Winter family session tips for a successful outdoor session| St. Louis Family Photographer

5 tips for a successful outdoor winter family session.

We all know that fall in St. Louis is the prime time for family photos. The fall colors and temps come together for the most perfect combination for your photos. This year my fall calendar was completely booked by July! Since I was booked, I had to turn away a lot of families or offer other options. A lot of my clients scheduled themselves for a spring or fall session in 2021. To my surprise, I had quite a few families book their winter family session outdoors this year. I am just so excited about it. I am hoping to provide you with a few tips to make your winter family session during cold temperatures less stressful and more fun!

1. Dress for the weather!

This is probably the most obvious for your winter family session yet the most important tip, dress your kids WARM! A warm kid is a happy kid. I always suggest using this time of year to really play up layers and textures, it adds so much to your photos. Think cute hats, jackets, boots, sweaters, thicker fabric clothing,…I would even suggest putting an extra layer of clothing for some added warmth. I also have an amazing styling site that includes a client closet that my families have access to. They can use these to get their family fully styled for their session. Plus, I am always here to help!

2. Allow some flexibility to your schedule for your session

The great thing about booking a winter family session is that most photographers are not as busy as the fall season. I always tell my clients to give a little flexibility with the start time and date of their session in the winter. For winter sessions, I really, really, really want that golden light. Since everything is dead, that light adds a little something to your images. I suggest my clients plan to be able to move their weekend session to either day depending on the best weather day. I also tell them to leave flexibility with the start time. Winter weather can change so quickly, especially in St. Louis! Giving yourself a hour or so wiggle room with sunset helps on those cloudy days.

3. Location matters for a winter family session

During the winter months, location matters even more! Trust your photographer on this. For my winter sessions, I look for locations with great sunset light that I can hopefully filter a bit and has open skies. In the winter it tends to get cloudy quickly. I like having locations with big open skies that it easier to shoot in no matter the conditions. I also want locations with texture this time of year. This usually means a dead field that has that beautiful golden tone, large pine trees, or some evergreens. I have a couple locations that have all of these! Choosing the right locations can bring so much life into your winter family photos.

4. Be ready to move and cuddle during your winter family session!

If you have had a session with me, then you already know I love to move around! With a winter session I do this even more! We all know moving around gets our bodies warmer and distracts us from how cold it is. This works great with little kids, especially those who will play games. Having my clients move around gets everyone warmed up and then ready to cuddle. Heading to the blanket for a giant cuddle is a sure way to keep everyone happy during our session. The locations I choose lead the way for winter exploring, fun mini adventures, and staying warm together under a beautiful blanket during our time together.

5. Know your family

I will say straight up, cold weather sessions are not for every family. My number one suggestion would be to know your family’s limitations. If you are a family that does not spend a lot of time outdoors in winter, this will not be a great option for you. Kids that enjoy being outdoors during the winter months or who are generally laid back tend to do well for these sessions. I do think a winter session can be a beautiful change of pace from other times of year for the right family.

If you’re up for a winter session, I’d love to chat!

-Angie