Outdoor family photoshoot locations

What Age Should Your Kids Be for Harrisburg Fall Family Photography?

Fall family portraits are a favorite for so many families because of the beautiful autumn aesthetics. The colorful leaves make the perfect backdrop, so many families take advantage of the season. But are outdoor family photos an option when you have a baby? Is there a minimum age your kids should be for outdoor Harrisburg fall family photography?

A Mother,Father, and their two young daughters pose at a beautiful outdoor location during their outdoor photo session with Best fall family photographer near Harrisburg PA

The Best Ages for Outdoor Family Photos

There’s not a hard-and-fast rule about how old your kids should be before an outdoor family photo shoot, and I’ve worked with families whose kids are all ages, including infants! It’s really just a matter of your child’s development, your comfort level, and your expectations for the photo session. This is one of the many reasons why I have a personal consultation with my clients before their photo shoot - to plan the session and discuss any special considerations that we might have to think about.

Two young sisters laugh together on a little bench at their outdoor family photography session with Karissa Zimmer Photography

Considerations for Harrisburg Fall Family Photography with a Young Child

If you have a baby or toddler, there are several things you’ll want to consider when you’re thinking about whether they’re old enough for an outdoor fall family photo shoot:

  • Make sure your child is able to be outside in the fall weather for long enough to have your photo shoot. We can discuss how you can make sure they’re bundled up enough to be warm while still looking adorable for your portraits.
  • Your child doesn’t have to be able to stand or walk to be in a family photo shoot! But if they can’t, keep in mind that someone in the family will need to be holding them in most of the photos.
  • If your child can’t stand or walk without help, and you want some photos where no one is holding them, this is a perfect opportunity for us to lay down a cozy blanket and take some seat portraits of the family together.
  • During a family photo shoot, I love to have different combinations of family members - some of the whole family, some of the parents alone, some of the kids together, and so on. For a small or especially playful child, you might consider bringing along a grandparent or family friend who can care for them for a few minutes when I’m taking portraits of just you and your partner.

These are just a few of the things that you and I will discuss when we’re planning your Harrisburg fall family photography session if you have a young child. Rest assured that I work with families of all ages, and even if there’s some extra planning involved, I’ll create a beautiful family photo shoot that you can all cherish for years to come. Contact Karissa Zimmer Photography and let’s start planning!

Harrisburg PA photographer captures a family of 4 as they laugh together in a beautiful outdoor fall setting

 

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Hershey PA Family Photo Session: At What Age Should You Start Family Photos?

The beautiful family whose portraits are featured in this blog were an absolute joy to work with! As a photographer who takes family portraits as well as baby portraits like newborn photos and cake smash photos, a family session like this gives me the best of both worlds: I get to work with a sweet baby AND capture the genuine joy and love within their family. But some parents ask if their child is too young for a Hershey PA family photo session, and that brings up the question: when should you start taking family photos?

The fast answer is: as early as you can! Starting to have professional family portraits taken when your child is an infant is such a gift to your future self and your family in several ways.

Hershey PA outdoor family photography session with a mom, dad and their one year old baby daughter

Watch Your Family Grow Together

At this moment, you know every detail of your baby so well - you could close your eyes and picture their little face to the finest detail, and hear their little giggle with precision. But everything about your little one will change as they get older, and as the parent of a teenager, I can tell you that mementos of their earlier days will become more and more precious every year. If you start a habit of taking yearly family portraits when your child is a baby, someday you’ll have the most meaningful storybook made up of family photos from each year of their life, and it will bring you endless joy no matter how old they become.

Best Hershey PA Family Photographer captures a sweet moment between a mom and her one year old baby girl at their family portrait session with Karissa Zimmer Photography

Have the Whole Family in Photos

A lot of parents think, “I have plenty of photos, I snap pictures of my kids all the time!” But you might not realize until years later that there are hardly any with your whole family - including you, the parents, because you’re always behind the camera. Family portraits allow you to not only see and remember your sweet children but they let you reminisce about being with your kids too - that day that you spent playing in the park with them during your photo shoot, taking time out of your busy lives to make memories together.

A father looks at his baby girl during their Hershey PA photo session

A Hershey PA Family Photo Session with a Baby Isn’t as Difficult as You Think

A lot of parents hesitate about taking family portraits when their kids are babies because they worry that it’ll be too hard to get good family pics with a baby or toddler, so they don’t start until the kids are elementary aged or even older. But allow me to reassure you - it’s not as challenging as you might think! I’ll talk to you about how to prepare your kids, and I have some tricks up my sleeve too to get some beautiful and genuine smiles from the whole family. Trust me, it’s well worth having a lifelong reminder of these moments.

A Dad and his one year old baby girl share a moment together at their Family Photography session with Hershey PA photographer Baby girl is all smiles as she sits on a little wooden bed prop at her family photos near Hershey with Karissa Zimmer Photography

If you have a little one at home, now is the time to start the tradition of a yearly Hershey PA family photo session! Contact Karissa Zimmer Photography and let’s start planning your session together.

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