I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘If you don’t like the weather in Texas, wait five minutes,’ and the day we held this little first birthday session really proved that phrase to be true.
If you have followed my work for any length of time, you have probably noticed that I love to photograph outdoors. I love integrating nature into my sessions–I love the changing of the seasons, the light we work get to work with, the beautiful sunsets we often manage to capture. I’ve also noticed that if we manage to photograph in a quiet area, clients (and kids especially) seem to open up and feel more comfortable where there is room to run and play. And since businesses reopened after Covid-19, I have tried my best to photograph almost exclusively outdoors.
The one drawback to these outdoor sessions, of course, is the weather in all of its unpredictability. Being in Texas, we *usually* have temperatures that we can work with, and we tend to be pretty lucky when it comes to rain (knocking on wood right now). But every once in a while, we do get torrential downpours and storms, and this happened to be one of those days.
This sweet baby girl’s mama and I had been in touch in the days leading up to this first birthday session, simply keeping our eyes on the weather and trying to figure out a few backup plans just in case we got rained out. I usually will encourage clients to wait until the day of the session before we make a call–I can’t tell you how many times we have had awful weather up until the hour or two before a session, only to have it clear up and have gorgeous weather after that. So if we can be flexible, we will usually try to wait it out.
This situation was a bit trickier, as the family was planning on driving in from the other side of the metroplex for their session. And honestly, we nearly called it off–it was still pouring off and on just right up to the hour before. But we went ahead and gave it a chance based on what the radar was predicting, and I’m so glad we did, as we honestly had one of the most beautiful evenings of light I have ever enjoyed at a session.
So when it comes to weather, here are just a few tips I try to incorporate with my sessions:
–First of all, safety absolutely comes first. I will not photograph if there is any lightning or torrential rain, as well as any heat, wind or flood advisories for the area. My priority is keeping you guys safe.
–If rain is forecast for the day of your session, I recommend trying to wait it out. As I said earlier, more times than not in the years I have been photographing, the weather forecasts do not turn out to be accurate. We will usually stay in touch and make a call within an hour or two of your session.
–If I can work weather into your session, I will try to do that. If it has rained earlier in the day and the ground is still wet, we may consider moving your session to downtown–reflections in the streets can make for some beautiful images. Fog, mist and wind may not seem ideal at the time, but can all create some gorgeously moody photos.
–When possible, try to adapt your outfits for the possible weather. For windy days, long flowy dresses in the right setting can be beautiful. For light rain, umbrellas and rain boots can be fun. When we keep our options and minds open, we can create some beautifully creative images together.
–And of course, when worst comes to worst, we will absolutely reschedule your session if the weather does not cooperate. For the time being, I am simply rescheduling sessions when possible. In the future (post-Covid), I will be able to offer indoor sessions at the studio in The Cotton Mill.
If you are looking for a photographer for your baby’s first birthday session and think we may be a great fit, please be sure to get in touch today!
Christina Freeman is a family and child photographer based in Anna, TX, serving McKinney, Plano, Frisco, Wylie, Lucas, Celina and other Collin County communities. She seeks to photograph the fun and messy moments that connect us all in our ordinary lives, from the very beginning to the very end. If you have loved everything you have seen so far, be sure to check out my details page for an idea of my general pricing, and be sure to get in touch to start the process today!