Don't hesitate to have a winter family session during the Holidays just because it's cold and snowy. Montana offers incredible and memorable scenery, especially in Big Sky and Bozeman in Southwest Montana.
Keep Track of the Weather
White winter days after a snowfall can create gorgeous photographs as it covers the mountain tops and Lodge Pole Pines.
Book your winter family pictures at least three weeks before you want to have your session. But you can also call last minute to ask about unexpected openings in our schedule.
We keep a couple days open on either side of your request should the weather or children's moods dictate a date change.
Weather forecasts in Southwest Montana are usually accurate 3-4 days out but outside of that the weather forecast can be unreliable. We can make most any weather work for great photos by helping you pick the best timing and clothing.
We find that the AccuWeather site and app works well here.
Dress For the Weather
This is the time to really play up the winter fashion when planning outfits. Think cozy knit scarves, colorful coats, adorable boots, mittens and more! Dress to be warm, colorful and cute. Underdressing, especially children, can make the session not fun and shortened. Once kids get cold there's no chance to recover their good moods.
It can be tempting to wear something beautiful that you've been excited to wear but if the clothing is not warm enough you will be uncomfortable.
The secret to keeping warm in a Montana winter is to layer clothing. Kids are taught in Montana they can always take off a layer if they're too warm but once they're out in the mountains they cannot put on more clothes.
One more tip: make sure socks are layered and dry. Cold socks and no hat is the quickest way to being too cold.
Plan an Activity
Plan an activity during the session. This will add more depth to the experience and give you the most genuine emotions beyond the group and individual photos.
The added benefit of the activity is warmth. Moving around warms up the little ones and there's nothing more precious many years from now to see photos of parents playing with kids. And to see the true joy in your family spending time together is beyond valuable.
Also plan the session so that nobody gets fussy or too cold. We ALWAYS suggest planning the session to take place when the youngest children are apt to be in their best moods. Every mom and dad know when their kids are the happiest during the day.
You may also want to plan your session to work around other planned activities such as skiing. If your group plans on skiing that day the mornings are best so you don't have to hurry off the hill to get ready for your session in the late afternoon when the sun is setting. It sets early in the mountains in the winter. We keep morning sessions for the skiers early and quick and fun so they can make to the lifts with enough time to have a full day of skiing.
Make sure that everyone is dressed warmly from the start. Lay out clothing the night before so everyone knows what they'll be wearing.
Pick Colors that Pop
White snow, blue mountain skies and green forests are a wonderful backdrop for colorful clothing. Clothing colors po
p much more in the winter than summer. Choose powerful colors. Primary colors work well; especially red as it draws the viewers immediate attention to the photo.
