When and Where to Capture the Best Photos

Hiring a photographer to capture precious moments with your family is a big decision. Most of us don't do it all that often, so when the time comes, we want to make sure we choose our setting carefully. Usually the photographer you hire will have some ideas about where and when to take the photos, but it helps if you know what you are looking for. These tips should also help you get some great photos of your own family on the days when you are in charge of the photos!

Many clients think a bright sunny day should be ideal for photos, and get disheartened if the weather is predicted to be cloudy or overcast. In fact, that couldn't be further from the truth! My very favorite days for photos are overcast days, because the clouds diffuse the light beautifully, making for a soft, even light over my subjects. I don't have to worry about blotchy sun splotches or harsh shadows - we can run around anywhere and capture great photos.

An overcast day in an open field.

If the forecast is clear, the best time of day to shoot is either early in the morning or late in the day, so that the sun is less direct. Another option is to find open shade. Open shade means any nice, even area of shade where the light still gets in from the sides. At noon this can be hard to find, as the light is coming straight down. At other times of day, though, you can find this by the side of a building, in the shadow of a hill, or under a tree. Beware of trees - their leaves sometimes let the light peek through and you get "hot spots" on your subject. You want to find a nice solid area of shade so that doesn't happen.

Photo taken during the late afternoon at Almaden Meadows Park. The sun is behind a hill, creating lots of open shade.

Since many of my photo sessions take place during the day, I'm always looking for areas which allow me to use open shade and still have a nice background for my photos. The photo above was shot at Almaden Meadows Park. I particularly love this park late in the day, as the sun sets behind the hill and the golden light is gorgeous. Earlier in the afternoon, there are areas where nice even shade can be found as well.

Picchetti Winery in Cupertino is another great location, with a variety of settings. The wall of the barn makes great open shade when you need it.

Picchetti Winery

One thing that separates professional looking portraits from snapshots is that they tend to have a shallow depth of field. That means the subject is in focus, while the background is blurry. The further your subject is from the background, the blurrier the background can be. So by choosing a location that is big, this becomes easier to achieve. 

The distant background is nice and blurry.

Sometimes the perfect photo can happen in a small space, too. If you have a favorite park or a cute backyard, as long as there is some shade (or we shoot early or late) we can get great results.

A cake smash birthday celebration in this little sweetheart's backyard.

So, to sum all this up: 

1. Take the time of day and the weather forecast into account. You'll have more options on overcast or cloudy days, and earlier or later in the day tend to work better as well.

2. Select an area with plenty of open shade. The closer to mid-day you are shooting, the more crucial this is.

3. Wide open spaces are good. This is particularly important if you are a group of people; I can get a nice shallow depth of field pretty much anywhere if I am only shooting one or two people. A bigger area also means it is easier to avoid things like cars (on the neighboring street) or random picnickers in your photo.

4. Small cozy spaces are good. As long as there is some shade and the time of day is considered, we can get great shots just about anywhere. Sometimes the best place is your very own backyard!