I often get asked what happens to a  scheduled shoot if there is bad weather?  Here’s how it breaks down.

I want your pictures to be the best they can be.  Sometimes, just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.  Last week Houston experienced some pretty strong winds on a day that I had a shoot scheduled.  I used to live in Lubbock where it was windy all the time.  There were a few times when I did try to brave the wind and proceed with the scheduled session.  But even though we would brave the wind, we still had a ton of flyaway hairs (way more than can just be “photoshopped out”), my clients would get frustrated with the wind and the flying hair and ultimately even though they tried to look happy in their photos, it would come across in their pictures that they weren’t having a good time.  And let’s face it, I want the whole getting-your-picture-taken experience to be FUN!

My philosophy on the subject is this:  I want your pictures (and you in them) to look amazing!  If I think the weather (be it overcast skies, rain, wind, sleet, snow, you name it) might somehow hinder the overall outcome of your photos, then I’m going to suggest that we reschedule.  Depending on different circumstances, I usually make that call the day before the scheduled shoot.  Some ladies make appointments to get their hair and makeup done, and I don’t want them to go through all of that and pay their hair and makeup artists just to have their shoot canceled two hours before our appointment.  Have I sometimes canceled a shoot due to rainy weather and then it stops raining an hour before the shoot was planned to start?  Yes.  Could we have technically continued with the session that day if I hadn’t of cancelled that morning?  Yes.  BUT, the grounds would be wet and the grass soppy and muddy.

Obviously every situation is different and sometimes things can’t be rescheduled (such as weddings), but if it’s something that can be rescheduled for a day with no wind and no rain, I suggest taking the minor inconvenience of picking another day and you’ll end up enjoying the getting-your-picture-taken- experience much more.

Here’s an example from Lauren and Tyler’s engagement session where there were clear, sunny skies and the weather and lighting was perfect!