Cheers to 2018! 

There's nothing like freezing temps to bring people closer together, right? Unavoidably for us in the Midwest, there comes a point in time where we run out of comfortable days. But, we don't want to miss out on an opportunity to have fun either! Our couples might enjoy a wintery shoot; you might even enjoy it, too once you have a few things planned out. 

 Here are some things I learned when tackling a shoot in less than ideal conditions outside: 

1. Time out exactly when the coats come off--plan lots (and I mean lots of 'warm up' breaks, too). If you have winter engagements scheduled; you need to be strategic in when and how long coats will be on or off for the couple. Typically, I ask the couple (after sharing a few dad jokes) when we are stripping them down to less than ideal circumstances. We want the couple to remain as comfy as they can in the freezing temps. 

2. Limit the time outside on purpose; have your poses thought out ahead of time! Thanks to Pinterest there's a lot of ideas out there on poses. Not to mention, almost every 'huge' photographer out there today is selling a guide. Purchase a few, read up online and don't just pose the couples the same way as you would if the temps were warm and sunny outside! 

3. Use blankets, fire...the sun! I'm not kidding. You are going to want to bring a blanket to wrap your couples up in...