As a photographer in Washington DC, I like to schedule my engagement and portrait sessions for the early morning. And by early, I mean early: sunrise. In the warmer months we aim for a 6:15 a.m. or earlier start time.
I am actually not a morning person and don’t schedule these early weekend wakeups for fun. Good photography is dependent on light, and the most flattering light occurs twice a day, for about an after sunrise and again an hour before sunset. Think about it: during these times, the sun is lower in the horizon while it’s rising and setting. Instead of beating directly into your eyes and making you squint (not pretty), it’s just casting a glow everywhere during these magic golden hours. The best photographs capture that glow.
The light in both the early morning and early evening is beautiful, so why do I torture myself and my clients with the early sessions? When working in a popular tourism city like Washington, D.C. , early morning is how we ensure access to the best spots and nice, clean backgrounds mostly free of people. I also followed this rule in Paris, when the most popular photo spots are full of photographers and their clients by 7 a.m.
Obviously my primary concern in scheduling a session is the client’s comfort. So if you’re even less of a morning person than I am, want to schedule professional hair and makeup before your session or have children who would be cranky after a morning wakeup, we will make an evening session work.
But if you want some solitude as well as beautiful glow, get in touch and then set that alarm clock!
Washington DC engagement photography
Paris engagement photography
Washington DC headshot
Washington DC headshot
