We’ll show you the many reasons why summertime is perfect for a photoshoot

Summer shines bright on all parts of our lives. Longer days, good weather and time outdoors provide perfect opportunities for family gatherings, celebrations, and travel. The season energizes us to get together, go on adventures, splurge on new outfits, and even try new hobbies (from skydiving to surfing!).

Summer is also the perfect time for a photoshoot. Some of us are looking forward to engagements, weddings, babies, and birthdays. Others are just ready to wear lighter outfits, eat seasonal foods, and get out into nature. 

Here are some of the many ways to capture all of it in beautiful photos and forever memories.

Ideas for amazing photo sessions this season

Let’s talk about where you can have your summer shoot and go over some tips on how to hit it out of the ballpark (proverbial or real, depending on where you go!). This includes props, outfits, and attitude, but most especially, what works for your life this season!

Outdoors

When we think of summer we think of being outdoors. We emerge from homes and darkness into nature and light. And there can be all sorts of reasons to get out there. From family barbeques to taking the kids to the pool, from the Fourth of July to special events like weddings. 

Tips & ideas for the ultimate outdoor photoshoot:

• An outdoor wedding means an outdoor wedding photoshoot. Make the most of the day by choosing a setting that compliments your nuptial’s chosen colors. Pastels and neutrals are lovely surrounded by greens of the season or rustic nature, while bright colors pop beside the ocean, in the desert, and against cityscapes.

• Whatever outdoor activities your family loves, make them part of the photoshoot: bike riding, hiking, camping. A family photoshoot should show off what you love doing together and summer opens up the possibilities by getting you all outside together.

• Enjoy the unique backdrops that summer offers photoshoots, like food festivals and farmers’ markets, fields of sunflowers, and antique car shows.

• Summer means that the outfits for your outdoor photoshoots can be light and flowing, or just made for the season: swimsuits, summer dresses, sandals, hats, and sunglasses. 

Beach

The beach and summer are synonymous. If you have one nearby, we suggest you take every opportunity to enjoy it this summer and get a photoshoot in. During the summertime season, the beach makes a memorable backdrop for pregnancy photoshoots, surprise proposals, and even Senior portraits. You get the gift of enjoying a day by the sea and summer beach photos to cherish. 

Tips & ideas for a spectacular beach photoshoot:

• Take your graduating Seniors to the beach for a bonfire and photoshoot. It’s a safe setting for a fire that can create moody, dramatic photos.

• Don’t just use the ocean as a backdrop, get in it and splash around, even if it’s just your feet. This can create fun action shots and give you something to do so you feel less awkward during the shoot.

• Take advantage of the beauty of sunrises and sunsets. Your professional photographer will work magic with the slanting rays of light and shadows…

• The beach is a great photoshoot setting to show off your style and interests. Boardshorts and longboards, swimsuits and sandcastles, volleyball, and frisbee mean more personal photos.

Parks

Another specific way to enjoy the outdoors during summer is by taking advantage of those special green, natural spaces set aside for peace and enjoyment. These can range from vast national parks to your local neighborhood park. Each one is the perfect spot for some time away and a photoshoot solo or with family or friends. 

Tips & ideas for a perfect park photoshoot:

• There are over 60 national parks in the United States, which means there’s a very good chance one is near you or just a fun road trip away. Here are 15 national parks to visit in the summer, each an epic photoshoot setting.

• If you can’t get away this summer, your local park can be a refuge and a relaxing, easy setting for family photos, newborn pictures, or a couples shoot. 

• If your local park feels a little lackluster, props bring some excitement and fun to your summer shoot. Kites, bubbles, and soccer balls for family photos, a romantic picnic for an engagement photoshoot, or your baby nestled in a picnic basket for newborn pictures.

• In garden-like parks, take advantage of the flowers that bloom this time of year. Put them in your hair as accessories, lie amongst them, or ask your professional photographer to play with them in the foreground and background of your photos. 

At home

Staycations and time at home are more precious than ever, as we savor our personal space and make time for self-care and those we love. Home is most often where the heart is. It is also the place you want to make memories, especially in the summer. The wonderful thing about home is that it has everything for a summery photoshoot, including the people and things you love!

Tips & ideas for a dreamy home photoshoot:

• Use the unique charms and spaces of your home for photos that best reflect yourself, family, and life: sit in favorite window seats and on decorated porches, have children play in sprinklers and on swings, or pose amidst beloved flowers and gardens.

• At home, it's easier than ever to include the furry members of your family in the photoshoot. A family photoshoot isn’t complete with our beloved animals.

• Props are easily on hand around the house and can reflect personalities and interests. Try books, glasses of lemonade or cups of tea, family quilts, or games. This is a great way to give your hands something to do during the photoshoot.

• At home, highlight summer’s bright colors with the outfits and foods of the season: ice cream cones and watermelon, sandals, and hats. 

Parties

Summer should be filled with celebration. Both for the sun shining down and for the personal events that fill our lives, from the simple to the momentous. Capture these special summertime occasions in photoshoots that help you remember every anniversary, birthday, and festive moment. What do you have going on this summer? This could be for the big 50th birthday or a summer wedding, or as simple as a night out with friends. 

Tips & ideas for your sizzling party photoshoot:

• Summer offers long days but also warm nights to enjoy the sparkling nightlife. If you’re intrigued by a nighttime photoshoot, this season is the perfect time for it and our professional photographers will help you plan.

• When booking the setting for that summer birthday party or anniversary or wedding, book your photographer at the same time. They will help you see the venue in a new, creative way so you get the photographs to match. 

• Summer parties are a great opportunity for friend photoshoots. Dress up, dance, toast, and laugh while your photographer captures the excitement and joy of it all.

• Kids’ birthday parties can include so many fun summer props, like clowns (hired or family members), pinatas, pool fun, balloons, and ice cream trucks.

Vacation

Summer isn’t complete without a summer vacation and the photoshoot to go with it. Many of us wait all year long for the mental and physical escape the season offers. Get out there and enjoy it. Whether you go near or far, summer vacation is a way to say yes to life, make memories, and get forever photos in the process. To help, here are five great last-minute summer vacation spots!

Tips & ideas for an unforgettable vacation photoshoot:

• If you’re taking a road trip, try the road less traveled for creative, epic photos on deserted highways and backroads.

• If you’re going somewhere unusual, play up the setting and backdrop with incongruent outfits, like flowing, formal gowns in the desert or on a fishing boat in Thailand or in an empty piazza in Venice at sunrise. 

• Bring your interests with you and include them in your summer shoot: yoga clothes and mat, chessboard or checkers, boots for hiking, or dancing shoes for city streets. 

• Vacation feels and summer photoshoots don’t have to take place far away. They can be found at your local carnival or fair, in your town square and outdoor restaurants, or at your baseball stadium or river. Vacation can happen anywhere!

How a summer photoshoot works:

With an Angle photoshoot, it’s more than just matching the client to the photographer. It’s a full package and customer support service. 

Start by looking over our Categories and choosing one or more reasons for a summer photoshoot (hopefully we’ve inspired you with the ideas above). Then review the photographer portfolios in your desired area. You can also search for photographers by Location, and we have professional photographers in over 500 places around the world.

Don’t see the photographer, style, or location you have in mind? No problem! Contact our Customer Service Team and they’ll help. You can book with confidence, knowing the price, date, and number of photos you’ll get of your summer memories.

Then have fun preparing for your photoshoot. Chat with your photographer online to plan settings, poses, and outfits, and check out our six tips to a picture perfect summer photo shoot.

The biggest tip for how to make a summer photoshoot work: have fun, be yourself and think outside the box. That’s what summer is all about!