What's the Best Time of Day for an Outdoor Family Photoshoot? | Seattle Family Photographer

What’s the best time of day for a family photo shoot?

We are so lucky to live in a beautiful place like Seattle. The city, the mountains, the views… breathtaking! We couldn’t live in a more photogenic city.

But here’s the thing: Some times of day are much, much better than others to have your family photos taken. So, when’s the best time of day?

Golden Hour is the best time of day for photos

Golden Hour is the time of day right before sunset where the light is gorgeous and makes everyone and everything look good. We LOVE to schedule outdoor sessions at Golden Hour. For those of you with little ones, we recommend a late nap and a snack/dinner before the session so they’re in the best mood possible.

But some families can’t stay up that late with little ones, and that’s okay! Or maybe there are other scheduling conflicts that get in the way of an evening shoot. Either way, if you can’t do your session in the evening, we are happy to accommodate.

If not Golden Hour, the morning is second best

Here at Elena S Blair Photography, we are masters of light. We will be able to serve your family and deliver beautiful photos no matter the time of day. So, if you can’t make a Golden Hour shoot work, no problem! We will schedule your session for the morning, usually around 9 or 10am when the sun isn’t too far up in the sky just yet. Also, kids are usually in a great mood in the morning, which is another reason to love morning sessions!

Check out this recent morning session, shot by our amazing associate Chelsea!

Chelsea still has a few spots open for the rest of the year, so click the button below to grab a session with her!

And if you’re not quite ready to book, click here to learn more about our sessions and pricing!

Facebook Live Q & A With Me, Elena S Blair | Photography Tips and Education

Hey friends! I occasionally pop on to Facebook Live and answer some questions for ya! Here is the repay. :) Lots of marketing and business questions. If you aren't already part of my Lady Boss Workshops community, you should be. :)

www.ladybossworkshops.com 

Why Does Everyone Hate The Word Pose | Family Photography Tips And Advice

Don't miss the free download at the end! 

With the gaining popularity of "lifestyle" and "documentary" family photography the word "pose" has gained a bad rap. 

One of the things I see photographers posting on social media all the time is "I just love the in-between moments." Or "I swoon over candid moments." 

You guys! Let me let you in on a little secret. Unless a photographer is a 100% documentary photographer. Meaning that they are coming into a home or location and standing back and doing zero guiding, almost all those amazing "candid" moments you see were orchestrated or "posed" by the photographer. 

Yup. True story. 

Take the image in this post for example. It looks unposed. It looks candid. But I literally made the entire moment happened. I told them where to sit. I told them what to do right down to where dad is looking. I guided the children. Everything. And there is no shame in that. My families trust me to make them into my art. They trust me to tell them what will look the best and yield the best photo. 

Posing and guiding is an art form. It is important that you know how to direct a session so that it yield the results you and your clients are expecting. 

I like to say that I guide my clients but really I pose them. Then I direct them to interact and that is where the moments come from. 

Heck, I will come in and move their heads how I want them. 

So don't believe the lies social media is telling you. Not many are showing up with their camera and simply getting lucky catching beautiful candid moments. They are gifted in making those moments happen. 

Posing is not a bad thing. In fact I proudly do it every time I photograph a family. 

Have a great week, friend! 
 

Best Locations For Family Photography In Seattle

The weather is changing and us Satellites are trading our clouds and rain for sunshine and blue skies! That means it is officially Seattle Family Photography Season! My favorite. 

Chances are you have your family session on the books and you are wondering what location you should have your session at. This is on of the most common questions I get asked "Elena, where should we have our session??"

I don't want this to be a point of stress for you. I want my sessions to be a relaxed and fun experience. I wanted to share a few tips on how to pick the best location for you and your family. 

Seattle has an abundance of locations right in the city or within a very short drive of the city. We live in such a beautiful part of the country and I love including it's beauty in your family photos. 

Here are a few things to consider when selecting the best location for your family photography session in Seattle or anywhere really. 

1. What does your family like to do for fun? How do you all like to spend your time? 

Make sure you are choosing a location that will best suit your families personality. For example, if you love hiking together we may want to head out to the mountains. 

2. Consider the ages of your children. 

If you have super young kiddos an urban location may not be a great choice because you don't want to have to worry about cars and other people to distract your little one. Perhaps an open field or park may be the best location. 

3. Take into account the season your session is scheduled for. For example, there are some gorgeous parks in the fall that really show the beautiful Pacific Northwest autumn colors off. If it is going to be warm on your session date, going to the beach and letting the kids get their feet wet might be super fun! 

4. Let's talk about traffic. Seattle is gorgeous, but the traffic is awful. We don't want you commuting across town during rush hour. That won't make anyone excited for family photos. So make sure to choose a location that will be easy to get to at your scheduled session time. 

Here are the different types of locations Seattle has to offer for family photography.

1. Urban. Seattle has some incredible urban locations that show off our historical architecture as well as some great textures. 

2. Beach. We have an abundance of beaches right here in the city of Seattle! We are so lucky to be surrounded by so much water. What is fantastic about our beach locations is that they are usually surrounded by trees and water so you get a ton of diversity at these locations. 

3. Forrest. We actually have forrests within the city limits! Seattle is so incredbile. If your family loves to spend time in the woods the forrest may be be best location for your session! 

4. Park. Seattle is chock full of gorgous parks! Parks can be especially gorgeous in the fall when the leaves are changing. This makes a lovely back drop for your family photos. 

5. Mountains. This option is weather dependent as many of my favorite mountain locations get snowed in come December, however if you are willing to drive about an hour out of the city, the back drop is very rewarding. You can make an adventure out of it. 

6. Open field. Luckily, my favorite field is right in the city, however I know of a few remote fields as well that are only a 30 minute drive away. Fields make a gorgeous back drop for your family photos. 

There you have it! Hopefully this gives you some great ideas about where to have your next family photography session. You have invested your time and your money into this experience so taking the time to really consider the location is a good idea. 

I Am A Camera Gear Minimalist | Photography Tips For Canon Users

Hi Friend, 
I hope you are having a wonderful week! 

I don't know about you, but when I was first starting out I thought I needed a ton of expensive camera gear to be a good photographer. I also thought to be considered a "professional" I had to have the latest camera body and a bag full of lenses. Not to mention an expensive camera bag at that! 

This was a major point of stress for me as we were on a very tight budget seven years ago. The only reason we had a DSLR was because we used our tax return money for it. But I wanted to make this business work so bad! So bad! So I decided to forge ahead with my Canon 50D and a 50mm 1.4 lens. 

I grew my business from nothing to a regular business with that gear alone. No other lenses. I made a pact to myself that I would not spend money on my business that I didn't make from my business. 

Of course, I have since upgraded but I still remain very minimal with my gear. I have a Canon 5D miii, a 35 mm 1.4, a 50mm 1.2, and a 135 mm 2.0. I also have a macro (non L) lens that I bought used. 

I use a combo of the 35 and 135 for family sessions and occasionally bring out the 50. 
http://www.elenasblairphotography.com/seattle-family-photographer/

I use the 35 almost exclusively for newborn sessions. I bring out the macro lens for about 5 minutes of each shoot. 
http://www.elenasblairphotography.com/newborn-photography-seattle/

I use the 50 exclusively for school shoots. 
http://www.elenasblairphotography.com/school-photography-seattle/

Everyone asks me when I plan to upgrade to the Mark IV. At this point I have no plans to. My miii works just fine and I have no need to drop nearly 4K just to have the latest gear. I will need a real reason to do that. 

I think starting my journey with a basic body and one lens made me a better photographer. It forced me to get creative in tight spaces (the 50D is a crop censor) and it inspired me to learn how to be *really* good with minimal gear rather than relying on lenses for effect or quality. 

If you are ready to upgrade, I recommend renting first. You may not love a lens that someone else is raving about. It really is a personal preference. 

So don't let other peoples massive gear stashes pressure you. The gear is nice, but it's the artist behind the lens that makes the photograph. 

Xoxo,

Elena