What is the best time of year for family photography?

What is the best time of year for your family photography session? Well, ultimately, you can have your family photography at any time of the year! But there are lots of things to take into consideration, and I’ll run through a few of these here. Hopefully this will help you to decide when to organise your own family photography. I’m always happy to answer questions if you want to chat through options.

The two main things to take into account are the weather, and the light. Most families are mainly concerned about the weather when they book their session with me. I am always happy to be flexible with bad weather. If we need to postpone a session, then it’s never a problem to do this. I’ll chat through options with you, and we’ll always have a plan B in place. So don’t worry too much about the weather!

It’s actually more important to think about the light. The quality of light makes such an enormous difference in photography, and can really elevate your photos. Depending on the season, there will be times in the day when the sunlight is incredibly bright, although this is obviously very weather dependent as well. I prefer softer light for family photos, and would recommend planning around this where possible.

A family photography session on the beach on a summer evening

Spring

Spring is always a really great option. The sunlight is still fairly soft, but the days are getting warmer and it’s just so wonderful to see the blossom and new greenery everywhere. It’s probably my favourite season all round! There is something so appealing about getting out into the sunshine after all the winter months. Late March and all through April is always really gorgeous for family sessions. It’s such a lovely time to get out into nature and really make the most of the time of year.

Here are a few examples of images from Spring family sessions:

Summer

Summer is hugely popular for family sessions. Lots of people are visiting the South West, it’s a great time to have family photos. However, in the summer, the sun is high and strong in the middle of the day and I’d suggest avoiding this where possible. A lot of my family photography sessions take place on beaches, and it can get so busy, particularly in the afternoon. It can also be really hot if it’s sunny. For summer sessions, I highly recommend having your session in the evening. If we are lucky with the weather, then the light will be soft and golden. Even younger children usually find that it’s exciting enough to head out at this time of day.

Have a look at the following images, which were all lovely sessions, but in the middle of the day with very bright sunlight:

Family photography on the beach in bright sunlight in the summer

And compare them to these ones, taken at a similar time of year but in the evening. The light is so much softer, the shadows on faces less harsh, and you get that lovely golden glow:

A family photo session on a beach in Devon, with four family members walking away from the sea holding hands

If you do want to have your session in the middle of the day, then I’d recommend an area with some shade, trees, various different options, then we can work with the bright light and heat. These images are all from sunny summer sessions, but in locations with a bit more shade:

A mother and baby sitting in grass together during a summer family photography session

A summer family photography session in the woods with parents cuddling children

Autumn

Autumn has a different appeal, and a very different feel. You can get such beautiful colours in the trees as the leaves start turning. I know lots of lovely spots in Devon where we can find a bit of autumn colour, so do ask if you’d like suggestions. You’ll obviously need to wrap up a bit warmer at this time of year, so it’s a session with a different feel to it. There is something really wonderful about walking in the forest, playing in fallen leaves, etc. If we get a sunny day at this time of year then it can just be utterly gorgeous – soft, warm light. It’s also a great time to start thinking about Christmas presents, if you know people who would appreciate a family photo as a gift!

Winter

You may be surprised to hear that I actually really love winter for family photography. I wrote a blog post about this winter session in the winter, which you can read here. I’ve talked a lot about the light, and this is why I love winter so much. At this time of year, any sunshine is always stunning. The low sun casts such a gentle light, and it’s just beautiful for photography. As it’s often pretty chilly out at this time of year, one option to consider is having some photos at home and just a few outside at the end of the session. Or having the main session outside and then some photos snuggling up at home afterwards. We can chat about what would suit your family best.

A young girl in a yellow dress on a Devon beach

It’s absolutely fine to have whole session outside. If the forecast is bad then I’m always happy to keep things flexible, so we can find a slot that works. It’s a great time to wrap up in some lovely knitwear and embrace the season. I think that clothing colours and textures can particularly help at this time of year. If you’d like to read more advice about what to wear, then pop over to this blog post.

A family with young children splashing in a puddle

A mother and baby smiling at each other on a bed

Find out more

I hope that this gives you a bit more information about what is the best time of year for your family photography. As I said above, I’m always happy to chat things through and explain more about what would work best in the different seasons. And you can always have a session at home at any time of the year! If you’d like to find out more, then please do get in touch!