Learn The Best Time Of Day For Outdoor Photos For Your Atlanta Photo Session
Family portraits will be some of the best memories you can make. At the same time, scheduling them can be challenging, especially when you have younger kids. You are battling against naptime and mealtimes while hoping to still get some good smiles. Trust me, I get it. As an Atlanta family photographer, I spend a lot of my time helping parents decide when to plan their sessions to work around their schedules while getting the best lighting possible. If you are looking for the best time of day for outdoor photos in Atlanta, here is what I always recommend.
What is the Best Time of Day for Outdoor Photos in Atlanta?
Morning
Morning time can be really magical when you get it right for outdoor photos. You’ve probably heard of the golden hour, but the morning offers its own thing called the “blue hour.” This is going to be twilight just before the sun rises. Yes, it’s glorious, and yes, it is challenging to get everyone ready and out the door in time. If you have early risers, it might be possible. If not, you can still get some pretty gorgeous pictures earlier in the morning. By scheduling pictures before 9, you can escape the worst of the hot Atlanta weather while also missing out on the fussiness kids tend to feel as the day goes on.
Evening
Evening is the time when you can get that really luscious Golden Hour light for outdoor photos. Everything is warm and glowing, and the weather has started to cool. It’s a favorite time for pictures for a reason! In order to capture this lighting, you will want to schedule your session about an hour before true sunset (there are apps you can use to calculate this). The only issue with this time is that it can be harder during the summer when the sun starts to set around 9. Kids tend to be a little crankier, especially as you start to push back bedtime. I recommend this time during the cooler months as well as for summer sessions with older kids.
Mid-Day
Mid-day might be convenient for your schedule, but you will pay for it with your pictures. This time tends to give you really harsh lighting for outdoor photos since the light is directly above you. Plus, it gets hot during this time in Atlanta. If you need to make it work, I would recommend sticking to an indoor location.
Which Should You Choose?
So, which one is best? I always recommend Golden Hour sessions. It really is hard to beat the magical lighting during this time! By sticking with an evening session, you can beat the heat and get positively lovely pics. If you can’t make that work around your schedule, try early morning pictures or a studio session instead
I Hope You Now Know The Best Time Of Day For Outdoor Photos With Your Family
If you have been looking for the best time of day for outdoor photos, I really hope this post helped you out. Now let’s put it on the books! As an Atlanta family photographer, I love working with parents to make sure they don’t forget a single milestone. I would love to have a conversation and tell you all about my sessions so you can decide if we’re a match. Send me a message today if you would like to learn more!
