Every October, I watch the same thing happen.
Families who have been meaning to do holiday card photos since August are suddenly in a full scramble. They want fall outdoor sessions — but the fall outdoor calendar is completely full. They want October dates — but October dates have been booked since July. They’re texting their friends asking if anyone knows a photographer with last-minute availability.
The families who handled this in September? They’re not doing any of that.
They have their photos. Their cards are designed. Some of them have already ordered.
This post is about why I think September studio sessions are, in my honest opinion, the smartest approach to holiday card photos in Minnesota — and why families who try it once almost always do it this way from that point forward.
The October Outdoor Session Problem
Outdoor fall family sessions in Minnesota are genuinely beautiful. I photograph them all fall and they produce some of the most stunning images I make all year.
But they have a real limitation when it comes to holiday cards: October is the busiest, most competitive photography month in the Twin Cities. Everyone wants outdoor fall sessions. Everyone wants the golden leaves and the warm light and the October color.
The result is that October outdoor calendars fill in August. Families who wait until September or October to book their holiday card sessions are choosing from whatever is left — which is often not what they originally had in mind.
And even for families who successfully book an October session, there’s a timeline problem.
By the time an October session happens, images are delivered, the family selects their favorites, cards are designed and ordered — it’s often mid-to-late November. Holiday cards that go out in late November feel rushed. Cards that go out in early December feel right.
The math works better when sessions happen in September.
Why Studio Sessions Solve the Problem
My Saint Paul studio offers something that outdoor fall sessions can’t: complete independence from weather, foliage timing, and outdoor availability.
A studio session in September is available when September is available. It doesn’t compete with the outdoor fall rush. It doesn’t depend on whether the leaves have peaked yet. It isn’t affected by a cold snap or a rainy week.
The environment in my studio is controlled, warm, and designed specifically for portrait photography. The light is consistent and beautiful regardless of what’s happening outside. The sessions run at a pace that works for families with young children — not against the clock of fading natural light.
And the images have a specific quality that I think works beautifully for holiday cards — clean, timeless, warm. Not seasonal in an obvious way. Not tied to a specific outdoor color palette. Just your family, beautifully photographed, in a way that will look as good on a card in December as it looks in the gallery in September.
The Timeline That Actually Works
Session in September
September sessions give you the most comfortable timeline of any approach to holiday card photography.
You come in, the session happens, images are delivered within a few weeks. You have your gallery in hand by early October with weeks to spare before any design deadline.
Selecting Images in October
With your gallery in hand in early-to-mid October, you can take your time selecting favorites. No rush. No decision fatigue from trying to choose images and design a card at the same time. You select, you sit with the choices, you make the call you’re actually happy with.
Cards Ordered and Arrived by November
Cards ordered by late October arrive in plenty of time. Cards that arrive in early November give you time to address, stamp, and send — not in a frenzy, but comfortably, as something you actually enjoy rather than a deadline you’re racing.
Families who follow this timeline consistently tell me it’s the least stressed they’ve ever felt about holiday cards. That’s the goal. Not just beautiful photos — a process that actually feels manageable.
What September Studio Sessions Look Like
I want to be specific about what a September studio session for holiday cards actually looks like, because I think some families imagine something stiffer or more formal than what I actually create.
My studio sessions are not rigid. They’re not everyone lined up against a backdrop looking at the camera.
They’re warm, relaxed, moving sessions where I’m watching for the real moments — the genuine laugh, the connection between siblings, the expression on a parent’s face when their child does something unexpected and sweet.
The studio environment makes some things easier that outdoor sessions sometimes don’t — particularly with young children. There’s nowhere to run off to. There’s no distraction from passing dogs or interesting sticks on the ground. The environment is contained in a way that helps children settle, which means I often get more genuine, relaxed expressions in a studio session than in an outdoor one.
For holiday cards specifically, I focus on a mix of group images — everyone together, faces clear and warm and genuinely themselves — alongside some individual images of the children that grandparents tend to love.
By the end of the session, families have everything they need for cards that will actually make the recipients feel something when they open them.
If you want holiday card photos without the October scramble, September studio sessions are still available. Reach out this week and let’s get something on the calendar before the fall rush makes everything harder.
Who This Approach Is Right For
September studio sessions for holiday cards work best for families who want beautiful, timeless holiday card photos without competing for October outdoor availability, have young children who do well in contained, controlled environments, value a comfortable timeline over a specific seasonal backdrop, and want the card done and handled before the holiday season actually starts — so they can enjoy November and December rather than scrambling through them.
If you specifically want outdoor fall color in your holiday photos, a September studio session isn’t the answer — and I’ll tell you that honestly. Book an early October outdoor session instead, with the understanding that you’ll need to move quickly on the card once images are delivered.
But if what you really want is beautiful family photos that make great holiday cards, with a timeline that doesn’t add stress to an already busy season — September is worth seriously considering.
