Summer photo shoots are a huge source of revenue for most photographers in the US. From June Weddings, Senior Portraits, Graduations,Back to School Sessions and Family Vacations… Summers are when photographers become Booked Up.
Unfortunately here in SW Florida and many other southern regions, the very opposite is
true. We have the Hot, Sticky, Muggy days filled with Humidity and Perpetration and Perspiration. And the Storms! We can never forget the Storms. How could we? Florida Thunderstorms are so unpredictable. If we had a dollar for every summer shoot we headed to when the sun was shining JUST to have to turn around half way thru in a sheet of rain, we would never need to charge for a photo shoot again!
How Doodle Fly Photography Handles It:
We have 3 options:
The Back Up Plan: We usually suggest that the client books 3 dates for their summer session. 1st choice, 2nd & 3rd. If we have a sunset session planned for 7pm, we check in with the client the day of around 1pm. We look at the weather, look a t the radar and let them know what the forecast looks like. We usually have a plan to check back in at 4pm and if all is well, we do one last check at 6pm. If we need to cancel, we go forward with our back up date. Now not only is this time consuming, but we have to block out 3 DATES for every 1 Session. This leaves our schedule Full and Uncertain and we can not get our regular amount of work completed because we can not plan our days effectively.
See You In September: September seems to be better at predicting weather and a little less wet. This is not always a valid option, specifically for Family Vacation Sessions, Senior Portraits and especially for Engagement Sessions where the Save the Dates really need to get out quick. But if this is an engagement session where the wedding is 18 months away, then a September / October Session would be a much better plan.
Sunrise Session: The main reason why we book most sessions for sunset is not necessarily to view the sun actually setting, but rather the soft indirect light that the golden hour provides. But we can have the same soft lighting effect with a early morning (or Sunrise) session. This does not always meant hat we need to meet before the rooster crows, but rather any time before the heat of the day. Most early morning sessions are great from 7-9:30 am, which means a 1 hour session that starts at 8am is just fine. Not only is the lighting almost Identical to sunset lighting, but you will not have all of the spectators. Almost all of the Great Photo locations (Sanibel Beach, Captiva, Koreshans, Downtown Fort Myers) will have loads of people out and about at sunset. But, not many people are out at the early morning hours. Now there are some pros and cons to an early morning session:
Summer storms do not need to be the end of your photo session, but instead with a just a little planning, you may have the best photo session ever!
Doodle Fly Photography is a Family owned and operated Florida Wedding Photography Firm covering Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel, Captiva, Naples, Estero, Bonita Springs, Port Charlotte, Sarasota, St. Pete’s Beach, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Clearwater, Fort Lauderdale, Marco Island, Miami, Keys, Key West, Boca Raton, Coco Beach and more locations around South West and South Florida. Doodle Fly Photography Specializes in Wedding Photography, Engagement Sessions, Boudoir, Bridal Boudoir, Editorial, Styled Wedding Shoots, Portraits and more. Doodle Fly Photography offers affordable wedding packages including Payment Options and installment plans for most wedding packages.
Call, Text or email for more information. Phone: 239-677-1428, Email: DoodleFlyPhotogrpahy@Gmail.com,
Website: http://www.DoodleFlyPhotos.com