Is my backyard a good location for my photo session? This is a question I have received a lot lately, so I thought I would write a blog about what I am looking for when deciding if your yard will be a good fit for your session.

Sun placement for you backyard location photo session

Light for your photo session is the most important thing I am looking for in a backyard location.  I want to be able to have your family standing with the sun behind you.  This means at the time of your session, the sun needs to be behind or to the side of your yard.  If the sun sets across the street from your house, then most likely having your session in your yard near sunset won’t be ideal.

Trees

I am looking for trees that will be in front of where the sun is at the time of the session.  I need trees to diffuse the light.  Now this next part is a little confusing since I just said that I am looking for trees.  I want trees to be behind you, but I also need space in front of where your family stands to not have trees.  You need to be able to stand with trees and sun behind you, but have open sky in front of you.  If you have trees right in front of you, then the light bounces off the green leaves and green grass onto your skin, making your skin look green.  Being able to have open sky in front of you creates clean light and nice non-hulk like skin tones :p.

Background of your photos

The first two things I mentioned are related to light and the most important things that I need for a session.  I am also looking to see what the background will look like.  My biggest question is about lighting, but I also would like you to make sure that the look of the background in your yard is the look that you want for your session.  If you can see houses or cars behind your yard and that isn’t something you want in your photos, then you should consider using another location.

I think using your own yard can be a great option.  I would love to help you decide if it’s the right option for your family.  If you are thinking about using your yard for your session, I would love for you to send me a few photos or a video of your yard at the time the session will be at.  We will work together to decide if your yard is a good location for your family’s photo session.

See more Maternity Sessions here.