Need Fall setup ideas

[goldilocksandmy3bears]

Hey all -
I have been asked to do a preschool's fall pictures. I want to do a unique background with leaves, scarecrows hay etc. anyone have any other ideas?? The ages will be 6 months - 5 years old. So I need to have some sort of set up where the babies can be comfy as well as something for the older kids. Picture ideas would help also! TIA!!
Courtney

[WingsOfLovePhoto]

I did a fall preschool shoot last year with hay bales, cornstalks, pumpkins and mums. put the bigger kids sitting on the hay holding a pumpkin with the flowers and leaves on the ground then with the babies I put them sitting on the ground in front of the hay and with the real little ones I propped them in an apple barrel. All were done outside paying attention to what was in the backround of all of these! The parents loved them! Good luck with your shoot!

[goldilocksandmy3bears]

I did a fall preschool shoot last year with hay bales, cornstalks, pumpkins and mums. put the bigger kids sitting on the hay holding a pumpkin with the flowers and leaves on the ground then with the babies I put them sitting on the ground in front of the hay and with the real little ones I propped them in an apple barrel. All were done outside paying attention to what was in the backround of all of these! The parents loved them! Good luck with your shoot!

Good idea of doing outside. Did you just use natural lighting? I'm a little hesitant to work with lighting due to the children and so many of them. I don't want trying to get the lights just right (on each child) to interfer with trying to get the right pose, make them smile and all that jazz. What do you think??
Courtney

[sweet caroline]

I do these for a preschool in the fall without props, but outside in a garden/courtyard area. Of course, they start at 15 months, so I don't need anything "comfy". A small wagon could work. I use my flash in an umbrella for fill (sb800), sit them or stand them in the right spot, and don't really have to move the lighting around unless I want a different background. The parents really love that they are so different form typical school photos or what they could get from a chain studio. Plus, the kids are less intimidated by the equipment when it's all outside.

Caroline