It’s that time of year… The leaves are about ready to turn and the weather will be getting chillier. Cozy season is almost upon us! Start thinking now about your fall photo sessions and where you’ll want to have them taken to capture the best fall leaves.

Things to keep in mind for autumn photo sessions:

In St. Louis, peak times for those beautiful, vibrant autumn leaves typically are the end of October through early November. This information isn’t down to a science by any means, but knowing those general peak times can help you book a photographer further in advance. Lots of photographers completely book out their fall schedules earlier in the year.
Speaking of booking early… Remember, if you’re wanting portraits with those fall colors, book as soon as you realize you want to do fall photos, seriously. Fall is a really busy time for most photographers and you want to get those sessions in the books as soon as you can, for their sake and yours!
Sometimes things don’t always cooperate for outdoor photos this time of year in the Midwest… it can be misting, way chillier than we’d like (or sometimes way warmer…), super windy, or the leaves haven’t quite turned yet. Be sure to keep an open mind for your session and know that it’ll still be magical no matter what the weather is like! (BONUS: Often times photographers can digitally make the colors of the leaves slightly more vibrant gold and orange tones if the trees are still feeling pretty green.😉 Just be sure to ask your photographer if that is something they are able to do before booking them)
Golden hour (about an hour before sunset) is a popular time to get photos taken, but with good reason especially this time of year! When it’s sunny out, golden hour makes all the leaves look way more magical. Bear in mind though that if you choose a popular location at golden hour (especially on the weekends), know that there will likely be lots of people doing the same thing you’re doing! Can’t say I didn’t warn ya.