Outdoor Summer Portrait Sessions

Summertime has the most beautiful light and long days. Which means there are a lot more hours to shoot outside during the day time! The longer beautifully lit hours that start earlier and end later means that there is more opportunity to schedule shoots at either end of a workday and into the evening.  

If it’s time for a refreshed set of images of yourself to show your clients and audience (and family!) who you are and what you’re up to then this is for you. I’ve pulled out 3 things to bear in mind if you’re thinking about doing an outdoors portrait photography session. 

1. Location

If you already have a location in mind that you absolutely need to get photos of you at, skip to the next section! 

And if you don’t, consider which of these word groups speaks most to your personality and resonates with you:

• Urban, clean lines, earthy colours

• Nature, trees, green

• Coastal, beach, sea, waves

• Bright colours, geometric shapes, art

• Glass, glossy, design-centric

• City, bustle, lights

Depending on the portrait session length you book, I suggest you choose the one that stands out to you the most as being aligned with who you are and your values. 

If you are doing a longer portrait session there are plenty of locations that combine a few of these elements together to allow you to get a variety of shots. 

(If you’re based in Vancouver and looking for suggestions of places that speak to any of the above word groups I’ve got lots of ideas so reach out to connect!)

2. What to wear

First rule of thumb - wear something that you feel truly great in. Wearing an outfit that you love will allow you to feel comfortable and confident during the shoot which is the most important thing!

Pattern and colourwise - again, go with what speaks to your personality. I suggest against wearing clothing with thin stripes or small dots as they can be confusing and a bit messy to look at in the finished photo. 

Accessories - are there any small pieces that you can add into any of the photos? Necklaces, neckties, scarfs, pocket squares, pins, hat pins, a special belt buckle are a few examples. 

And a final important touch - make sure your clothes are clean and ironed! 

3. What to bring

The rule of thumb here is to bring as little as possible to your portrait session! If you’re outdoors you’ll likely be moving around a little bit so my suggestion is to bring nothing more than 1 bag of essential items. 

If you have a longer session and you’re going for a few looks bring your change of outfit.

Finally…don’t forget a bottle of water to keep your hydration high!

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Vancouver based and after a portrait session?

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