How to Make Winter Weather Work for Your Shoot! // KBP Photo Shoot Guides

If you have a photo shoot planned during fall or winter and anticipate adverse seasonal weather, check out these tips to help manage challenges and make winter weather work for you!

IN THIS GUIDE
1. Adverse Weather Conditions
2. Working With Wind

• Combat the Cold
• Windswept Hair & Clothes
• Dust & Allergens

3. Preparing for Rain

• How to Not Get Wet
• Avoid Rain-Splotched Clothes
• Keeping Your Shoes Dry

Read time: 20 minutes

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Adverse Weather Conditions

In Northern California, the most common challenges with fall and winter time photo shoots is wind and rain (and sometimes, both at the same time!). While the local climate tends to be pretty mild until Mid-December, we do see rain and winds begin to pickup, striking sporadically in late October and November. If your forecast predicts rain or wind, check out these tips to help prepare for your session.

Working with Wind

The challenge with wind is three-fold:

• It lowers the temperature with wind chill.
• It blows around hair and clothing.
• It can kick up dust, debris, pollen and other allergens, which can get in your eyes.

How you want to combat a windy day will vary depending on the time of year, style of your photo shoot, group size, and location. Shoot locations with wide-open space will be more of a challenge than those with protective tree lines, wind breaks, fences, or nearby buildings!

How to Combat the Cold

• Wear warm, layered clothing, and plan your style around a more bundled-up look.
• Consider tight hats, beanies, scarves, and gloves to accent your outfit and keep the heat in. You lose most of your body heat through your extremities!
• Consider buying a few hand warmers at the store to keep in your pockets. They can be purchased in the sporting goods section of most big box stores!

How to Handle Windswept Hair & Clothes

• Consider a hairstyle that keeps your hair out of your face: braids, ponytails, or clips. Use liberal amounts of mouse/hair gel/hair spray.
• Consider a look that incorporates beanies in order to keep the hair around your face still and out of the way.
• Wear pants or shirts/jackets/skirts made of heavier materials, so they will not be so easily blown by the wind.
• Button or zip up jackets and sweaters, tuck in shirts where appropriate, and consider tucking any scarves into jacket collars for a wind-proof metropolitan look.

How to Deal with Dust and Allergens

• If you're allergy prone, consider taking some over the counter allergy medications 30 minutes-1 hour before your shoot.
• Keep redness relieving eyedrops on hand, in case you get an allergy flare-up or debris in your eyes you need to wash out.

Preparing for Rain

The challenge with rain is three-fold:

• Rain water is COLD.
• Water splotches don't look good in pictures!
• Wet shoes suck, and it's hard to avoid.

How you want to combat a rainy day will vary depending on the time of year, ambient temperature, style of your photo shoot, group size, and location. The more paved paths available at your shoot location, the less likely your feet will get soggy or muddy. The more trees at your location, the more likely you are to get large water droplets on your head and clothes.

How to Not Get Wet
​Depending on how much it's raining, you can't entirely avoid this; but if you dress appropriately,  you can get pretty close!

• Consider wearing galoshes/rain boots, and a classic long rain coat. This will both style you for the shoot, keep you dry, and allow you to move about the shoot location without worrying about getting wet or muddy.
• Bring cute umbrellas! Clear plastic umbrellas work best if you can find them, as they allow better permeation of light than opaque umbrellas do. However any umbrella is better than no umbrella if its coming down hard enough, and there are some cute poses you can do with them!
• Bring a towel and leave it in the car for the end of your shoot. You can use it to dry off or clean water and mud off shoes.
• If it's raining heavily, consider packing a spare set of socks and shoes, so the drive home is more comfortable! This is an especially helpful strategy with young children.

Avoid Rain-Splotched Clothes

• Elaborately patterned shirts hide rain splotches best, such as florals or plaids. Avoid solids (with the exception of dark colors), and highly-absorbent materials such as cotton.
• Wear water-proof or water-resistant clothing, jackets, or sweaters, such as rain slicks and thick pea coats.

Keeping your shoes Dry
The right shoe is essential for a successful rainy day shoot. How natural is your smile going to be with a soggy shoe?!

• The best footwear for rainy days are rain boots, waterproof outdoor shoes (if you have any that match your outfit), or water-resilient sandals--though I only recommend those if its a warmer springtime or summer rain.
• If you anticipate your location being a challenge--perhaps there is mud, or areas that puddle, consider bringing a backup pair of shoes!