Early morningEarly morning is typically a good time for a session. For outdoor, natural light sessions, we’re looking for that soft, diffuse light that occurs when the sun is still low in the sky. This light creates pockets of shade to shoot in as well as the opportunity for backlighting. Its generally best to start as eaearly in the morning, as we can. Anytime after sunrise will work, but of course many people aren’t ready for a session quite that early in the morning, particularly if they have young children. I generally start morning sessions between 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. on the weekends and you can expect the session to last approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Morning sessions are ideal for young babies who tend to get crankier as the day wears on.

NewboNewborn sessions are held exclusively on weekday mornings and generally start around 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. depending on the location. Newborn sessions tend to be loger than other sessions, usually lasting 2-3 hours, which is why its also best to start them early in the day.

Choosing a session time rarely gets as much as attention as choosing the location, but it should. In photography, lighting is everything and the time of day makes a big difference.

Late afternoonLater afternoons, once the harsh, overhead mid-day sun, has abated, are also a good choice for a session. The light is warmer than in the morning, but still soft and attering and pockets of shade again start to appear. The times for these sessions will vary based on the time of year, but they’ll genegenerally be after 2:00 or 3:00 p.m. You can expect the session to last approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

The Golden HourAn extension of the late afternoon timeframe, the golden hour is that last hour or so before sunset. The light is soft, warm and gorgeous - my favorite time to shoot! Once again, the sun is low in the sky creating a lovely glow and lots of shade. The times for these sessions wil vary throughout the yyear, changing with the sunset times and jumping when daylight saving time starts and ends. In the winter, golden hour sessions start arund 3:30 p.m. In the peak of summer they start at 6:30 p.m. You can expect the session to last approximately 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Please note, golden hour sessions are more vulnerable thanother sessions to light-affecting weather, such as very oovercast days. In this case we will stay in touch and may need to move your session forward to avoid losing the light too soon.

Other considerationsWhile lighting is certainly an important consideration, as any parent knows, there are other considerations as well: nap times, bed times, feeding times, etc. Your child’s (or children’s)schedule is crucial to the success of the session as well. If you have any concerns about how your child’s schedule will mesh with our session please let me with our session please let me know so we can work together to come up with the most advantageous sesion time. Children that are well-fed and well-rested will do better at any session.

choosing your session time