It’s no secret that August, September, and October are the busiest months of the year in the greater Seattle area for family photographs. August happens to be the warmest and driest month of the year, with September also pretty warm and dry and then of course, October we start seeing a lot of Fall colors and if you time it right, you can get some great colors and great weather. But Fall is always a bit of a gamble here in the Pacific Northwest. And with late summer signaling the start of a new school year and all of the busy preparations for that, I wanted to take a moment to highlight one of my favorite times of year to head outdoors for family photographs: Spring!

Here are a few of the best reasons to have your next family portrait session in April, May, or June:

With everything in full, fresh bloom, it is absolutely beautiful out there in the Spring! Imagine frolicking among the daisies, or wearing something colorful that really pops against a painterly backdrop of green grass and trees… In Spring, there are no dusty, parched fields full of dead, trampled grass, no lingering wildfire smoke or haze, no dried up lakes, ponds, or riverbeds… No, in Spring, everything is refreshingly new. Flowers are in bloom, the air is clear, and the beautiful green bounty makes for a very scenic and less distracting backdrop.  And besides, green is what we’re known for around here! 🙂

Another great reason to book that family session for Spring is because it is way less busy! You don’t have to book 3-4 months in advance and you don’t have to worry about arriving at your family session only to see 10 other photography sessions going on just a few feet away and there are tons of people everywhere. I like to choose locations where we’ll have more privacy, but even so, there’s no denying that July through September are crowded times for sure at our parks. And if it is going to rain, we’ll reschedule! So weather really isn’t much of an issue because I usually have plenty of availability for April, May, and even into June weekends to ensure we get a good (dry) day for your family! On the other hand, waiting until October is risky because sometimes every weekend ends up being cold and wet that time of year.

So if you’ve just always done family photographs in the Summer or Fall just because, maybe this year (or next), consider having them in the Spring instead for a completely different and beautiful new look, with more greenery, wildflowers, and less crowds. 🙂

Early Spring (usually late March or early April) is the best time to get images with the cherry blossoms:

Golden hour lighting happens all year long – you just have to be out near sunset on a sunny day and know how to capture it! That adorable face!