Even though it doesn’t usually get that cold in South Carolina, sometimes winter is the best time to take your photos. Maybe you’re only able to see each other on winter break, or you had a Christmas engagement and want to take advantage of the Christmas scenery for your engagement photos. Either way, taking photos outside in cold weather takes some extra preparation.
I actually prefer cold weather over hot weather for photos. You can layer up as much as you want in cold weather and you won’t be sweaty. Bring hats, gloves, scarves, and extra layers so you can adjust for how warm you are.
Choosing a location is important for cold weather because you need to be careful of ice. In the mountains, or even in the shade, there may be a portion of the road closed for ice. Ice also makes things slippery, so walking or driving might be a little more hazardous.
It’s a good idea to choose a location that’s a good balance of shade and open space. Shade lowers the temperature, but trees and buildings can help block cold wind. Even though the trees won’t have leaves, it doesn’t look “dead” like you might think. I love the way the golden hour sun comes through the trees, like in the photo below.
You can even coordinate them to your outfit—I love this off-white peacoat for this winter session, and her mom made both of their scarves! In hindsight, gloves would have made this session a lot more enjoyable because the wind was so cold and strong that their hands were hurting and we ended sooner than planned.
I hope this was helpful! For more weather tips, check these out:
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Info for Chimney Rock State Park in Chimney Rock, North Carolina.