Oatlands House & Garden   |   Mangan + Hostetter Families   |   Leesburg, VA

 

 Oatlands Fall Family Sessions

 

I shot two Oatlands Fall family sessions on the same day last year. They were both so different, and I love how they turned out!

Oatlands is a beautiful photo venue. I am so lucky that it is minutes away from our house. Their historic house, greenhouse and garden sits on acres and acres of preserved land. There is so much variety and elegance to their backdrops, it makes the perfect setting for all types of shoots. You can even get a glimpse of the mountains in a couple spots!

My first session that day was in the morning with a young family of three under rainy overcast skies. I love seeing the Mangans for our annual session. They have a little boy roughly the same age as my son, so it is always fun to compare how the boys are doing…and sharing parenting advice for crazy toddlers! Our session was non-stop trying to keep up with him that day. I was totally worn out by the end, but full of smiles!

The other session I had was in the evening with a mature family of five during a gorgeous golden hour. Between the morning and evening, the weather had completely changed. It looked like a totally different day!

I see the Hostetters every Fall as well. They live behind my parents, so we’ve known each other a long time. It’s always nice to catch up! I can’t believe how big their kids are now, I remember the girls back in elementary school playing on their swing set out back!

I wanted to showcase these sessions side-by-side to show you that differences in lighting and weather aren’t a problem when you have a photographer who can utilize all lighting scenarios.

There are positives and negatives to all types of weather.

Cloudy days allow you to shoot from any angle with any background and creates creamy skin tones. But, backgrounds tend to be flatter and do not typically have as much bokeh or light to play with. Morning sessions tend to be on the cool side in general compared to evening sessions.

Sunny days create more of a golden, warm hue in final photos. The sunshine allows you to play with light for pretty backlit portraits, but you are limited in your positioning and angles to avoid harsh shadows and highlights.

Which lighting scenario is your favorite? Let me know in the comment section below!

*For a list of some of my other favorite local portrait locations for your next shoot, click here!