Winter family portraits can be tricky. It is all about timing and a little bit of luck. The perfect recipe for family portraits in the snow is a fresh snow (at least 3 inches), no wind so it sticks to the trees, temps between 20-32 degrees, and a flexible schedule. These family snow portraits were originally scheduled a week later than when we actually shot them. I was monitoring the weather and noticed temps were going to be increasing mid week leaving us with dirty wet snow… or no snow at all! I contacted the family and asked if they would be available to shoot before the temps increased and they made it work.
Another important detail to mention is the session duration. Most family portrait sessions last 1 hour. However, in below freezing temps, fingers, toes, and noses start to hurt and/or get red quickly. For this reason, winter family snow sessions are 30 minutes. Below are some of my favorite portraits from this session, but be sure to check out all of the Pursley’s Winter Family Portraits.