Top activity tips for capturing those perfect autumnal moments
With 23rd September 2022 officially the first day of autumn, here's how to make the most of this beautiful season and capture some precious memories, either by yourself or hire a photographer (such as, me!) to join your adventures and make artful photos for you.
1. Take a visit to an apple orchard or Apple Day event
National Apple Day is on 21st October. However, between mid-September and the end of October, there are hundreds of Apple Day events happening all over the country. And now is a great time to go along to learn about the hundred of apple varieties grown in the UK! Or maybe even have the opportunity to sample the local heritage apples grown there. Some events will offer traditional apple pressing where you have the added bonus of tasting the delicious juice straight from the fruit! It’s a lovely day out for the whole family to celebrate autumn and also introduce young children to their local fruit heritage with plums and other soft fruits included in there too. Check with individual sites or event organisers to see if you are allowed to wander through the orchard. And look out for workshops, activities and stalls they have running from now.
Learn more about Apple Days and some local events in East of England here and here. Don’t worry if you don’t get a chance to go as there are abundant amount of wild fruits and berries starting to come into season - make sure to bring a tub with you on your walks.
2. Go on a woodland walk
There are still a few weeks left before the autumn chill sets in, so make the most of the weather and pack a picnic (or a flask of hot chocolate, if you prefer!) and head off into the woods where you will see a riot of colours as the trees begin to change. Children love spending time outdoors and a bit of imaginative role-play always comes to the fore! It’s also a great time of year to update your photos with your furry family friends, as they love to run through the crunchy leaves and pick up sticks along the way. Don’t worry if everyone gets a bit muddy - it all adds to the spirit of adventure! A few might even come home with pockets of conkers which builds the collection of memories from your woodland walk!
For a bit more inspiration of an autumn family photo session, view some photos from a documentary family shoot.
3. Pick-your-own Pumpkin farm and Maize maze
Picking your own pumpkin is a big event in our family. We have a couple of pumpkin farms nearby where we can select and carve the pumpkin on site. When the children were younger, they enjoyed the tractor ride or two they had there. Some farms are big enough to have a maize maze too. Have a Google (other search engines are available!) and see if you have a local PYO pumpkin farm nearby, as well as maize mazes too.
4. Baking with your children
One of the loveliest things to capture in my in-home sessions is families interacting together over an activity and baking or cooking is always a winner, especially when everyone gets a delicious treat as a result! It's also a perfect indoor activity on a rainy day. There are plenty of great and easy-to-use recipes out there or you have a traditional recipe handed down from the generations that you’d like to use instead to create that delicious fruit pie or tart with the apples or berries you had collected.
5. Go splashing in puddles
We’ve been waiting a long time for some rain this year…. So why not splash about and celebrate when it does hit, and make some fun memories along the way! I can promise you, it’s an activity that carries on through the generations and nothing produces a giggle than seeing a happy grin (or tears) from a purposeful soak!
5. Go wild on a river safari
While it’s still relatively warm outside make some memorable photos of you and your family enjoying your very own river safari experience! The growing popularity of watersports’ activities - like wild swimming, canoeing and paddleboarding - has made it easier for people to experience their local river or open lake in a different way. Spot dragonflies and damselflies hovering in the reedbeds or catch sightings of a heron or a kingfisher by the river. Take along a Go-Pro to capture some of your adventures on the river or book a documentary photo session to have some professional photos that you could hang on a wall!
View a wild swimming family photo session here.
