5 Reasons Why Summer is the BEST Time for Family Portraits
A lot of families will wait until November to do their holiday card photos. But just because that’s the norm, doesn’t mean there isn’t a better way. In fact, I absolutely love having clients come in during the summer to take care of Christmas card photos with a Studio photo session. Because we do the portraits in a Studio setting, nobody will ever know that you didn’t just get them done in the fall.. and there are several really great benefits with doing things this way, too…
1. Things are a lot less hectic
The summer is so much more relaxed than any other season. Once the kids start school in the fall, parents find themselves once again over-committed to activities. Sports start up again, school meetings, and getting ready for Christmas/Hanukkah are all things we often have to work around. Parents tend to get overwhelmed during the fall months, which is why summer works so well. Aside from July 4th and Father’s Day, there aren’t any major holidays. You can enjoy a slower pace, longer days, and actual sunshine.
2. Schedules are a lot more open
Sure, families definitely travel more during the summer, but the weeks when they’re not traveling, the weekends tend to be pretty open. And hey, my schedule is a lot more open too, because a lot of families wait until the last minute (November, and even December) to schedule their holiday family portraits. So if you get yours done in July or August, you’re not only beating the crowds, but also will probably have your pick of weekend dates.
3. Everyone is tanned
There’s a reason why fake tanning is such a huge industry - everyone looks better with a healthy summer glow. And guess what? In the summer, you and your children will be naturally tanned just from being outside! This looks amazing in photographs. So schedule your photoshoot right after a vacation, or head to the beach a few times to soak up the rays. Just remember to apply sunscreen so you don’t get burned, and enjoy a beautiful tanned look in your portraits!
4. Everyone is well rested
Summer often means having the ability to sleep in a bit.. both for the parents and for the kids. With schools starting so early in the morning (my son’s bus picks him up at 7:20am!!), we tend to be on a pretty crazy schedule. But in the summer, camps typically start around 8:30am or 9am, which means everyone is probably getting a lot more rest as a result.
5. It feels so good to not have to worry about it in the fall
It feels like every fall things get more and more hectic. Holidays tend to be close together, with long to-do lists, and seemingly no time to do anything with all the family obligations. Being able to get one of these important to-do items (get family portraits for holiday card) off your list before fall even starts is the best feeling! This means more time to devote to getting everyone else done, not waiting until the last minute, and sparing yourself a whole lot of stress during a time when you’re supposed to enjoy being with your family.
Bonus #6 Reason: Less sickness going around!
Somehow the cold and flu season starts earlier and ends later every year. And it’s never a good situation when you have a reschedule your photo session because your child suddenly comes down with a bad cold or the flu. The summer, thankfully, has none of that! I still stand by my no-hassle rescheduling policy, so if you do need to reschedule, it’s never an issue.. BUT, with a summer family session, you’ll never end up in a situation where you’re trying to squeeze the photoshoot in at the last minute because the original date didn’t work out. We have more time (after all, there’s easy-going September right after the summer) and there’s definitely less sickness to interfere with your plans!
Every year, there is a huge rush right before Christmas and Hanukkah to get family photos done. It’s never fun, because it is so hurried. And it puts more stress on parents and children during a time of the year when nobody needs it. So if you haven’t thought about getting your photos done a little earlier this year, I urge you to consider it. But don’t wait until the last moment during the summer, either. Family sessions are typically booked 1-2 months in advance, so reach out as soon as you think this might be a good idea so we can reserve the best date for your family. Just email info@nlalorphotography.com and we’ll go from there!
