THE BLOG.
The Best Time of Year to Get Family Portraits Done in New England
Discover the best time for fall family portraits in New England. Learn peak foliage dates, seasonal tips, and see highlights from a fall portrait session.
As a photographer, I can create a stunning family photo shoot in any season here in New England, but there’s something truly brilliant about capturing family portraits during the autumn months. It’s magical—an absolute visual delight, especially for those of us who love storytelling through bold, vibrant colors.
Why Do the Leaves Change Color in the Fall?
The timing of when leaves change color is primarily determined by the length of nights, which grow longer as autumn approaches. This leads to cooler temperatures, triggering the process of senescence—the gradual aging and deterioration of leaves. Weather also plays a key role in fall foliage. A wet growing season followed by warm, dry, sunny days and cool nights creates the most vibrant colors!
So when is the best time for fall photos? It varies from year to year and location to location. Most of my family portrait clients are based in Worcester, Middlesex, and Norfolk counties, so I’ve included a list of peak fall foliage dates for these and a few other areas below!
Source: https://newengland.com/foliage/foliage/peak-fall-foliage-map/
Peak Fall Foliage Dates by County:
Norfolk County: November 1st through 17th
Suffolk County: November 1st through 17th
Worcester County: November 5th through 10th
Essex County: November 8th through November 12th
Middlesex County: November 8th through November 12th
Fall Photo Session | Westford, MA
Last autumn, I had the pleasure of photographing the G family. Their boys were full of energy—rambunctious, wild, and simply being happy, healthy kids! Every parent of young children worries they’ll leave a session without any usable images, but I promise you, I’ve got you covered. I won’t let you leave without knowing I’ve curated an amazing story from our time together.
These parents will remember the silliness and joyful chaos of capturing family photos while their boys were still little. And the boys? They’ll remember wrestling, climbing, jumping, and snuggling! The air was crisp, the colors were vibrant, and everyone left feeling happy.
Newborn Photography - San Diego, CA
“ASSPLOSION” - “Extremely wet, violently forceful diarrhea, which explodes from from the anus in one awesome deluge.”
If you are a new parent, the dusk till dawn infant “assplosions” may be a reality you are still adapting to! Bringing home a new baby is a season of life that inspires every human emotion in existence. Sometimes multiple times per day! I’ve personally navigated this extraordinary transition 4 times, so I’m happy to stand back and document the journey of others.
Brook and Jason are very special to me. I’ve photographed several major milestones within their love and relationship, and our photographer/client respect ended up growing into a very strong friendship. For this chapter of their lives, I traveled from Hawaii to San Diego to document parts of their 4th trimester after welcoming their first baby girl!
The “Assplosion.”
According to the Urban Dictionary:
“ASSPLOSION” - “Extremely wet, violently forceful diarrhea, which explodes from from the anus in one awesome deluge.”
If you are a new parent, the dusk till dawn infant “assplosions” may be a reality you are still adapting to! Bringing home a new baby is a season of life that inspires every human emotion in existence. Sometimes in quick succession and multiple times per day! I’ve personally navigated this extraordinary transition 4 times, so I’m now overjoyed to stand back and chronicle the baby journey of others through family photography.
If you want to honestly and authentically document ALL the beauty, the exhaustion, the surprises, and the love of having a baby ...THEN YOU MIGHT BE MY CLIENT!
Environmental Portraiture & in-home newborn photography
The Holland family photo session took place mostly in their home. Environmental portraiture will always be my favorite approach to newborn and infant photography. Someday, the beds will go back to being made, the counters will be clear and throw pillows arranged to perfection. For now, it’s baby bottles in the drying rack, greeting cards on the counter, and a breast pump on the coffee table. It’s dogs trying to get closer to that intoxicating new baby smell, exhausted and elated parents wearing burp clothes like accessories, and cat naps with a baby resting against their chests.
It’s little Aisley being dressed in a new onesie just in time to announce that her digestive tract is working with a huge blow out! It’s details new parents could not have imagined when they first met, but would not give up for anything. It’s candid portraiture at it’s best!
