Family Portraits At The Redwood Nature Preserve In Los Altos – Choosing the perfect location for your family photoshoot
One of the best parts about living in the South Bay Area is that there are a lot of beautiful locations for family portraits! There are parks, beaches, wineries, and hiking trails that make for perfect family portrait locations. One of my favorite places for family portraits is the Redwood Nature Preserve in Los Altos. Here are some of the photos from a recent session of family portraits at the Redwood Nature Preserve in Los Altos. As well as four things to consider when choosing the perfect location for your family photoshoot.
Consider The Time of Day That Your Session Is Scheduled
One of the first things to consider when choosing a location is the time of day. The best time for outdoor portraits is generally in the early morning or the evening – about an hour before sunset. Nearly all locations photograph well at these times of day. Whenever possible, I recommend choosing a time in the evening. You can check the exact time that the sun will set by referring to a sunset calendar. If you cannot choose a time slot that is early in the morning or in the evening, I recommend choosing a location that has a lot of open shade. Open shade provides soft flattering light – even in the mid afternoon. Locations like the beach, only photograph well in the early morning (in the hour after the sun rises) and in the evening. This is because there is no shade and the harsh afternoon sun creates unflattering lighting.
Keep In Mind That Some Locations Can Photograph Differently At Certain Times of The Year
Another thing to consider, when choosing the perfect location for family portraits, is that locations look different at various times of the year. The Redwood Nature Preserve is a location that looks the same at every time of the year. However, locations like the Municipal Rose Garden and the Elizabeth Gamble Garden look great in the Spring but look completely different in the Winter months. I recommend relying on your Photographer for location ideas. They will have a list of 5-10 locations that work well for the time of day and the season of your session.
Coordinate Your Location Based On The Location
Once you’ve pinned down the time of day and location for your session, you can coordinate your outfits. There are a lot of different ideas you can have for your portraits. Below are a few things you can choose from.
- Casual vs Dressy: Casual outfits work really well for families with small kids. During the session they will be running, jumping, sitting, etc. and so it is important that they are comfortable. Dressy outfits also work well but it will require that the kids don’t get too dirty 🙂
- Matching colors vs complimentary colors: When it comes to the colors of the outfits, they can be either matching colors or complimentary colors. With matching colors, each family member will wear the same color shirts and pants. With complimentary colors, some family members will wear one color and other family members will wear the respective complimentary color.
- One Color Palette: Another idea would be to choose a color palette. For example everyone wears a shade of blue. This is the most simple outfit idea because most families will have outfits that fit this criteria.
If It Is Your First Time At The Location, Arrive Early So That You Can Start On Time
Last but not least, I recommend arriving early, if it is your first time at the location. Arriving early allows you to minimize stress, and allow your children a few minutes to get familiar with the location. If you arrive a little late, your Photographer may have sessions afterwards and cannot extend the session past the scheduled end time.
If you are planning family portraits, hopefully this brief article about family portraits at the Redwood Nature Preserve has been helpful. Thanks!
