What's the best time for an outdoor family photoshoot?

The perfect timing for outdoor family sessions completely depends on the photographers style. For me, I love the golden glow from a beautiful sunset. I also love intense back light and artistic sun flares (as you can see in the image above). Therefore, I have very specific times in which I like to schedule outdoor sessions. Here’s why.

Everybody loves golden hour.

My favourite time for outdoor family sessions is golden hour. It’s the best. Period.

Golden hour is 60-90 minutes before sunset. It’s the time of the day that creates a beautiful golden glow. Even on cloudy days, it still keeps exposure even and adds a little pop to the photos. It’s part of my artistic style to shoot during this time and will always be my first choice for outdoor sessions.

Another options is the early morning light.

When golden hour timing doesn’t work, I will offer the morning as an alternative. Some families have early risers so this timing works best for them.

For morning sessions, I aim for 30-60 minutes after sunrise. Sometimes we can get a golden glow depending on the timing of the sunrise but for the most part, the light is soft and warm. If you start too late into the morning, then the light will become harsh and shadowy. So the timing is very important. This time is also best in locations with lots of trees, which help diffuse the light.

Always consider the time of year.

Both of these times are dependent on the sunrise and sunset, which really means the time of the year for your session is important.

Sunrise is very early and sunset is very late in the summer - so if you have little ones who don’t do well with skipping bed time or partners who don’t love waking up with the sun, I would avoid booking a summer session.

This is part of the reason fall is such a popular time for photos. People often think it is because of the bold colours (which sometimes it is) but it’s also all about timing. Both sunrise and sunsets sessions take place at reasonable times, which makes it much easy to plan around!

So be sure to consider the time of year when booking your next photoshoot. And if it matters to you, book in advance so you can get the timing you prefer!

Here are some other reasons why you should always book your family photos in advance!