Senior Sessions- What month is best for you?

I frequently get asked which season is the best for a senior sessions but that's actually a complicated answer. Think about it- we live in Indiana. The weather today alone will pretend to be 3 different seasons, am I right?! However, over the years, I've found it's better to think what MONTH is best for your session rather than trying to pin it down to a season. Here I'm going to give you some examples of what are the pros and cons of each month. Plus photos because everything is better with a visual, right?!

This is going to be the start of my senior blog series where I try to answer all of your questions in one place. Think about it- if you are wondering about something in regards to senior sessions then, most likely, you are not alone. Please drop any other questions you may have in the comments below.

But first, what month is the best for your session?

Let me start off by saying the answer is almost never January, February or March. Snow, cold, mud and dead everything outside. I'm just going to buzz right on past those.

April

This month is generally reserved for seniors who will be graduating in May/ June but it is in no way a throw away month! April is new, bright green grass and trees. Blossoms and everything is in bloom and sprouting. It's fun, girly and can be one of the prettiest months. The temperatures are finally warming up (usually) and we have later sunsets so you won't have to start a session at noon to get a sunset at 3:00 like the previous 3 months. The downsides- It can be sunny and 80 one day and spitting snow the next. If it snows, those pretty blossoms are usually done for. April is also a big storm month so while we may plan for sessions, just know that Mother Nature will always get the last laugh if she wants. The other main con for April, especially for those graduating in a few weeks, is it is BUSY! Senior projects, last minute major assignments, spring sports. all of the final senior days, prom, and college prep can take a lot of your time. Sometimes it is just too much to wait until the end of your senior year for photos.

April photo examples:

May

I actually don't shoot anything other than cap and gown minis and an occasional family session in May since it is way too close to graduation to get photos back in time and too early for most of the next class of seniors to schedule their sessions since they're still finishing their junior year.

June

One of my favorite months for senior sessions! Summer weather is here but usually isn't super hot and humid just yet. Everything is green and the trees are full of leaves. There are still some occasional flowers in bloom and the sunsets are perfection. The stormy season has mostly passed by this point so we can be a bit more predicable with planning. I think of June as the soft, almost pastel month of summer. Like baby Summer, if you will!

Examples of June sessions:

July

If June is the soft, gentle, pastel month of summer, well then July is the loud, bold, full neon tones of Summer! It's peak Summer. Late, deep sunsets that we dream about all winter long. Creeks are flowing and inviting and it's hot, humid and full on tan season. It's jewel tones and cute sun dresses and tall, deep green grasses and meadows. Basically, for a winter hating person like me, it's perfection. However, there are a lot of cons to keep in mind with July. First and foremost, it is hot and humid. Like over 100 degrees kinda hot. We actually had ro reschedule several sessions last July for heat idex ranges of well over 105. At that point is isn't worth trying to shoot. You will be a hot, sticky mess in anything except the pool. The other thing to keep in mind with July sessions are this. 1- football has started back up in full force usually by now so if you have a senior buy they are mostly likely not going to want to shoot in July. They will be covered in bumps and bruises from practices as well as exhausted by session time if they've already done 1 or even 2 workouts. The other big thing to think about is the county fair. (This is such a Midwest blog moment!) If you have kids participating in the county fairs they are BUSY. Not just the week of their fair, but the ones leading up to it. Also consider if they are wanting any livestock in photos- will those animals already by at the fair even if your senior isn't?

August

School is back, you're finally, offically a senior and life is anout to get BUSY! This is what I hear time and time again both from seniors and their parents. The senior year is no joke. There are so many activites to keep up with and life if completely chaotic and amazing. August is a great time for Spring sprort athletes since you aren't in-season with practices and training. While the weather is still generally hot and humid it can start cooling down by the end of the month.

September

Welcome to my favorite month of the year both personally and for sessions. It is also generally my busiest month and books out up to 6 months in advance. In fact, it's not yet April and I am already anout 45% booked for September! The weather is perfect. Still warm but the humidity is finally lifting. Those deep summer sunsets are still happening and, towards the end of the month, we are starting to see the first glimmers of Autumn. Sunflowers happen, tall yellow grasses blow in gentle breezes and you can get away with shorts and jeans at your session with no issues. Truly the only downside to September is that it isn't 12 weeks long!

October & November

Hello, Autumn, well kinda. The first few weeks of October are still generally hot and almost feel like a second round of Summer just holding on. Flash forward to the middle and end of October and then we finally start to feel like a true fall season has hit. Leaves start changing colors, jeans and sweaters come out of the closet and deep jewel tones are perfect. The leaves really don't start changing until after Fall Break and then we actually don't hit peak until the very last few days of October or the start of November. In the past couple of years, true peak fall colors and those deepreds and color on the ground hasn't happened until November. Most people think that once we hit Halloween it's over and done. However, it's Indiana and she makes all of her own rules up! I will say that the closer you get to late October and early November the less predicible the weather becomes. It gets cold seemingly over night and the sun sets earlier every day. By the time we hit "peak" you won't want to be wearing short dresses and tank tops. See if you can guess which of these photos were taken in October and which were taken in November!