If you have ever wondered why I will not book a portrait session at noon, this is the post.
Midday sun comes from straight overhead. It puts shadows under eyes, blows out foreheads, and makes everyone squint. You can fight it with reflectors and shade and a lot of editing, but you are fighting. Late light comes in sideways, wraps around a face, and lights up hair and grass and everything behind you. You are not fighting anymore. You are just standing in it.
The schedule
I book sessions to start about ninety minutes before sunset. The first half hour is still bright, good for the downtown and brick-wall frames where you want a little punch. The middle forty minutes is the sweet spot in open spaces: prairie, fields, water. The last twenty minutes is the softest light of the day, and then for about five minutes after the sun goes down the sky turns into a giant softbox. I try to save the close-ups for that.
What that means for you
In June near Appleton, that is a 7:00 start. In October it is closer to 4:30. The time changes every week, so when you book I will give you the exact start. Bring a light layer for the end, because the temperature drops with the sun.
Rain dates are built into every session. Overcast is actually fine, often beautiful. Rain is not. If the forecast turns, we move, no charge, no drama.