Battle of the Seasons: Which is the Best Season for Photographers?

Photographers always look on the bright side of life. When winter comes along and the days start to get colder, there are always photographers who will say: ah well, at least it’ll give me some great photo opportunities. 

The same goes for spring, of course. And summer. And fall. No matter if the sun is boiling or leaves are literally starting to die around us, we can’t help but immediately start mentally-planning a seasonal Facebook photo book 

Here at MySocialBook, however, this got us thinking. Surely this means the seasons don’t really matter? If we look forward to spring because of the photo opportunities, and summer because of the photo opportunities, and then fall, and then winter, which season really offers the best photo opportunities? 

We’ve laid out three of the best things about each season and tried to come up with a definitive answer to the question that eludes us all:

Which season should you really look forward to? 

Spring

• The Lighting Queen

Hundreds of spring-themed photos are uploaded to our photo book maker every year, and it’s not hard to see why. For one thing, there’s more sunshine in the spring. The days are bright and the sunlight is crisp, and this gives photographs a lot of oomph after the darkness of winter.

• Rain and Shine

There are a load more juxtapositions. A lot of the time, sunny rays are breaking through grey skies, coupled with sharper, green landscapes, which begin to sparkle from the dew. It’s not quite summer yet, so there are also more rain showers to look forward to. Rain. Plus shine. Every photographer knows what that means. Rainbow shots!

• The Birds And The Bees

After taking a well-deserved nap in the winter, spring is also the time when the wildlife begins emerging, and the beautiful birdsong gets that little bit happier. There’s nothing better than taking close-up shots of bees pollinating bluebells, or birds returning food for their chicks. It’s a dream for wildlife lovers and photographers alike.

Summer

• Time is on Your Side

We’ll tell you what else is a dream: being able to see a considerable portion of the day. While average sunsets in a US winter come around the 4:00 PM mark, the longest days in summer give us a whole fifteen hours of sunshine. Bliss.

• Golden Hours 

Speaking of sunshine, it seems to take on a whole new level in the summer. Suddenly, no one wants to stay in their houses anymore. Like animals in the spring, everyone is out on the streets, playing on the beaches, and enjoying the rays. This makes it a great season for fun, activity-filled shots with plenty of people.

• Shadows and Silhouettes

You also have more chances to experiment in the summer. Some of the best beach photography involves shadows and silhouettes, with subjects looking out onto the ocean while the harsh orange sunset darkens their features. Dramatic, beautiful and, above all, fascinating to look at.

Fall

• Colors Galore

Blah blah blah, fall is colorful. Yes, yes, you’ve heard it all before. But it is a defining feature of this season. Although finding enjoyment from dying leaves seems a little morbid, all the reds, oranges, yellows, and browns give us so many options when it comes to taking photos that pack a punch. The leaves changing color create the perfect backdrop for flannels, elaborate take-out coffee orders, and plenty of knitwear.

• The Little Details

Fall is also a great opportunity to capture the little details. Macro photography is especially popular during this season, with photographers testing themselves with extreme close-ups of nature, whether that’s water droplets trickling down a window, or a ladybug resting underneath a drooping flower.

• Wicked Wonders

We can’t talk about fall and not mention Halloween. When else do you have the opportunity to take a group shot with Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, and that girl from The Exorcist?! Halloween can also challenge you to take more atmospheric photography, including eerie, empty streets, or flickering candles inside a sinister pumpkin.

Winter

• Snug as a Bug in a Rug

Put your hand up if you’ve already taken a handful of “cozy pics” this winter? All of you? Good. Because that’s what winter is all about. For a photographer, this is the time to get closer to your home, take some 'smaller' photography – think roaring fires, woolen socks, steaming cups of coffee – and make your photos feel as warm as possible.

• Family Fortunes

It’s also a great opportunity to capture more family photos. We always plan to see the whole family at various intervals throughout the year, but not all of those plans come to fruition. During Christmas, however, families come together, and the love between everyone is properly celebrated. And photographed, of course!

• Snowy Sharpness

Also, snow. Need we say more? Snowy scenes make for some of the most beautiful photographs, and they offer plenty of challenges to the photographer too, including snowflake photography on a smartphone, wide-open snow-covered vistas, and snowy wildlife pics.

The Best Season For Photographers

There we have it – those are the three best things about each season. 

So, which one is best? Well, it’s incredibly difficult to decide, but if we were forced to make a decision, and our decision had to be made now, then our decision would be this…

Oh, look at that. Our daily word count has run dry. Darn. 

Well, maybe we can have the same discussion this time next year. For now, we’ve got some winter photographs to shoot. Ciao!