Fun little session from this summer

In an earlier blog I wrote about picking outfits for family photo sessions.
In this blog I'm going zero in on fall photo sessions--while this blog will focus mostly on family and engagement sessions this advice will apply to all photo sessions that take advantage of falls glorious colors and backgrounds.

Pick color themes that stand out against your background. If the trees are still yellow/green then blues & reds can be a nice choice.
If the pumpkin patch is on your agenda think about outfits that’ll stand out against big blue or gray skies & orange or white pumpkins.
If you are headed to a corn maze you'll want to think about
You want to make the focus you not background.

I’ve been utilizing Pinterest for years to gather ideas for photography sessions. It’s a great way to refine ideas & collaborate with my subjects. You get a good idea of the kind of vibe clients are looking for.
For example I have a client coming up soon for an adult cake smash! I've had a great time collecting ideas for poses and props! And now I can send this board to the client and get her input on what if any of these ideas work for her.

Its also a great way to get hyped for a session and come up with ideas of your own.
Take this photo from the A family photo session as a concrete example.
 Having a board to share with the main client was a great way to see what she was thinking outfits wise. This helped me decide where to hold the photoshoot.
​I was able to come up with a rustic setting that played well with their color pallet. it was a good way to get communication going and see what everyone was thinking.

Recently I had the pleasure of photographing the S. Family. Even though it was blazing hot the whole family were troopers and we had a great season. 

Recently I went location scouting at Jester Park Natural Playscape. It’s a lovely little park with a lot of natural elements for kids & adults to explore.
Located in Jester Park in Polk County the Natural Playscape is next to the Elk & Bison Educational Plaza an educational area where you can observe elk and bison in a field. The area next to the field has a prairie feel that I think will be great for shots.
The Natural Playscape has a miniature waterfall and rocks to climb on while the Elk and Bison has a lake and prairie area to explore.
Check out the little gallery of scenes I’ve put together.
I've got some good scenes in my head for my shoot this weekend.

While I was scouting a buffalo was trying to get into a locked fence. :( Poor guy gave up at some point.

Earlier this summer I had a family shoot at Jester Park. 
While it was super hot the family were all troopers and we got some great shoots. 
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