Being prepared for a shoot: the weather

When is a good time of year to take photographs?

The answer, really, is any season.  Sure there are pros and cons to the various temperatures and leafy fauna that you will encounter throughout the year,  but the real answer to ‘when’ is really, you. 

Also as my dad would always say- There’s no such thing as poor weather, just poor preparation.

I know it’s my dad, and he is a climatologist (so weather is his life) but I could not agree more. If you want the high alpine rocky terrain, you’re going to need to be ready for some winds and who knows, maybe a mountain goat. If you want walk out to a waterfall and take photos at it’s base, odds of getting wet are fairly high. If you want that winter wonderland shoot, I’ll bring hand warmers. The realities with these decisions also, is that often dramatic weather makes for dramatic photos. So if you are open to that being a part of your day, then I’m all in.

The bonus with elopements and intimate weddings is that your freedom in guest count lends greatly to a freedom in season. I believe that you can photograph any time of year, and I came to this realization recently when this couple and I selected what is quite possibly the coldest day of the this year to do a shoot in the snow. What emerged, was spontaneous, genuine joy and a heartfelt sense of place emerging from the images. 

So what should you prepare for in a winter shoot? Bring layers (think scarves, hat, gloves) a thermos of hot chocolate (or peppermint schnopps hot chocolate, whatever suits your fancy) , extra socks for those toes and hand warmers if you have them.

Im an equal opportunity seasonal photographer here-

 So you must know that anything is possible.