Why Summer Family Photos in Portland Are Better Than Fall

Portland Summer Family Photos

Been planning your fall family photos? There’s a reason why summer is best (at least here in Portland), read on!

I’m not quite sure why the entire world is obsessed with getting their family photos done in the fall when all of the best weather is actually in the summer. Especially because we live here in Portland, Oregon where the fall is typically rainy and full of mud. But I know that it may take some work to convince you that summer is best, especially when it’s been drilled into your head that fall is the time for family photos. So here is a wonderful list of all the reasons why you should book your family photos in the summer this year!

It’s SUNNY in the summer!

Seriously, if you’ve seen my work then you know that the sun is my best friend. It’s almost like another subject in my photos. You may not know it at the time, but there will definitely be a photo bomber in your family photos and it is the sun!

In the summer you have a very, very high chance that the sun will come out to play with us. And that reason alone should be enough to convince you to book your photos in the summer, but if it’s not then keep reading. 

The warm summer weather

I book sessions at the very end of the day, within the last 1 to 2 hours before the sun goes down. By that time, the temperature has gone down a bit so even if it’s a pretty hot day, it’s not quite as bad at that point. 

When it’s warmer out, you are free to wear dresses and have the kids in cute little rompers or pinafores and it looks beautiful. You don’t have to cover up all of your skin with long sleeves and jackets like you do in the fall. 

Kids are also much happier when they are not freezing. If you wait until the fall, you never know what the weather will do and if the temperature drops, then your kids may get too cold to truly enjoy the session. 

Free schedules make it easier to book your family photos

Obviously you will have to plan around all of the camping trips you will be most likely taking this summer, but it’s much easier to book a midweek photo session in the summer because the kids are not in school so they don’t need to go to bed early. Yes, sunset is much later in the summer, usually around 8 or 9 pm. But if you plan ahead of time then it should be pretty easy to change your kids’ sleeping schedules for a week or so if needed. 

Less green!

OK, I know this sounds weird, right? Why wouldn’t we want green in our photos? Well don’t worry, you will still have green but this is the PNW and sometimes the green can be a bit too much. But in the summer the green is not quite so bright and overwhelming. Sometimes too much green can cast onto faces, so I actually really like locations that have more brown grass and dirt but still with green trees surrounding. And for a color scheme, this actually looks amazing. I love warm tones so having a lot of brown around you is extremely beautiful.

So are you convinced? 

Is summer the new fall when it comes to booking your family photos, especially here in Portland?

Let me know in the comments if you’ve come around to my way of thinking or if you’re a die hard fall photo fan.