Outdoor Summer Family Session

June 2020

I love using beautiful light during outdoor photo sessions. And it’s the perfect way to maintain social distancing guidelines still in place in Northern Virginia. This family came to me for their newborn photos, and I got to photograph them again when their newborn was just beginning to toddle.

Socially distanced sessions

Even before the pandemic hit, I was already doing the compulsive hand washing routine. Working with hundreds of children every year, I didn’t want to pass on germs or get sick and cancel sessions. In addition to very strict procedures already in place, I use a lens that allows me to maintain much more than the recommended 6 ft. I wrote a post specifically about using a longer telephoto zoom outdoors to maintain further distance with photos. One of the other benefits of a longer telephoto is the gorgeous creamy backgrounds I am able to get.

Fall sessions…in the summer?

In the spring I had planned on opening my fall sessions for my newsletter subscribers first, since I was fully booked last fall. When COVID hit, I felt the most compassionate thing I could do was to hold off on that and not add stress to families. As we hear news of a possible rebound of the virus in the fall, I am encouraging all my families who desire a fall family session to take advantage of the summer window of opportunity. This way, you can ensure your family photos are checked off your list, ready for your holiday cards.

Summer evenings are a wonderful time to take photos. However, the sun sets later so parents often tweak nap times for that day. I schedule sessions for 1-2 hours before sunset. And now, while many parents are still teleworking, traffic is lighter, and sadly many activities are canceled, this may be the best time for family photos.

This cutie was definitely getting tired during the end of our session. But her parents had done such a great job following the guidelines I had sent in advance, prepped her so well, and stayed so flexible and calm during the session that she absolutely rocked her “late night” out.

Summer means outside!

While we still test out the waters of slowly reopening, I’m holding all my family sessions outdoors. Even newborn sessions can be outdoors! I book outdoor sessions with backup dates in case the weather does not cooperate. My favorite park has so many different locations to get a wide variety of different shots.

Perfectly Coordinated

The overall clothing choices make such a huge difference in photos.This family was amazing. We communicated about the clothing choices days before the session. Mom did such a great job balancing my advice with her family members’ desires. They ended up with an ensemble that really reflected their deep and rich family dynamic that coordinated together so well. She also noted that it was great having everything decided in advance. The day of the session, she could just tell her family to put on their predetermined outfits. This is so imperative because moms always leave themselves last to get ready, and I want to make sure they take care of themselves!

I get to meet so many great families like this one. Their love and affection for each other is real and it’s a privilege to document it.

Social distancing isn’t a great phrase – it’s only physical distancing, right? We can be still be social! Sign up below for my newsletter to get future tips. Contact me to book your summer photo session!

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