Do a photoshoot at a pumpkin patch

This is an evening idea for two friends and a phone, and it costs very little. Many patches let you in for the price of a pumpkin or a small entry fee. The only real planning is the light, and the order of who stands where.

Choose the light

The best time to photograph anything outdoors is the hour or so before sunset. The sun is low, the light is warm and soft, and skin and pumpkins both glow. This is the “golden hour” in the catalogue. Midday sun comes from straight above, creating shadows under the eyes and harsh contrast.

Practical steps:

1. Look up the sunset time for the day.
2. Plan to arrive about an hour and a half before. That leaves time to walk and park.
3. Check when the patch closes, because some close at or around sunset.
4. If it is overcast, go anyway. Cloud gives soft, even light, which is flattering.

What to wear

You already have the sweater you love, so build around it. Colours that look good against orange pumpkins and hay:

• Cream, ivory and oatmeal.
• Forest green and olive.
• Deep red, burgundy and rust.
• Denim blue.
• Mustard and brown.

Very bright orange can blend into the pumpkins, and busy patterns can look messy. Choose something that is comfortable too, because you will be standing around. Boots matter: the ground is often uneven or muddy, so pick shoes that look good and can handle it.

Layers help in two ways. They keep you warm as the sun goes down, and they give you a second look. A coat over the sweater can be swapped for a scarf.

Easy poses

Posing is easier when you are doing something. Try:

• Walking towards the camera, with a pumpkin or a tote bag in your hand.
• Looking down at a pumpkin as if you are choosing between two.
• Sitting on a hay bale or a wagon, with your feet up or crossed.
• Hugging a big pumpkin or holding a small one on your hip.
• Looking away, at the field or the light, with a small smile.
• Turning and looking back over your shoulder.
• Laughing, which is easier if your friend says something silly.

Take lots, and keep moving between shots. The best photo is often the one just after you were told to stop.

Using a phone camera

You do not need a big camera. A few small settings help:

1. Wipe the lens. A smudge makes everything hazy.
2. Tap on the person’s face to set focus and exposure.
3. Slide the exposure down a little if the sky is washing out.
4. Use portrait mode for a softer background, if you have it.
5. Shoot with the sun to the side or slightly behind the person for a glow, but check their face is not too dark.
6. Hold the phone low, near knee height, for pumpkins that look bigger and a sky behind you.
7. Take photos in bursts when someone is walking.

Take turns, so each person gets time in front of the camera and behind it.

Be a good guest

A patch is a working farm. Stay on the paths, do not trample the vines, and do not climb on or move stacked displays. Do not take a pumpkin without paying for it. Some patches have rules about tripods, props or professional photography, so ask at the entrance. Be mindful of other families and other people’s children in the background.

If something goes wrong

• The light fades fast. It really does. Take your best shots first.
• It is crowded. Go on a weekday, or walk to the back of the field.
• You are cold. Bring a coat for in between shots.
• Everything looks the same. Move. Different angles, a different row, a hay bale, a gate.
• The photos look stiff. Take photos of each other laughing, not posing.

Make it a fall evening

Photograph until the light goes, then buy a pumpkin each and look through the photos together in the car. Share the best two, and keep the rest. Finish with something warm to drink on the way home.