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Fall and spring are possibly the best seasons for outdoor portraiture as the vibrancy of nature makes it easy take a perfect picture. But the season is far from ideal for those with allergies. Trying to take pictures while your eyes are dry, your nose running non-stop, or you can’t resist sneezing is difficult. Not to mention the fact that all of the aforementioned issues don't photograph well. But fear not, there’s a way to take the most amazing outdoor senior or family portraits during these seasons without your pictures being entirely ruined by the pollen and bugs. 

Here are 6 tips that are effective at helping you prevent an allergy attack on the day of your senior / graduation or family photoshoot.

1. Use An Insect Repellent
Using an insect repellent is probably the most effective way to deter mosquitos from biting you. These pesky little critters can make any outdoor adventure a difficult one. Do yourself a favor and tell these buzzy pests to go away by using a little insect repellent around your ankles, legs and arms. Be careful not to get it on your hands or your face.

2. Keep Your Antihistamines Close 
When your eyes start to tear and your throat gets all scratchy, it’s time to reach for an antihistamine to fend off any severe reactions before they become debilitating – or ruin your pictures. If you’ve got allergies, it’s best to take your medication before you feel the full-on symptoms as the medication builds up a tolerance to the factors that cause your symptoms. 

3. Get Allergy Eye Drops
While the best defense for swollen or itchy eyes is to wash your face and stay indoors, that’s not necessarily going to help you when you’re trying to take your senior or family portraits outside. Instead, bring along allergy eye drops to apply if you feel like your eyes or becoming irritated.

4. Choose The Right Time of Day
Pollen is most prevalent at noon and in the early afternoon. You may want to have a photoshoot early in the morning or later in the day to have pollen at its minimum. Also, the outdoor, lovely, even light offered from an early morning or early evening photoshoot is the definition of picturesque in your images.

5. Check Your Calendar Before Scheduling Your Photoshoot
Certain allergens only peak at certain times in the season. For example, in North Carolina, grass allergens peak in May and end in September and tree allergies last from March to June. So, it’s a good idea to know what triggers you and when the season for those triggers is at its peak so you can be proactive regarding when to schedule your photoshoot.

6. Be Prepared for The Weather
You can’t control the weather, but you can prepare for it. As the date for your photoshoot approaches, keep a keen eye on the weather … checking frequently for any triggers (weather, pollen count, temperature, wind speed, and wind direction). Most of this information will be available online or on apps, with some websites giving you information to help you predict what the weather will be like at a particular time of year. 

All of this information will give you an idea of when to schedule your photoshoot to prevent or minimize the possibility of an allergy attack. 

However, if you notice at the last-minute that the weather will be a challenge during your outdoor photo session, you should think about moving the scheduled time on that day or reschedule to another day.

Don’t let your allergies get in the way of your love for the fall and spring seasons or your dream to take idyllic pictures. By following some of these tips, you too can have the most enjoyable and amazing images of the season.