Surprising Summer Photo Tips
Summertime is often peak travel season for many of us—especially those with kids and school schedules (#summervacation)! 🛫 Naturally, travel peaks during the summer, and for a good reason—summertime weather is ideal in many locations worldwide! ☀️ Summer heat, humidity, crowds, and more mean some seasonal quirks that are helpful to know and navigate to make your summer photo shoot a success rather than a season of summertime sadness. 🌞 At Flytographer, we easily connect people with trusted photographers for fun photo shoots and have captured over four million memories worldwide. 🌎 Today, we asked our local photographers to share the most surprising summer photo tips to help you nail great photos in the summer sun. 😎
TLDR
(A little sneak peek just for you! 😊)
- Hide from the bright sun – The sun isn’t something to fear, but when it comes to smiling portraits without squinting eyes and harsh shadows, the shade is your friend!
- Avoid the middle of the day – We highly recommend early morning or evening shoots—during the golden hour!
- Steer clear of the crowds – Finding unique locations, off-the-beaten-path spots, and different angles are the key to nailing great summer shots, and our Flytographers are local experts.
- Don’t look at the camera – When it comes to beautiful, natural, and flattering photos that emit emotion, think less about smiling at the camera—candid shots are the best!
- Forget how to pose – The photo opportunities when you enjoy the moment and let go of posing expectations start to seem endless and effortless, so try and lean into the whole experience!
- Avoid the full glam – Summertime shoots are the perfect opportunity to skip the hair and makeup and lean into a few beauty essentials!
- Watch what you wear – Wear what is comfortable and breathable, and pay special attention to colours and patterns when it comes to sweat!
- Don’t forget about shoes – You’ll probably move around at least double what you think you will. Be prepared with practical shoes that won’t have you in tears!
- Bring less – Whenever possible, leave extra bags and clothing behind at your hotel.
- Sleep lots – The night before your shoot, avoid alcohol, get lots of sleep, and don’t forget to hydrate!
Photo: Amber in Palm Springs for Flytographer. Lauren and friends capture memories in Palm Springs with a friends trip photoshoot.
1. Hide from the bright sun
Let’s start with the most obvious summertime sidekick: the sun. ☀️ Listen, we love ourselves on a sunny day, and our photographers are pros at shooting in natural light! 👍 The sun isn’t something to fear, but when it comes to smiling portraits without squinting eyes and harsh shadows, avoiding the bright sun will be a must—at least for some of your shoot, ➪ shady spots are a must. If you’re doing a solo shoot, or even a partner, friend, or another shoot as a duo, shooting in the bright sun is still possible if you’re willing to be creative and lean into the harsh light. But when pushing past two people and for those who are more sensitive to sunny skies, we recommend finding a location with ample shade. 🫣 Shading is found under or near walls, buildings, trees, natural structures, overhangs, and more! Especially for close-up shots, utilize shade and hide from the bright sunlight to achieve better photos on sunny days.
Pro photography tip: harsh sunlight will blow out surrounding colours no matter what camera settings are used. Even consistent lighting is difficult to nail at midday when the sun is shining since the sun is the ultimate light source. 🔆 This means even if you’re in the shade and your face is evenly lit, the background will not be visible because the sun will blow out the background.
Photo: Assunta in Bari for Flytographer. Elizabeth and partner celebrate their honeymoon in Bari with a honeymoon photoshoot in Poligano a Mare.
2. Avoid the middle of the day
Speaking of the sun, we highly recommend avoiding taking photos in the middle of the day, and instead, opt for early morning or evening—the golden hour! 🌅 Mornings are great, especially if you’re taking photos in crowded or touristy areas. Evening light is similarly flattering, but typically there are more crowds than just after sunrise. We love blue skies, but for better photos, mornings and evenings show off a softer light and more beautiful colouring for summertime pics! ⌚️
Friendly reminder: days in the summer are long (hooray for loads of sunshine!), so a sunrise shoot in the summertime will fall much earlier in the morning than during other seasons! ⏰
Photo: Jimie in Bali for Flytographer. Dannette and partner capture memories in Bali with a couples photoshoot at the Tegalalang Rice Fields of Ubud.
3. Steer clear of the crowds
The summer months are packed with crowds, as we’re all stoked about our summer vacations! Finding unique locations, off-the-beaten-path spots, and different angles are the key to nailing great summer shots. One of the biggest perks to hiring a professional photographer is they are the experts—the local pros when finding the best spots for pictures. If you’re ISO (“in search of” it’s a photography term if you caught our pun! 😜) the best summer photos, look no further than Flytographer for your professional travel photography needs. ✔
Photo: Emma in Tuscany for Flytographer. Eric and partner celebrate a proposal in Tuscany with a proposal photoshoot at the Val d’Orcia View.
4. Don’t look at the camera
When it comes to beautiful, natural, flattering photos that emit emotion, think less about smiling into the camera because candid shots are always better! 😃 Oftentimes, we feel super awkward avoiding the camera. Part of your Flytographer editing process is to select the most flattering, memorable pictures. That will include you (and your favourite people) looking super cool, at ease, and natural. 🙌 Your photographer will ask you to adjust or smile for the camera, but don’t be afraid to look away! It’s often a lot more comfortable to look at your partner, family member, friend, or anyone not behind the camera, so fear not—you’ve got this! 😊
Photo: Livushé in Lima for Flytographer. Karen and family capture memories in Lima with a family photoshoot in the Barranco district.
5. Forget how to pose
Photo opportunities when you enjoy the moment and forget how to pose will start to feel effortless. One of our favourite and most surprising summer photo tips is to get creative and have fun—action shots don’t have to mean running together. It can be as simple as gestures, chit-chat, and simple games like I Spy! 👁 Take advantage of sitting and relaxing, especially if your body is craving rest from that summer heat. Your Flytographer will help you pose naturally in front of the camera, so try and be yourself. Reminder: you have a professional photographer on the other side of the camera, so this is the perfect time to let loose and lean into their expertise!
For more tips on how to look natural in front of the camera, be sure to read this post! 👩💻
Photo: Jeff in Sydney for Flytographer. Melissa and family capture memories in Sydney with a multigenerational reunion photoshoot on the Sydney Harbour Walk.
6. Avoid the full glam
So many of our social media feeds these days are filled with super glam full makeup and hair tutorials, which is cool, don’t get us wrong, but it’s also not necessarily the best idea for summertime photoshoots. 😬 We want to emphasize this point in humid environments: makeup on a hot day tends to melt like ice cream. 🫠🍦 Summer shoots are the perfect opportunity to skip the full sets (they’re more stressful than it’s worth, we promise) and lean into a few essentials like lip gloss and powder—especially on a hot day! 💄
Photo: Sehee in New York City for Flytographer. Jacqueline and friends celebrate a birthday in New York City with a birthday photoshoot in Greenwich Village.
7. Watch what you wear
It may be down at #7, but this is a biggie, and we can’t stress it enough: wear what is comfy and breathable! 😅 It is hard to feel confident and effortless in clothes that are too restrictive, heavy, or hot for a summer day. Avoid fabrics that wrinkle easily, and please be aware of colours that show sweat stains because they’re almost impossible to hide! 💧 If you’re carrying anything (more on this in a bit), don’t wear your bag or backpack when you travel/walk to your shoot—by the time you’re camera-ready, odds are a lovely wet spot will reveal itself where your bag was. 🎒 No one wants to feel self-conscious, so focus on light, breathable, and well-chosen colours. 👍
A final tip that is sometimes slightly controversial: no sunglasses, please! 🕶 As much as we adore our Flytographers—and we’re confident you will, too—we’re also confident you don’t want their reflection visible in all your vacation photos. 🪞🙋♀️ Another con is sunglasses usually leave red marks on faces, and they hide pretty eyes that are important to connect with in photos! 🙅♂️
Photo: Kerrigan in Nashville for Flytographer. Michelle and family capture memories in Nashville with a family photoshoot at the John Seigenthaler Bridge.
8. Don’t forget about shoes!
The best friend to summertime clothing advice is summertime shoe advice. Shoes are tough but are even trickier in the summertime because hot feet = sweaty feet = blisters. Hi! Ow! 👋 🩹 Be sure to think of the terrain at your location: high heels 👠 do not play well with cobblestones, grass, chip trails, or sand. If you’re wearing new shoes to your shoot, give them plenty of time to break in before your scheduled shoot time. 🥿 Come prepared with comfortable shoes that won’t have you in tears. You’ll probably move around twice as much as you think you will.
Photo: Amanda in Grand Canyon for Flytographer. Stanley and partner celebrate a proposal in Grand Canyon with a proposal photoshoot at Lipan Point.
9. Bring less
Remember that bag talk? Yes, that. More on that now. In the summer, finding a safe place to leave your bags and packing many bags can prove challenging! When possible, leave extra bags and clothing behind at your hotel. 🎒 👜 🛍 Our photographers are going to be carrying their cameras, bags, and other gear, so asking them to carry your bags isn’t possible, and in many areas (particularly cities), having bags stolen happens more often than you might imagine, so we discourage customers from setting them down during your shoot. The good news is summertime means fewer layers and no coats and winter accessories to deal with, so you’re already coming into this ahead of the game! 🫡
Photo: Olga in Paris for Flytographer. Abby and partner celebrate a proposal in Paris with a proposal photoshoot at Trocadéro & Eiffel Tower.
10. Sleep lots
Our final, and sometimes forgotten from our most surprising summer photo tips: sleep! 😴 The night before your shoot, get lots of sleep and hydrate with lots of water. Avoid alcohol 🍷—you want to feel refreshed and relaxed when you show up to your shoot, and those vacation mornings can come early! 🛌 Making sure jet lag isn’t your nemesis, avoid things you know will make your life more complicated in the morning! 🥱 Make sleep a priority in the hours leading up to your photoshoot.
Photo: Liz in San Diego for Flytographer. Kaitlyn and partner capture memories in San Diego with a couples photoshoot.
That’s a wrap!
OK! Summertime! How are you feeling!? Excited? Liberated? Enthusiastic? 🤞
For the perfect summer photos and more summer photography ideas, check out this post filled with tips on great outdoor photos and this one to get more pose and outfit inspiration! Summer fun is upon us—huzzah! The clock is ticking. 📆 We can’t wait to help capture your summer season memories! 📸
“Matt is an amazing photographer, he is so laid back and does not force poses or smiles. He was very accommodating as we had a family member on crutches. He was very warm and friendly and easy to work with. I highly recommend him for your photo shoot. We enjoyed our time with him & love our pictures!”
Cherie
“Our session with Alex was BEYOND AMAZING and the photos speak for themselves. I LOVE THEM ALL and will cherish them forever! Alex was communicative before, during, and even after the session. She gave recommendations on possible shoot locations and was super helpful in the planning process. She gave great direction and worked really well with my two silly kids. They loved her! I couldn’t have asked for a better experience!”
Chasity
“Emma made our Florence trip one of the best experiences we’ve ever had. Her warmness, art direction, and creativity have resulted in the best photos we can ask for. They exceeded our expectations and we would totally recommend Emma to any of our friends who travels to Florence. We promise you this will be the easiest decision to make.”
Tyler
