When’s the best time of year to do your photoshoot? Well surprise, surprise, there’s no best time to shoot. There are pros and cons to shooting in every season and different factors that may sway you one way or another. Keep reading to learn about shooting in each season.

Spring

With spring comes some beautiful colors, flowers, and greenery, but “April showers bring May flowers.” Clients should be prepared for unpredictable weather and potential reschedules. It’s also a very busy season for photographers, so book early if you want a spring shoot. If there’s a certain location or even flower (homies love the tulips) that you’re wanting to shoot with, do some research to see if it’s gonna look how you want during the time you book. You can also ask your photographer! I’m by no means an expert on plant growth patterns in Kansas, but I usually have a good idea of what things look like when.

Things to Note

-Most things don’t start to turn green until the end of March

-Pear trees usually bloom the last couple weeks of March

-Tulips usually start to bloom early April

-Everything won’t be green until mid April

Summer

Summertime is awesome because everything is bright and green and fresh and there’s just something about those Kansas summer sunsets. It’s usually a little less busy for photographers so you’ll have better options for photoshoot dates. However, with the sun, comes sweat, and sometimes shooting in 95+ degree weather can be pretty uncomfortable.

Things to Note

-Nights are longer so there’s a lot more options for shoot times

-Keep cold water in the car during hot shoots so you can cool down

-Bring paper towels, face powder, and deodorant to keep sweat to minimum

-Zinnias usually bloom mid July to late September

-Sunflowers usually bloom in August

Fall

Fall is easily the busiest season for photographers because of the beautiful weather and fall colors, and it’s full of weddings, Christmas card photos, and senior sessions. Fall is definitely a season you’ll want to book early for.

Things to Note

-Leaves usually start to turn colors in October

-Max fall color usually occurs at the end of October

-Most leaves have fallen by mid November (and then everything is kind of brown and gray and icky)

Winter

Honestly considered not even including a winter section lol. Truth be told, I rarely shoot during the winter unless it’s a studio shoot. Usually, I end up blocking most of December, January, and February off from my calendar because A) I use the first half of that time as kind of a holiday break and the second half as an administrative period to do taxes and get caught up on a bunch of backend business stuff B) It’s too cold C) No one usually wants to shoot in that time anyways. However, I’m always up for a photoshoot, so if you wanted to do a snowy shoot or couldn’t wait for spring to do a shoot, ask for my winter availability!

Things to Note

-If you want to do a winter shoot, dress for the weather. If you’re uncomfortable, you’ll be able to see that in your photos.

-Unless you’re doing a snow shoot, I recommend choosing an urban location in the winter because dead gray trees are not a fun background lol

-Inside is always an option! I always have studio availability and I even have a couple indoor locations in my back pocket that work year round. My favorite is the greenhouse at Botanica :)

-Keep reading to see my weather reschedule policy

Weather Reschedules

I feel like one of the questions I hear the most from clients when planning shoots is, “What if we have to reschedule for the weather?” Weather reschedules are of course free because unfortunately neither me or my clients can control the weather, although I wish we could. Clients should keep in mind the weather risks of the season they’re booking in, so they can be prepared for potential reschedules (yes, sometimes it’s multiple because Kansas sucks). Here are the weather conditions that will lead to a reschedule:

-If it’s over 100 degrees at the start of the shoot.

-If it’s supposed to be below 32 degrees at any point during the shoot.

-Extreme wind

-For rain, I’m a little pickier. If it’s predicted to rain or be drizzly for a portion of a shoot, I will do my best to move our start time around so we can avoid the rain. If it’s predicted to rain the whole time, I will usually go ahead and reschedule.

I almost always try to wait until the day of the photoshoot to make a decision about rescheduling because the weather predictions change all the time. I will not reschedule for gray skies or cloudy weather, and if a client wants to reschedule for this reason, they may be required to pay a reschedule fee.

These reschedule policies are for the safety and comfort of my clients, myself, and my equipment. If you have any questions about rescheduling or weather, never hesitate to ask.

Take all of this information with a grain of salt because these are the seasonal tendencies in Kansas, and as we Kansans know, the weather here is kind of wack. Sometimes we have super mild winters and that means that flowers tend to bloom earlier. If we have an especially dry summer, fall isn’t nearly as colorful and leaves fall sooner. Be flexible and never hesitate to ask if you have questions.