“Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully.” – Kristen Butler
Sunset rules. That’s the short version, haha! But I can hear the groans of the toddler mamas from here. And listen, I was once you. One of my kids in particular is still not an evening person at 8 years old. We still struggle to go out to dinner at a regular dinner time (ie not 5pm) with him! So you can imagine at 2 years old he was not up for anything after 5pm. So I get it, I do. But unfortunately the best light is around sunrise, and sunset. Summer in Perth makes both these times hard (4am or 8pm anyone?!) but the rest of the year we really can make this work, and sunset is always best.
People often worry about toddlers losing it at that time. And yes, it’s a thing that happens! You can check out the Lawton family session here where Oli didn’t care about the S T U N N I N G light we had; he was done with a capital D, lol! We ended up reshooting at a sunrise spot. But that’s actually one of the only times that’s happened! As a general rule, 99% of the time kids cope really well with the photo shoot itself but they may be challenging afterwards. Of course this is not ideal! But once in a blue moon is ok, honestly, and if it’s not a cloudy day, the photos are 110% worth it. We can get them through the shoot with bubbles, snacks, camera peekaboo and toys and it’ll be fiiiine, promise!
There’s a couple of photographers in Perth who only shoot outdoors at sunset and I don’t want to be that harsh, but please, really consider this to get the most bang for your buck! I have a couple of amazing sunset locations in Woodvale, Wembley Downs and Tapping in particular, and I basically want to sway you with soft and stunning light, lol, so scroll on down and enjoy this jumbled sunset collection.
You see a lot of sun flares in that gallery (where the sun is reflecting through the lens intensely obscuring the subject – in this case, people). I like them particularly as mine are all authentic, but rest assured, a whole sunset session isn’t filled with flares. Check out a full sunset session and a mini sunset session and so many more on the blog.
It’s worth noting that I only enhance photos in the editing process, I don’t change them (I have a whole rant about photography vs digital art so don’t ask me if you don’t want to hear it, haha!!). This means if there’s no sunset light, I don’t add any in so it needs to be fairly cloudless on the day.
Nope, I’m not convinced. My kid will be a nightmare.
If we’re not doing sunset light, then why not do your session at home? You’ll be surprised how amazing home sessions can be, honestly. And no fancy house required! And bonus, home sessions can be at almost any time of day. I only capture newborns at home, and home sessions are ideal for older babies and younger toddlers who can struggle in strange places with new people and a big black camera in their face so matter how many games of camera peekaboo I do!
Check out these home sessions to sway you that way:
- We welcomed 9 day old baby Ethan and worked exclusively in Mums and Dads room. Check it out here.
- The Strumble family happen to have a gorgeous old 50s home. Have a look at my window obsession here.
- My bestie also has a lovely old home. See Hugo’s 3rd birthday session here.
- I’ve been lucky enough to capture two Lupica families at home! See them here and here.
There’s a million more too, just scroll through the blog.
Look forward to capturing your family story soon xxx
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