photo by SrdjanPav via iStock
The seasons definitely aren’t changing fast enough for me here in southern California, but for many parts of the world, it is decidedly autumnal.
As the chill sweeps in and the late night fires begin, you may begin getting a lot more people looking for your portrait services. Let’s be honest, nobody wants to sit around when it is muggy and blazing hot while trying to pose for a photographer.
If you know what you’re doing, this could mean a huge boost in revenue for you throughout October. But, you’ll need some fall portrait tips in order to make the best of this new revenue stream.
Since a lot of fall portrait tips are pretty cliche at this point, I focused on finding fall portrait tips that are both practical and easy to implement. Hopefully, this means you can start shooting immediately.
Give Your Clients Outfit Recommendations
photo by skynesher via iStock
Your clients need some fall portrait tips just as much as you do, because chances are, they’ve never done this before. So, help them out by leveraging the knowledge you have.
I cannot tell you how many times I have had clients show up for my portrait sessions in the middle of October when it is in the 50s in a summer dress. While you may originally think it won’t be a huge issue, most of my clients that do this inevitably start to freeze and either become cranky (which shows through the photos) or need to cut the session short.
In order to prevent this from happening, shoot a quick email with some fall portrait tips to your clients before their shoot. If they have children, this could be a good time to remind them to make sure everyone is well-fed and have their favorite, non-messy snacks with them. It’s also a good time to remind them what colors they should wear and to remind them to bring layers with them in case it gets cold.
Know When the Sun Sets
photo by Martinan via iStock
This tip could also be included in an article about tips for outdoor portraits, but I’m specifically including it here because the sun has been a problem for me in the past.
If you’ve been so accustomed to shooting throughout the summer, you may be genuinely surprised when the sun starts to set earlier and earlier and I have made the amateur mistake of booking a fall portrait session way too late in my calendar so that I barely had 15 or 20 minutes to get all of the photos I needed to.
If you’re booking a session more than a couple of weeks out, do yourself a favor and Google what time the sun will set on that date so that you don’t make the same mistake I have.
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Ask Your Clients How They Feel About Fall Photography Cliches
photo by jessicaphoto via iStock
You know how I mentioned that a lot of fall portrait tips are pretty cliched at this point?
It’s because they are. However, they are for a reason. Everyone loves getting photos of their newborn in a pumpkin because there is arguably nothing more adorable than a tiny little baby in a giant pumpkin.
So, depending upon the interests of your client, you need to figure out whether they want to avoid these cliches like the plague or completely play into them. Typically, I find that clients will go one way or the other, they won’t want to get some cliched photos.
So, when I’m sending my clients that list of fall portrait tips, I like to also ask them some basic questions about what they are expecting. It can also be helpful to send photos that you’ve completed in past fall portrait sessions to ask which ones they like the most.
Don’t Scout Locations in Advance
photo by Halfpoint via iStock
When you’re shooting portraits in the fall, there’s a lot of unpredictable elements. One of these unpredictable elements is your location.
I’ve made the mistake of scouting locations a week or two in advance of a shoot, thinking it would be perfect, and then showing up just to find out that all of the leaves in that area had already fallen to the ground so that the trees were completely barren.
So, if you’re going to be scouting your locations, do so a day or two before your shoot.
Get Beautiful Prints
While these autumn portrait tips will help you get the best shots, you’ll also want them displayed in the best way.
That’s why I recommend that you get beautiful canvas prints from CanvasHQ and upsell your clients with them.
Prints from CanvasHQ are economical and sturdy. Each one is built to last a lifetime and is, in fact, guaranteed too. But, they are also priced realistically for clients on a budget.
The printmakers at CanvasHQ hand build each print so that there are no errors during the printing process.
CanvasHQ is also really straightforward about their timeline. You can actually see how long a print would take to make it to you (or your client) if you sent it in today directly on their website.
By shopping with CanvasHQ, you are going to get the most out of these portrait photography tips because your clients will be so thrilled with their final product.