Christmas Photos in August? Yes, I Know.

Christmas in August looks a little different from this side of the camera. While Los Angeles is still firmly in summer mode, I’m already planning holiday sets, testing ideas, coordinating wardrobe inspiration, designing storybook experiences, and thinking about Santa. There really is a method to the Christmas madness.

It’s August in Los Angeles.

It’s hot. Kids are heading back to school. People are still going to the beach. Nobody has started thinking about where they put the Christmas stockings.

Meanwhile, I’m surrounded by teddy bears, Christmas sets, Santa ideas, holiday outfits, ribbons, albums, and an unreasonable number of conversations about what photographs well with red.

Christmas photos in August?

Yes. I know.

But there is a method to the madness.

Photographers Live on a Very Strange Calendar

Most people experience the holidays in the normal order.

Halloween happens. Then Thanksgiving. Then suddenly everyone realizes Christmas is coming.

Holiday photographers live several months ahead.

By the time families are thinking about Christmas cards, much of the work behind holiday photography has already happened.

Sets have been planned. Samples have been photographed. Clothing ideas have been considered. Santa experiences have been designed. Albums and products have been tested. Information has been added to the website.

And somewhere along the way, I find myself discussing Christmas cookies while it's 90 degrees outside.

Apparently, Christmas is now a summer activity.

Why Does Holiday Photography Start So Early?

Because there's a lot more happening behind the scenes than what you see on session day.

A holiday photograph might take a fraction of a second to capture.

Creating everything around it takes considerably longer.

I start by thinking about the kinds of photographs I want families to have. Some families want something unmistakably Christmas. Some want Santa. Some are celebrating their baby's first Christmas. Others want an updated family portrait that can go on a Christmas card but still look beautiful hanging in their home in April.

Those are very different photographs.

That means planning different sets, experiences, clothing recommendations, props, lighting, and finished products.

For families who are starting to think ahead, my Complete Guide to Planning Family Holiday Photos in Los Angeles covers the practical side, including timing, clothing, session planning, and what to expect.

First Come the Ideas

This is probably my favorite part.

Before there's a finished holiday set, there are usually a lot of scattered ideas.

Colors.

Textures.

Props.

Pieces of clothing.

Something I saw that made me think, That could photograph beautifully.

And sometimes an idea that sounds wonderful in my head turns out to be considerably less wonderful once I actually put it in front of a camera.

That's why I test things.

The camera gets the final vote.

Then I Have to Photograph Everything

Before I can show families what a holiday experience looks like, I have to create it.

That means building or preparing the set, lighting it, photographing samples, editing the photographs, and figuring out what actually works.

This is especially important with something like Baby in a Box holiday photos. The finished portrait looks playful and simple, but it takes planning to make all of those individual photographs work together as one finished piece.

Santa experiences require another kind of planning entirely.

Where will the child sit?

What will Santa and the child actually do together?

What happens if a child doesn't want to sit next to Santa?

What creates interaction instead of just another photograph of a child looking at the camera?

These are the things I'm thinking about while everyone else is thinking about sunscreen.

Holiday Clothes Become a Whole Project of Their Own

Then there are the clothes.

If you've ever tried coordinating clothing for an entire family, you already know where this is going.

I think about colors that work with each set, how different textures photograph, how families can coordinate without matching, and what will still look good years from now.

There are also completely different considerations for babies, children, parents, grandparents, and extended families.

This is how a photographer ends up thinking deeply about velvet dresses in August.

If coordinating everyone is the part that makes you want to abandon the whole project, my Holiday Family Photo Style Guide breaks down color palettes, coordinating instead of matching, and what photographs well.

Not Every Holiday Portrait Has to Scream Christmas

This has become increasingly important to me.

I love a beautiful Christmas set. I love Santa. I love the magic and color of the season.

But I also love creating what I think of as Legacy Portraits.

These are family portraits created during the holiday season that can absolutely become your Christmas card photograph, but they don't depend on Christmas decorations to work.

Classic clothing. Rich, understated backgrounds. Beautiful light. Your family.

The Christmas card may last one season.

The portrait can live on your wall for decades. You can see the different approaches I offer for holiday photos in Los Angeles, from timeless family portraits to more immersive Christmas experiences.

So part of my summer holiday planning is actually figuring out how to give families both options: photographs that celebrate Christmas and photographs that celebrate the family itself.

And Then There Are the Teddy Bears

This year, Christmas planning got even stranger.

I've been developing my North Pole Teddy Bear Adventure, a story-driven holiday photography experience where children become part of the story rather than simply standing on a Christmas set.

That means I'm not only thinking like a photographer.

I'm thinking about story beats, props, what a child might discover next, how one photograph leads naturally into another, and how the finished photographs work together in a storybook.

Perfectly normal August behavior.

Do You Need to Be Thinking About Christmas Yet?

No.

Really.

You do not need to be sitting by the pool worrying about Christmas cards.

That's my job.

My goal in starting early is actually the opposite. I want families to be able to see their options, find answers to their questions, think about what kind of photographs feel right for them, and plan when they're ready.

Some families start thinking about holiday photos very early.

Others don't want to hear the word Christmas until October.

Both are completely reasonable.

So Why Am I Talking About Christmas in August?

Because this is what the other side of holiday photography looks like.

By the time you walk into the studio and see the finished set, I've probably been thinking about it for months.

By the time Santa arrives, we've already talked through how the experience will unfold.

By the time I photograph your baby, I've already thought about what colors, clothing, props, and poses will work.

And by the time you see the finished photograph, there have been dozens of decisions you never needed to think about.

Which is exactly how it should be.

So yes.

Christmas photos in August.

I know.

Now please excuse me. I have Christmas things to do while it's 90 degrees outside.