Recently I had a mama ask me what time of day to book for family portraits outside, so let’s chat about it!
The Simple Answer - GOLDEN HOUR!!
The simple, straightforward answer is during what photographers call “golden hour”. It’s the time of day 1-2 hours before sunset and after sunrise where the sun is fairly low in the sky, it’s broken the horizon and it casts a beautiful glow on the earth.
When the sun rises too high in the sky as found later in the day it creates harsh shadows on your face which is why many photographers when shooting portraits outside will avoid this time of day.
Take a look at some examples of portraits taken outside during golden hour!
On this day there was very little cloud coverage so it was quite golden after sunrise.
On this day there was quite a bit of cloud coverage which resulted in a slight overcast morning so the golden light isn’t quite as strong.
Other Factors We Consider:
Type of Weather
The type of weather does play an influencing factor in the timing process.
You’re trying to avoid those harsh lines from the sun so on overcast days the lighting is quite even and you don’t encounter those same harsh lines as you would if you were to shoot at the same time of day the next day but in direct sun.
So, on overcast days you could photograph later in the day.
Take for example these examples of photos. The first row was taken around 10:30 in the morning and the second row was taken around 2:00 in the afternoon. Generally, on sunny days I would avoid this time of day because the sun is very high in the sky and we would get those really harsh shadows but on this day it was overcast so we had nice even lighting. It also helped that we were photographing at a beach so the sand acted as a natural reflector to lighten some of those shadows you do get.
Weather in the Okanagan
I was born and raised here in the Okanagan. Out of the almost 28 years that I’ve been walking this earth, 26 have been in Kelowna.
The fall and winter is full of overcast days with the fall spotting more and more sunnier days. The spring is a mix bag of days - one week you’ll have pure hot, sunshine from day break to the end. The next week you’ll encounter dark, rainy days. Then you have the combination days where it pours in the morning but sunshine in the afternoon.
Summer is where I find the weather gets a little more consistent. Spring is spotted with confusing weather patterns but summer is when the days are long and beautiful. Sunshine far outweighs the rainy days.
One caveat, however, is…smoke in the summer.
The Okanagan is susceptible to smoke from wildfire season. Being a valley the smoke tends to sit and settle unless wind or rain dampens it.
I do like to look for the silver lining and although a heavy smoke day is not ideal because we have beautiful mountains and lakes but when the smoke lightens it can create at atmospheric effect to the portraits that are quite beautiful.
Your Tiny One
I have an almost one year old and when she was about 10.5 months I did a set of portraits for my dad that featured my mom and her mom (my grandma). We aimed to meet for 8:00-8:30 in the morning. It was very difficult getting us out the door that early and she wasn’t very happy during her portraits (except when she was on the swings or the slide).
Her happiest time is typically after her first nap or second nap but not in the morning.
Knowing this I understand that getting out for golden hour in the morning or staying out late for golden hour before sunset is tricky sometimes.
I also understand that when you’re trying to work your day around your tiny one’s nap schedules it can get really difficult.
We have to do what’s best for your family and your tiny one so if portraits in the middle of the day is what is required then we’ll make it work. Maybe we’ll look for a location that offers some open shade, maybe we’ll reschedule the photoshoot for a day that offers more overcast than sunny.
I want to make the family portrait experience fun for you and your tiny one so coordinating a time that is best for you and your family is important!
Don’t worry if this is a lot to consider! The quickest way to figure out what time of day for your family portraits is to ask your photographer and work with them.
I hope you found this article helpful in your search for answering what time of day should I book a family portrait session outside!
If you’re curious about booking me for a family photo session please send me an email at robynnemacleod@gmail.com. I’d love to answer any and all questions you may have.
Kelowna Family Photographer
I’m a Kelowna Family Photographer. My mission to you is to document your motherhood and create treasurable memories for yourself and your kids. To get in touch about all things motherhood and family photography head to my contact page!