It’s no surprise that most Boston family photographers are booked to capacity from September through November. Everyone wants that fall foliage for their photos and a holiday card contender or two. While being busy is awesome for obvious reasons, it can also be a little hard to stay inspired when you’re knee-deep in editing for months on end. Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE photographing families and newborns every weekend. I love seeing old clients and meeting new ones, butttt it’s always fun to push yourself. This season, I did a few new things to keep myself feeling inspired.
I Booked a Documentary Session
A few months ago, I blogged about the meaning of lifestyle photography. If you caught that post, you may remember that lifestyle photography is NOT the same as documentary photography. This fall though, I photographed an actual documentary session. My client wanted photos of her kids jumping on the trampoline, having a “finger painting fight,” and the whole family roasting marshmallows. In fact, when I asked them if they wanted just one photo of everyone looking, they declined! It was so.much.fun! They even had some 80s and 90s jams playing while the kids were having a blast on the trampoline, and I danced along behind my camera (and mask!).
I Booked a Horse Portrait Session
Have you ever checked out my About Me page? I’m always happy when prospective clients reference it! One thing I’ve included on there is my love of horses. I grew up riding, owned a horse, and rode competitively in college. Fun fact: We were National Champions in 2006! Horse portraiture is a niche that I’ve always wanted to pursue, but never have, so when an event rider reached out to me about having photos taken with her two horses this fall, I was STOKED. You can bank on a blog post from that session soon!
I Checked Out New Locations
Booking that horse session meant heading to a new location. Typically, I don’t like to shoot at places sight unseen, but the horses were too far away for me to go see the field before our session. The best part about it was that it was COMPLETELY empty and we had the whole place to ourselves, which literally never happens anywhere in the greater Boston area in the fall. I also discovered a new farm not too far from my house and I did a family session there in November. Even on a dreary, totally overcast day, it made for a stunning backdrop and I’ll definitely be heading back in 2021.
If you’re a photographer, how do you keep yourself feeling inspired during the busiest season of the year?
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Melissa Rabbitt is one of many Boston family photographers who photographs families and newborns on-location. However, she limits her bookings each month to create a custom, flexible experience for her clients. For more information about sessions, reach out here!
