Summer

June - mid September

Summer is my FAVORITE time of year to take senior portraits. It's warm outside, the flowers are in full bloom, there is greenery everywhere and we get some gorgeous sunsets on the lake.

PROS:

• warm weather: summer offers the perfect temperature to wear cute dresses, tank tops and a mix of different outfits comfortably.

• greenery & flowers: summertime in Northern Michigan means lush greenery & beautiful flowers everywhere.

• scheduling flexibility: no school & sporting events means less to work around when scheduling. The days are also longer so there is more time in the day to schedule. The sunsets happen later in the day which also gives me more weekday availability to schedule more senior sessions <3

• summer tan: everyone feels better when they have a glowing summer tan.

• yearbook deadline: most schools yearbook deadline are late fall or winter leaving you plenty of time to choose your favorite photo to submit.

CONS:

• bugs: the bugs always come out in summer so we might have to battle with them a little during your session depending on the location.

• crowds: certain locations will be busier in the summer due to Northern Michigan being such a tourist location. But no worries we can easily work around the crowds & I have a couple more remote locations.

Fall

End September - November

Fall in Northern Michigan is truly special. For myself personally it's hard to decide between summer & fall being my favorite season.

PROS:

• fall colors: Michigan has some stunning red & orange warm tones in the fall. Peak colors are usually around mid October but can vary each year.

• golden fields: the green & flowery summer fields turn to a gorgeous golden color in the fall.

• glowing golden hour: Golden hour in the fall creates some of the most glowing golden light ever.

CONS:

• fall color predictability: sometimes the fall colors can be unpredictable as it changes slightly every year. A couple windy days can also knock down a ton of the leaves.

• earlier sunset: the further into fall we get the earlier the sun sets. This can make scheduling harder to work around with school & sporting events. This also means I will have less availability due to less daylight.

• crowds: the fall colors are another huge tourist attraction which can make some locations a little busier.

Winter

December - February

Winter pictures definitely don't get as much attention due to obvious reasons, but are still beautiful!

PROS:

• snow: snowy pictures are gorgeous when it looks like a winter wonderland outside.

• unique photos: winter senior photos aren't as popular as summer & fall so your photos will be more unique.

• flexibility: winter is my slow season so I have much more availability.

CONS:

• its cold: It's winter, it's cold. It's important to try and stay warm during winter sessions which can be hard.

• cloudy: there isn't as much sunshine in the winter and you are most likely to have a cloudy day for your session. But even though you aren't likely to get a golden hour in the winter, cloudy days are still easy to work with from a photographers perspective with lighting.

• very early sunset: we do not get a lot of daylight in the winter which means a lot of winter sessions will take place around 2 or 3 pm.

• missing yearbook deadline: some winter December sessions will result in photos back in time for yearbook deadlines, but the deadline will have passed for January & February sessions.