Planning outdoor sessions can be tricky. It’s inevitable: the weather will get you. No matter what part in the country you’re in—or what kind of photography you do—you’re sure to run into some adverse weather that will make your session a little more interesting. Your best bet is to be prepared and communicate with your clients throughout the process. Here are our thoughts on how to overcome it:



Embrace the weather

Whether or it’s rain, snow, wind (the worst) or heat, you always have the option to roll with it for your outdoor sessions. If you can make peace with the weather being what it is, you can find some really cool ways to incorporate it into the dynamic of the shoot.



Get creative

 Whether it’s a wedding or a family session, prepare your clients with options. Rain boots make for great photos, as do clear umbrellas. Keep some clear shower curtain liners in your camera bag for clients to sit and stand on (they’re a great way to keep a wedding dress dry at the bottom).



Have a back-up plan

 Spend some time scouting the area for good alternatives. Overhangs and tunnels are always great. Standing near the outside wall of a parking garage can give you great light and keep you away from the elements. Find a cute bar, greenhouse, coffee shop or bookstore to shoot in.



Protect your gear

Bring an assistant to keep an umbrella over your head and zip lock bags are a great way to protect your camera while you dash from site to site. Need to protect your off-camera lighting? We love the bags that newspapers are delivered in to slide right over the top of your flash and PocketWizards.



Obviously, be safe!

Make good decisions when it comes to the safety of your team and your clients, but have some fun pushing boundaries and creating those amazing images!

PRO-TIP: Create a “How to prepare for bad weather” PDF and store it in Iris Works! Whether it’s a part of a workflow or an email that you manually send to your clients, you’ll look like the professional that you are keeping your clients in the loop on what to expect!



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