lighting in both photographs works is because of the clouds in photo 1. Where photo 2 is stronger is in the highlights. You can see them backlighting the little girls hair and dress. She appears a little more 3 dimensional which obviously gives the image more depth. There are lots of other factors but we are talking natural light so I will stop there with these 2 photos.
