Generally, our time slots we use for seniors–especially during the summer–are 9:30 or 10:00 AM, 2:00 PM, and 4:00 PM. We frequently get calls from seniors who want a 12:00 or 1:00 appointment because they don’t want to get up early (they don’t always tell us that…but we’ve been doing this for a looonnng time! We know!). BUT, we don’t select those times arbitrarily. Here are some things to think about:
Between about 11:30 AM and 2:00 PM, the sun is peaking and its light is harsh. Contrary to popular belief, glaring bright sunlight is not the ideal light for portraits, particularly when it’s coming from directly above you: skin–especially light skin–gets blown out, you have a tendency to squint, and harsh light from above can produce some not-so-flattering shadows. Plus, in the summer the morning times are much cooler. It’s hard to stand out in bright sun and sweltering weather trying to look good for pictures (and its not all that comfortable for the photographer, either). Girls’ makeup also tends to look freshest in the morning.
Later in the afternoon you’ll also have better light and perhaps milder temperatures. Particularly later in the summer and early in the fall, our 4:00 appointments can get some really beautiful light.
As I mentioned above, we do have a 2:00 appointment, so we’re not discouraging you from taking that one. We do have some canopies to help us out if the sun is bright and the day is hot. We also try to do outdoor pictures toward the end of the appointment, unless our schedule or client requires otherwise, closer to 3:00 or 3:30.
Of course, we will do everything we can to accommodate your scheduling needs, whether you need one of our three main senior times or you need something totally different.
Call the studio if you want to set something up or have questions at (260) 482-2660, or you can email Marta at marta@michaels-photography.com