That time of year is fast approaching, folks…the time when people whip out the Justin Timberlake memes and let us know that “It’s Gonna Be May.” And what important dates make up May other than Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day? Well Communions of course!

Two main questions usually accompany the booking of a communion session:

  1. Should we take the portraits on the actual day of the communion or schedule them on a separate day? (I’ll go into that more in an upcoming blog post)
  2. Where should we take the communion portraits?

Keep in mind the decision you make for question #1 can directly affect the decision you make for question #2. So let’s talk about my top five suggestions for where we can take your child’s communion photos:

1. Inside Your Church

I suggest this option when we are taking photos on a separate day from the actual communion. We want a day when we have the church to ourselves, and the day of the communion in certainly not that day! Also, there will probably be more masses scheduled before or after yours which will not allow us use of the church. If we are shooting on a weekday evening and we get permission from your parish office, I find this to be a popular option.

2. Outside Your Church

Same rule applies as above – I usually recommend aiming for outdoor church photos if we are taking the portraits on a day other than the communion date. This avoids the big crowds that gather before and after the mass and eliminates having to fight for prime photo locations on the church grounds. Also consider your church grounds. What do they look like? Do they have a pretty garden area or grotto?  If your parish will not allow portrait photography inside the church, they may allow us to use their grounds instead.

3. At Your Home

You read that right – just stay home! I have done beautiful communion portraits for my clients right in their yards! We’ve used steps, walls, gardens, walkways and even living rooms to create great backdrops that hold lasting sentimental value.

4. At A Park

Don’t have a great yard for photos? No problem! Let’s pick a park that works for both of us where you can get beautiful photos, ideally during my beloved golden hour!

5. At The Reception Site

Sometimes clients prefer to do the portraits on the day of the communion but the only time we can fit them in is between the Church and the party. In that case, if you are having your event at a picturesque restaurant or catering hall, we can take the photos there. Whether we take them indoors or outdoors will depend on the property and what the grounds and lighting has to offer!

I hope you have found these ideas helpful!