It isn’t October without a trip to the local pumpkin patch. Kids love the ability to trod across a field of pumpkins and pick the one just right for them. As my children have grown, I love to see how their personalities come alive through their pumpkin choices. What better than to share the top 5 pumpkin patch photo tips.
The last thing you want from your trip to the pumpkin patch is a flip book of images telling your story. Nor do you want to get home only to find you just didn’t capture the magic of your trip.
Here are my favorite 5 tips for beautiful pumpkin patch photos!
The first pumpkin patch photo tip is to go to the pumpkin patch early in the season, on a weekday evening.
When you head to the pumpkin patch early in the season, you’ll not only be more likely to have the most pumpkins (think of those beautifully orange pumpkins as the background for your photos), but you’re also likely to have fewer people there. Often 1-2 weeks before Halloween tend to be the busiest and thus the most picked over patches for the farms.
Adding to that, pumpkin patches are less crowded during the week. In the Seattle area, Bob’s Corn Maze is my own family’s favorite pumpkin patch to visit. They are open weekdays!
Next, step back and let your kids explore.
Everyone is excited when they get to the farm. The last thing they want to do is stand and pose for a photo. This pumpkin patch photo tips is about let them explore a bit as they search for the perfect pumpkin. Take note of the little dynamics, how they try to push the wheel barrow, or how they search for that pumpkin.
Another pumpkin patch photo tip is to photograph them picking up their pumpkin.
Kids love to pick out pumpkins that are just WAY too big for them to lift. Encourage them to try anyways, and capture them trying their best!
If your child picks a tiny pumpkin instead, capture that. It all is apart of YOUR trip to the pumpkin patch.
Hand off that camera and get into the frame.
You were there too. Don’t forget to hand off the camera. This is the time I usually ask the kids for one quick photo with me in the pumpkin field. I hand off the camera to dad or a grandparent (because who takes 5 kids to a pumpkin patch alone?! Not this mama!). Then I ask for them to just snuggle in close as we talk about what they will paint (or carve) on their pumpkin this year.
Notice I didn’t say I made them smile and stand perfectly. This is SUPER fast. In fact, my oldest was still picking his pumpkin out when the photo of me here was taken. But I am at least in the frame and am grateful for that.
Bonus tip: I’m not above having a treat in the car after a quick photo and the pumpkins are picked out. We usually have one for the drive home.
Overall, capture the story of your trip to the pumpkin patch.
Look for little details that will tell the story of your trip to the pumpkin patch. Did the kids get really muddy? (Mine do every year, so we always pack a pair of PJs into the car to change into for the drive home.) Did your baby love standing up by the pumpkins and pounding them like drums? Did they help daddy wash the pumpkins off afterwards?
This pumpkin patch photo tip is to look for the details and you’ll have a complete story to help you remember about this fun yearly tradition.
As always, work to tell a story without capturing so many photos you’ll never want to upload or use your photos. Secondly, my goal is to help you know which photos to take without feeling like you have to be shooting the entire time. Instead, use these 5 pumpkin patch photo tips, take a few photos to document the trip, set the camera away and enjoy your time at the pumpkin patch with your family.
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