When Is the Best Time for Family Photos?

For my first blog post on the Dacula Patch, I thought I would answer one of the most frequently asked questions I hear: "When is the best time for family photos?"  

If you are considering getting family photos, realistically the best time to take them is right then -- schedule it while it is on your mind.  If you keep putting it off, it slips off the list and then you end up a few years down the road without family photos to remember the kids at different ages.

Don’t let the season deter you. Search a site like Pinterest and you will find some amazing family pictures in the snow as well as the heat of summer. If you want spring flowers, around here the trees started blooming in February, making for a very early spring and a great time to get photos done.  Fall is a wonderful time for photos with fall colors, but it is also unpredictable. While most years late October is the peak, the photos were actually better in early to mid-November last
year. Fall also books up faster than any other season, making it harder to get the photographer you want.

You may also want to ask yourself a few questions to find the best time for you to have your session.

First, is there something you want to commemorate or remember?  Examples include a First Communion, a birthday or even a lost tooth.  All of these are great reasons to have photos taken.

Second, are you going on vacation with extended family at any point? We used a beach vacation to get pictures of not just our family, but also cousins and my favorite -- a picture of grandparents with their grandkids. 

Last, are you going to want to use these photos for a Christmas card?  Everyone has different views on Christmas cards. I’ve seen some wonderful cards using summer beach photos, but I also know families who like to use a photo from the late fall dressed in seasonal attire. Decide which suits your family best if you want to use them for your card.

Regardless of when you decide the time is right for your photos, remember to call early as photographers often book up months in advance.

Have any questions about when might be right for you? Have any photography questions you want me to answer on this blog?  Feel free to email me at Kelly@amerinephoto.com.