The time is (finally) here where the cold winter temperatures melt away and warmer spring weather swarms the area. With the warmer, longer days also comes lots of eager people ready to be outside and soak up the vitamin D from the sun. These conditions make it perfect for photographers and models to head back out there and shoot away. Usually, as soon as temperatures hit above 50 degrees, we start seeing an influx of photo shoots all over the area. This phenomena is commonly referred to as spring portraits.

The photography sessions can vary in variety and include but are not limited to: single portraits, couples, engagements, family, and of course, high school senior portraits. In fact, many believe it is the end of the high school year that ends the spring portraits time frame and transitions into summer photos. With such a high increase in photo sessions, this means you might run into other photographers and the location you picked might be taken. Reserving time spots at private locations can help avoid this situation but it also is an extra cost for you to consider. Obviously, the busiest times will be sunsets so if you know the location is a popular spot in town then try to work around this. Some people prefer to wake up for the sunrise golden hour to avoid the sunset congestion.

One of the benefits of spring portraits is the weather. Depending on the time and date, you might get some cooler weather towards the end of the day. This gives the model options for clothing such as a short sleeve or sleeveless earlier in the day when it’s warmer and then a change of outfits for the evening shots once temperatures drop a little bit. The change in outfits means a different look to the images which gives the model more pictures and the photographer more photos to work with. Depending on how drastic the outfit change is, it could even look like a whole separate photo shoot. Another benefit of the weather is you will have cooler and warmer days to pick for specific photo sessions. Now, of course, this is all very subjective depending on where you live as spring in Chicago, Illinois and spring in Bangkok, Thailand are not the same thing.

Spring time also produces some very nice and colorful sunsets during the golden hour which is a huge benefit for natural light photography. Now, we won’t get into the ‘natural light versus strobes’ debate here (at least not now) but it is definitely an aesthetic that some people prefer – and that goes for models and photographers. Of course, this same benefit works in favor for artificial light photography as strobes and flashes can be used give a certain look and feel to the images. Nonetheless, spring portraits are always fun. Let’s be honest, who doesn’t like to update their portfolio?

Some of our most used spring portraits equipment:
Camera: Canon Rebel T6i
Lens: Canon 70-200 f2.8
Lens: Tamron 18-270mm
Lens: Canon 50mm f1.8
Monopod: Altura 62″ monopod
Flash: Neewer Speedlite
Reflector: 5-in-1 Oval 60×80