Lots of questions lately about not shooting during the middle part of the day (10am-2pm)! It’s truly not because I want to be difficult, it’s because I only want to give you guys the best. Lighting during the middle of the day is harsh, not flattering, and is even trickier with small children who want to run around. Sessions with young children can be stressful enough, I want to make everything as easy as possible for you guys!
Poor baby is squinting something fierce. See how the lighting is uneven on his face? He’s way cuter than this.
Even my big kid is unable to look up at me in this lighting, and he’s super squinty, too.
I’ve had my fair share of stressful shoots with my own children, I definitely know how hard it can be to make both the early morning and late afternoon work. Small children melt down fast and easy, and even older children have a time limit. But family photos become heirlooms that last forever, and it’s a waste of both time and money to shoot during a time that results in unflattering photos. If middle of the day is the only time that works for you, finding a super shady location becomes even more important.
This gorgeous photo was shot in a small forest setting at around 10:30am. Light was very bright and overhead, but the trees diffused the light wonderfully!
The ideal time for your family photos, if you can make it work, is first thing in the morning, or using last light of the day (hour before sunset). In the summer, this is around 7pm. As we get into Fall/Winter, it inches closer to around 3pm. Golden hour is gorgeous, soft, diffuse, and heavenly. The shadows are long enough that I can let your child run freely (critical to keeping the kidlets happy) and not miss a single moment because he or she ran into a patch of dappled and uneven light. It keeps your children from being mad at having to stay in one patch of shade. Many of you know that I have a freestyle approach to photographing small children, and I love watching them run and do their own thing to capture those moments that are unique to you and your family. This becomes far less of an option in full and direct sunlight.
