Tips for Summer Photography Sessions to Capture Moments

Summertime is often peak travel season for many of us, especially those with kids and school schedules. Summertime weather is ideal in many locations worldwide! Summer heat, humidity, crowds, and more mean some seasonal quirks that are helpful to know and navigate to make your summer photo shoot a success rather than a season of summertime sadness. In this guide, we explore 10 essential tips for summer photography sessions, ensuring your images reflect the beauty and joy of the season.

Looking for the perfect tips and photography captions to enhance your summer photography sessions? Call on Arvin! Arvin is a free AI tool that can help you deal with all kinds of questions.

Don’t miss: 400+ Top Photography Hashtags to Increase Your Presence

Aim for Golden Hour

The golden hour is the time right after sunrise and right before sunset when the sun is low and the light is soft. This is the ideal time for photos! Right now golden hour is about 7 AM and 7 PM. The closer you can get to these times the better, however you can take photos at anytime. If those times are too hard for your family don’y worry there are still plenty of shady spots for photos at anytime of day.

Shoot During the Evening

Summer photography tips and ideasI’m an absolute sucker for beautiful evening light, especially when it’s combined with artificial lighting! In the summer, the sun sets late in the day, but if you’re willing to stay out late, the rewards can be tremendous.

While the daytime – and especially the golden hours – offer fantastic opportunities for summer photography, there’s something special about waiting for the sun to dip below the horizon.

You see, just after sunset, we enter the enchanting realm known as the blue hour. During this time, a soft, ethereal light covers the world, creating a captivating atmosphere that can elevate your portraits, landscapes, street photos, and more. If you’ve never shot during the blue hour before, then trust me when I say that you’ve got to try it at least once; the light really is so magical.

Dress for the Heat

Dresses or short sleeves shirts are a must when it comes to summer photos. Light colors can also make a huge difference when it comes to beating the heat. Comfortable kids are happy kids. Make sure your kids are comfortable in their outfits. Try on everyone’s outfits before the session and make sure they fit well and cut out any itchy tags. This can help relieve a lot of stress when it comes to the day of your session as well! You can rest easy knowing everyones outfit is going to fit and look great.

Bring Water Bottles and Sunscreen

Pictures are more tiring than they seem. Make sure you have water for the kids to stay hydrated and happy. Avoid juices that could split and stain outfits and save the snacks till after the shoot.

Even though you won’t be in the sun long apply sunscreen before your outdoor session to avoid red cheeks and cranky kiddos.

Plan a Fun Summer Activity for after Photos

Planning a trip to the splash pad or stopping for snow cones after pictures can help motivate kids to stay focused during your photo session. When kids have something they are earning they are more likely to be good listeners during the photo session and can make the experience more enjoyable for them!

Hide from the Bright Sun

If you’re doing a solo shoot, or even a partner, friend, or another shoot as a duo, shooting in the bright sun is still possible if you’re willing to be creative and lean into the harsh light. But when pushing past two people and for those who are more sensitive to sunny skies, we recommend finding a location with ample shade. Shading is found under or near walls, buildings, trees, natural structures, overhangs, and more! Especially for close-up shots, utilize shade and hide from the bright sunlight to achieve better photos on sunny days.

Pro photography tip: harsh sunlight will blow out surrounding colours no matter what camera settings are used. Even consistent lighting is difficult to nail at midday when the sun is shining since the sun is the ultimate light source. This means even if you’re in the shade and your face is evenly lit, the background will not be visible because the sun will blow out the background.

Don’t Look at the Camera

When it comes to beautiful, natural, flattering photos that emit emotion, think less about smiling into the camera because candid shots are always better! Oftentimes, we feel super awkward avoiding the camera. Part of your Flytographer editing process is to select the most flattering, memorable pictures. That will include you (and your favourite people) looking super cool, at ease, and natural. Your photographer will ask you to adjust or smile for the camera, but don’t be afraid to look away! It’s often a lot more comfortable to look at your partner, family member, friend, or anyone not behind the camera, so fear not—you’ve got this!

Shoot Fireflies at Night

Fireflies are a classic summer insect, but they can be hard to photograph – unless you know a handy little technique.

You see, to photograph fireflies, you shouldn’t try to capture individual insects. Instead, you should use a long exposure to photograph many fireflies over a few minutes (or hours).

So mount your camera on a tripod and point it toward a firefly hangout spot. Set the camera to Bulb mode (if your camera offers it). Then choose a lengthy shutter speed, one that will give the fireflies plenty of time to flit around the area. You might start at five minutes, but you can always increase or decrease the shutter speed depending on your results.

Play around with Different Focal Lengths

The summer is a great time to enjoy the outdoors, and it’s also a great time to explore different lenses.

Start by thinking about the lenses you used most frequently over the previous year. Then – and I know that this will be hard to do! – make a conscious effort to leave them at home. Instead, bring out your neglected lenses, the ones that sit on the shelf and rarely get much camera time.

Challenge yourself to take great photos with these neglected lenses. Put them in your bag, mount them on your camera, and see what you can come up with.

Enjoy Some Silhouette Photography

Silhouettes never fail to grab the viewer’s attention – and if you can learn how to combine a silhouette effect with careful composition, your images will be breathtaking.

Also, when shooting silhouettes, make sure you expose for the background. That way, your foreground subject will turn out ultra-dark, while the sky will look wonderfully vibrant. And don’t hesitate to click away, experimenting with different angles and adjusting the brightness levels until you achieve that magical balance.

You can start by capturing stunning silhouette portraits, but don’t limit yourself. Let your creativity run wild! Try creating enchanting silhouettes of buildings, wildlife, people strolling down the streets, and more.

Conclusion

Summer is a wonderful time to get out and photograph.  Whether you are on vacation, with family, or just enjoying this beautiful season, make time to capture all the fun going on around you! It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out with a camera in hand; these tips for summer photography sessions should help anyone who wants to capture the essence of summer through their lens.

Whether you need guidance on composition, lighting, or clever captions to capture the essence of your summer moments, just let Arvin know!

FAQs