January Blues
why winter is a great season for portraits
This was a lovely couples shoot one Sunday morning a few weeks ago. It was an overcast day in January. We met in a on Hartshead Hall Lane, which is a little country road leading off Fall Lane in Hartshead. Kay and Andrew arrived dressed in their winter woolies, warm and cosy in coordinating navy with splashes of burgundy and hot pink. "I coordinated our outfits around Andrew's best jacket!" admitted Kay. Well it worked! They looked snug and stylish and we were able to get some fantastic shoots. After we went to Tamp and Steam for a hot chocolate and coffee to warm up. It was a lovely morning proving that winter can be a great season for portraits!
Why winter is great for portraits
You get to wear warm comfy clothes. Doesn't matter if you over-ate at Christmas, or if you haven't been able to keep up the exercise regime, you can wear jumpers and coats that help to cover up any seasonal bumps. If you are like me and prefer not to get arms and legs out even in summer, winter clothing can feel more comfortable. Darker colours can be brightened by colourful accessories such as hats, gloves, tops. Here the navy worked perfectly with Kays top and fingerless gloves.
The landscape offers great photo opportunities. Winter can give fuss free backdrops for your portraits. There are no distracting plants. leaves, flowers and the colours are more muted and toned down so it's easier to draw attention to the subjects in the portraits. Also trees without leaves, can prove a fantastic sculptural addition to photos, so for longer shots they can be used to frame the couple. I love these type of pictures in black and white, this can help make the shapes created by the naked branches really stand out.
It's quiet! If you are self conscious and don't relish the idea of having your portrait taken in front of day trippers or dog walkers, winter can be a good time of year to get out and about for pictures. We took these pictures on a Sunday morning and one dog walker came passed. Otherwise, we had the place to ourselves and were able to work for a solid half hour with no one peering over our shoulders.
Take advantage of dry January! I know a number of people who observe 'dry January,' including Kay and Andrew. If you are like this sociable couple, the rest of the year will be booked up with outings, concerts, get togethers and other exciting events. They like to keep January simple and booze free. Therefore they had a bit more time on their hands to schedule the shoot, and they were also up a bit earlier than usual at the weekend!
So get your camera and head out this winter for some wintery wonderful portraits!!
