I love capturing real, joyful chaos—muddy splashes and all—but safety and comfort come first!
Spring and summer are gorgeous for outdoor family photos—but Kentucky weather can be wildly unpredictable. If you’re considering scheduling outdoor family photos with me, potential bad weather might be weighing on your mind.
As my client, you don’t have to worry about the weather at all. When booking, we can go ahead and schedule a backup bad weather date, or we can just wait and see. I’ll keep an eye on the forecast and will reach out to you through your preferred method (call, text, email) about a week before your session if bad weather might be on the horizon.
At that point, we will discuss our options. I’ll help you figure out what matters most to your family and your ideal photo session, then recommend the best plan from there. Let’s look at different weather scenarios we might encounter:
Light Rain or Drizzle
Light rain isn’t always a deal-breaker! Light rain can create a soft, moody atmosphere–and some really magical photos. I’ll still reach out to you if light rain is on the forecast, but this one is up to you. If your family is the kind that might go out in light rain to play, keeping our photos on the original date could create uniquely beautiful images. If your family is a “hole up on the couch” when it’s raining kind of family and your kiddos would totally miserable trudging through soggy grass, it might be a better idea to reschedule.
If light rain is on the forecast, you might need to tweak your outfit choices to include waterproof shoes and umbrellas – but we can still make magic!
Heavy Rain
Heavy rain is a different story. Heavy rain and camera gear don’t mix – and let’s be honest, no one wants to take photos with drenched hair and squishy shoes. If heavy rain is on the schedule, we’ll either reschedule or make a plan to move the session indoors.
Thunderstorms
My official thunderstorm policy follows the National Weather Service’s catchy campaign: “if thunder roars, go indoors!” I use WeatherBug to monitor lightning activity and will not hold outdoor photo sessions if lightning has been detected within 30 miles of the session location in the 30 minutes before the scheduled start time—safety first, y’all!
Cold Weather
If low or freezing temperatures are forecasted, we’ll make plans based on the age of your kiddos (and their tolerance of the cold). Younger children will most likely be miserable (but you know your kids!) and older kids might be able to make it through a session and keep their smiles on. We’ll chat and see what is the best fit for your family.
Cold temps might also throw a wrench in your carefully selected outfits – do you have photo-ready outerwear? Or would you try to tough it through the session in your planned outfits?
So – Bad Weather’s on the Horizon – What do we do?
If the forecast is looking iffy the week of your outdoor session, I’ll reach out to you and we’ll decide together what makes the most sense for your family. For some families, the most important thing is to hold their session outdoors. Other families might have a busy schedule and a deadline for when they need their family photos back.
Option One: Reschedule. If you prefer an outdoor session and the forecast doesn’t look great, rescheduling is usually the best call.
Option Two: Make a Backup Plan. If you are okay with switching to an indoor session if the weather doesn’t cooperate, we can continue with our original outdoor plan, knowing that we can shift inside if the weather takes a turn. I adore doing indoor photo sessions – your home is the heart of your family and can be a beautiful place for family photos. If there’s space, I can even bring a backdrop and turn your home into a mini studio!
Option Three: Wait and See. We can wait and re-check the forecast on the morning of the session. If the forecast looks promising (40% or less chance of storms or heavy rain at our session timing) we can continue with our session as planned. The caveat is you’ll need to be okay with the chance that we’ll need to cancel at the last minute if the weather turns. Sometimes we can be a little flexible with timing and push back our session – other times we will have to reschedule. This is my least favorite option–mostly because I really don’t want your family to get all dressed up and excited only to have to reschedule. (I’ve been there and it’s a major letdown!)
Weather might be unpredictable, but working with me isn’t! I’ll walk you through every option and help you make the best call, so you feel confident and relaxed heading into your family session, even with that unpredictable Kentucky weather!
