This is the year! You’re gonna book your outdoor family session but you’re not sure when to book it, right?! Well, here are my insider-pro-photographer tips for understanding when is the best time of the year in Illinois to shoot and when is the best time of day for shooting these kinds of sessions are.
When is the best time of year to shoot outside? Honestly, it depends on a lot of factors having to deal with your family’s circumstances but each time of the year brings an interesting vibe to outdoor family photography in the state of Illinois. Technically we have four seasons which seem to turn into two really- summer and winter, right?! Spring and Fall blaze by within a matter of a few weeks it always seems.
Time of day to shoot- ALWAYS GOLDEN HOUR approximately 1.5- 2 hours before the sun sets. This is hands down THE best time to shoot a session. The light is the prettiest and the chances of a beautiful sunset being in the photo is very high. It’s possible to shoot earlier in the morning or during the day but it’s not great conditions for the most flattering light unless there’s a ton of shade with enough reflective light to make it work.
Seasons to shoot a session:
Winter: Some winters we get snow and others not so much. There is something kind of romantic and interesting about shooting in the winter with the barren trees and brown grass; however, if there’s snow, it will be cold. If there’s no snow, it’s either mildly cold or just plain freezing. Either way, this is not the ideal time to shoot with small children as they cannot tolerate being outdoors in colder weather and it will lead to more temper tantrums and runny noses than you would like. If you have older kiddos and the holiday time or winter break time is the best time of year to shoot an outdoor family session, it can be quite beautiful. Snow shots are always fun but these sessions will not last long so shooting an extended family session out there this time of year is not the best idea unless you literally only want a group shot of everyone and that’s it! Two really great benefits of shooting this time of year: earlier golden hour times and NO ticks!
Spring: Ahhhh… Springtime is with the blooms and flowers. This is such a short spanned time and there’s no guarantee which weeks will be best for blooms but if you’re flexible on your timing, it can be really really beautiful! There are a few places near St. Charles, IL in the spring where the blooms come out generally the last week of April. The only downside is the weather is temperamental this time of year and rain may threaten an evening shoot and cold still passes through. It’s best to think about wearing layers when deciding on outfits. The landscape typically begins to green in early May but trees aren’t in bloom with full leaves usually until June.
Summer: Personally, this is my favorite time of year to shoot outdoor sessions. The up side, it’s all green and pretty out, the wildflowers bloom in July-early Aug., it’s warm and the kids are off school. The downside: it can be hot, there will be mosquitos, there will be ticks and we have to shoot later in the evening. The sun sets in the summer anywhere from 8pm-9pm depending on the day which means a later start time. This might not be ideal for families with smaller kids if they have earlier bed times, but sometimes we can find a location with enough trees and shade to bump it earlier and it works out.
Fall: EVERYONE wants to shoot in the fall! It’s very pretty- that is a given but it’s not always the best time to shoot a family session for a few different reasons. #1 It’s the busiest time of the year for family sessions so everyone and their photographer are at every location shooting photos, so it’s very crowded. # 2 Because it’s the busiest time of the year, you have to book your photographer months in advance #3 The weather… it’s temperamental this time of year, sometimes it’s hot like 90 degrees! And other times, it’s cold like 30’s, windy and rainy. But, some evenings are perfect. It’s hit or miss. Yes, the trees turn colors for about two weeks, yes, it’s generally cooler, and yes earlier start times due to the sun setting earlier, but once you’ve done one fall family session, you should try another season in my opinion.
Hope this little insider tip on when to shoot your upcoming outdoor family session is helpful. Now, let me know when you want a session so I can get you booked in my schedule!
