20 pumpkin patch photo ideas for couples, families and kids

The best pumpkin patch photos are taken in the last hour before sunset, with the person small against rows of pumpkins or large in the foreground with the patch soft behind them. Go late in the day, wear one warm colour (rust, mustard, cream or deep green), and use the pumpkins, hay bales and wagons as props rather than background noise.

Here are 20 ideas, grouped by who you are shooting.

For couples

1. Sitting on a hay bale. Sit close, one person's legs over the other's, leaning in. Shoot at 2x from a few metres away so the patch blurs behind them.

2. Carrying the pumpkin together. Both holding one giant pumpkin, laughing at how heavy it is. Real effort reads as real joy.

3. Walking down the row. Hold hands and walk away from the camera down a row of pumpkins. Shoot from the end of the row so the lines of pumpkins lead to them.

4. The wheelbarrow ride. One person in the wagon or wheelbarrow, the other pushing. Shoot a burst.

5. Forehead to forehead. Close-up at 3x, both holding a small pumpkin between them. The Close Up guide frames this half-body shot.

For families

6. Kids picking their pumpkin. Crouch to the kids' eye level and shoot them inspecting pumpkins. Do not pose them. Wait for the decision.

7. The pumpkin line-up. Each family member holds their chosen pumpkin, sorted from biggest to smallest. Line them up on hay bales.

8. Parents swinging a child. Two parents, one child between them, swinging over a pumpkin. Burst mode.

9. Family on the wagon. Everyone piled onto the hay wagon. Shoot from slightly above so you can see every face.

10. Small family, big field. Step far back and put the family small in the bottom third with the field and sky above. The Travel Shot guide draws this frame.

For kids and babies

11. Baby among the pumpkins. Sit a baby on a blanket surrounded by small pumpkins and shoot from directly above.

12. Toddler hugging a big pumpkin. Get low, at 2x, and let the pumpkin take up half the frame.

13. Peeking from behind. A child hiding behind a stack of pumpkins with only the eyes showing.

14. Muddy boots. A detail shot of small boots next to a pumpkin. Detail shots make the album feel complete.

For friends and solo

15. The giant pumpkin sit. Sit on (or next to) the biggest pumpkin in the patch. Shoot from low so it looks even bigger.

16. Hay bale steps. Friends at different heights on a stack of hay bales, forming a triangle. The Triangle 1 guide places three people.

17. The flat lay. Pumpkins, a coffee cup, a scarf and gloves on a hay bale, shot from above. Use the Aerial Triangle guide.

18. Backlit walk. Walk towards the low sun so it lights the hair from behind. Tap on the face to expose for it.

19. Holding a pumpkin overhead. Arms up, pumpkin in the air, sky behind. It fills the top of the frame with orange.

20. The cider shot. Hands holding hot cider cups with the patch soft behind.

Best time and settings

• Go in the last hour of light. Low, warm sun makes the pumpkins glow and avoids harsh shadows on faces. See our guide to golden hour on iPhone.
• Use 2x for portraits. It blurs the patch behind and flatters faces.
• Use 1x or 0.5x for the whole patch. Put the horizon on a third line, not the middle.
• Weekday or right at opening. Fewer people in the background.
• Wear one warm colour. Busy patterns fight with all that orange.

For an autumn film look, swipe through warm film stocks in slay before you shoot. They bring out the orange and soften the green of the leaves.

Frame the whole patch

slay overlays composition guides on your live iPhone camera, so the person and the pumpkins land in the right place before you shoot.

Get slay on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6807513456?utm_source=slaycamera&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=pumpkin-patch-photo-ideas