Baby it’s cold outside! While I’m definitely not shooting in “feels like” -41 this week, winter sessions are a fun part of your family memories and I love shooting outside with a beautiful blanket of white snow as a backdrop, especially wen you throw in the yummy hoar frost… magical. So in preparing for these colder weather photo shoots, I’ve put together a little cheat sheet to help you prepare for your family photos!
Here are my 5 best tips for preparing for your Calgary/Canmore/Mountain winter session!
- Bundle bundle bundle layers layers layers – I cannot stress this enough, I love a good set of layers on a warm day, that added texture of layers add so much interest to photos. In the cold weather they serve to accomplish STYLE as well as WARMTH! Don’t be afraid to layer scarfs, cute toques and even mittens during your session. Winter boots can look warm AND stylish when done right.
- Be prepared – bring extra clothing choices and or/blankets outside of your go to outfit in case someone gets wet, or cold. Hand warmers, hot chocolate and mugs to warm up partway through are also a great idea (and a great photo op!)
- Don’t be afraid to get silly! Make a snowman with your kids, have a snowball fight, throw snow up in the air and close your eyes while it falls in front of your face in a magical winter wonderland moment. Blow a handful of snow in the direction of the camera – trust me this always turns out great!
- Choose outfits that have colour and pop! We don’t want you to blend in with the snow or each other, choose 2-3 colours and a neutral, grey, cream, even denim is considered a neutral in my books! You want your family to pop from your background. Of course I love a fresh white dress against a white background for a whimsical look from time to time, but there’s a time and place for that!
- Have fun! Be mentally prepared for a little chill, but knowing there’s magic in embracing the beauty around us in the winter, those snow capped mountains, the hoar frost on the trees, the fresh blanket of white that creates a gorgeous fresh backdrop for your family to stand in. Maybe we will even luck out with a warm sunny day after a fresh snowfall!
