It's here...no school, no homework, lots of sun, vacations and staycations. Shorts and sandals, otter pops and bbqs, sun bleached hair and lots of sunscreen.
SUMMER
Aside from fall and winter and spring, summer is pretty much my favorite season. I'm kidding...kind of. I do love summer, but the heat here in Utah is less than desirable for me. It's my daughter's favorite season, she's an early summer baby and she loves the outdoors and anything water related (might be why she's such a dedicated swimmer). Over the years I've gotten a little used to the sun, I try to embrace it, but as a blonde who often forgets the sunscreen, I'm not quite in love with it yet. But for me, the best part of summer is getting to spend more time with the kids relaxing, exploring and making memories together.
We're working on our summer bucket list (we put one together for Spring Break and we were able to cross everything off of our list!) that I'll be posting about soon but for now I want to talk a little bit about summer photo tips and ideas.
SUMMER photo tips
Always remember that the best camera you have is the one that you have with you. If there's a shot to get, take it. Don't wait to run inside the house to get the big camera, grab your phone or your kid's phone or whatever you can find and get that shot!
When getting your shot look at where the sun is falling - are you getting big shadows on your subject's faces? Is there a better position that you could get into to eliminate those? Be sure to move around when you're shooting.
Don't forget the little items that are essential to summer...sunscreen, water guns, flip flops, etc. Get environmental shots as well as closeup shots and images of the overall scene. Varying your perspective will get you some great images.
One of my biggest tips (and one that I'm working on) is to get in the images! Take selfies with your kids, ask a friend or your spouse (or a stranger!!) to snap a photo. You need to be present in your images. Make this a priority, your children and future generations will thank you.
summer photo ideas
If you're thinking about getting a summer bucketlist together, these photo ideas are a great jumping off point.
kids sleeping in
summer attire
ice cream/popscicles
road trips
sunglasses selfies
sunsets/sunrises
picnics
trips to the park
bbqs
trips to the pool/beach
bubbles
sidewalk chalk
parades
vacations
gardening
bike rides
water balloon fights
kids in the sprinkler
hikes
summer foods
summer drinks
fireworks
the farmer's market
arts + crafts
indoor quiet time
movies
campouts
s'mores
I'd love to see some of your favorite summer images. Leave a comment with a link to some of your favorite summertime shots that just scream summer. Next week I'll post my summer bucketlist and talk a bit about how we plan on tackling that list.
xo, c