Choosing the best location for your family photos in the Boston area can be a daunting task. After all, we have a wide variety of options where we live! Should you choose a downtown/city feel? Will a beach session be the best fit? How about a field or a forest? Lucky for you, I am here to give you ALL the info on how to make the best choice for your family!

How DO you choose the best location for family photos?

Choosing the best location for your family photos is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. The answer to where the ideal spot might be is going to change from year to year as your family grows and changes. As you think about this year’s session location, here are some things to keep in mind:

The Age of Your Children Can Dictate the Best Location for Your Family Photos

How old your children will be at the time of the session is probably the most crucial thing to consider. If you have a child between the ages of 11 months and 2 years, they are probably either new to walking or constantly running away from you. Choosing a city session, or a session near a body of water might not be the best choice. To lower YOUR stress as a parent…choose a field! A field has a low “danger score” and a toddler running away in a field with beautiful light makes a beautiful picture…win, win!

Conversely, if you have older children, an open field might not be the best choice. Once they are past the age of tickles and frolicking, having a more “adventurous” session can be a better fit. Consider a city session, a hiking-centric session, or even the beach.

Next, Consider Your Family’s Personality When Choosing an Ideal Spot

You might be thinking this is an odd thing to say…how does a family with multiple members have one singular personality? To determine the overall personality, think about what your family does together for fun. Let’s consider two hypothetical families:

Family A: Family A enjoys being in the woods and hiking. They let their kids run barefoot constantly, and laugh when their teething kiddo chews on a stick or leaf.

Family B: Family B is nervous around tall grass, gets uncomfortable when their child tries to eat things in nature, and tends to feel more relaxed doing indoor activities.

Putting ‘Family B’ into a field location will likely mean that instead of relaxing and focusing on being playful with their family they are instead:

• combing hair back into place
• brushing off dirt
• taking leaves and sticks out of their child’s mouth
• worrying about bugs

If ‘Family B’ instead chooses an at-home family session, or something in the city, a large amount of these worries are eliminated and they can actually relax and enjoy their session!

Lastly, you MUST consider the time of year you have booked your family photos.

This is when you really need to rely on the expertise of your photographer!

In the Winter, it’s all about texture and light…because there isn’t much else to bank on in this part of the country! There won’t always be snow to make everything look pretty. Instead, photographers look for architectural interest, reflective surfaces, long golden (dead) grass, and the best light.

In the Spring, your photographer will know the best spots to highlight the beauty of Boston’s spring blooms.

Summer is all about the lush landscape, wildflowers, and sunshine.

Autumn in New England is about foliage, golden tones, and crisp air. Relying on your photographer’s expertise to choose the best location to capture the foliage is essential.

To Sum It All Up

The search for the best location boils down to one sentence: trust your photographer to help you select the spot based on your kids’ ages, your family’s personality, and the time of year! You already did the hard part by finding a Boston family photographer you like and trust. Now, let them take the reins!