Best Time for Central Park Photography – Central Park Foliage Guide

Central Park foliage guide

Hello readers!

While my last two posts have been Bridgehampton family beach photography and East Hampton family beach photography, respectively, it’s certainly not too early to turn our attention to photo shoots in Central Park in autumn and beyond.

People often ask about the best time for a Central Park photo shoot, so I figured I’d create a blog post showing how the Park looks each month, to provide a visual guide.

Of course the former-lawyer in me wants to disclaim that past performance may not be indicative of future results. However, I do feel this give a good approximation of what Central Park looks like each month.

I love the Park all year round, and don’t think there is a prettiest month for a Central Park photo shoot. There is so much variety with each season, it’s fun to watch the Park transform each month. I thought a Central Park Foliage Guide could be useful.

I’ll try to limit this to only a couple of Central Park locations, so that we have few variables at play other than the time of year.

Scroll below to see Central Park month by month.

January

a maternity session in central park in january
January 12, 2019

It feels a bit silly to kick off my so-called Central Park Foliage Guide with an entirely leaf-free image, but what can you do.

I love the pale winter light here. This was actually a very warm day – no jackets required!

If you’re curious, you can check out my cold weather photography tips. I send that to my cold weather clients to assure them we can get beautiful images year-round and have a safe, enjoyable time.

February

central park in february
February 14, 2019

Still not much foliage to speak of, but beautiful winter light. It was very cold that (Valentine’s!) Day, and we got some lovely anniversary images for this sweet couple.

March

central park maternity session in march
March 24, 2019

We started to see the first glimmers of spring in this combination studio and Central Park maternity shoot. Still not much greenery, but the park is warming up a little bit.

April

central park blossom dates
April 17, 2019
best time for blossoms in central park
April 26, 2018
a family with two dogs in central park in april
April 27, 2019

Well, well, well! What a difference a few weeks makes. I love the cool winter light in the January – March photos. I find it quite shocking how quickly the park transforms in April.

Spring blossom photo shoots in Central Park are very popular, for good reason. The brief window for blossoms is a bit of a moving target but late April is a pretty good bet.

Regardless of blossoms, the warm spring greens are so appealing. Warm weather is arriving at last.

May

central park maternity session in May
May 9, 2018
central park pregnancy photos in may
May 23, 2017

Central Park in May is so pretty. The greens are getting deeper and more lush, and the Park is really coming alive.

June

best month to visit central park
June 11, 2019
June in central park
June 12, 2019
Central Park in June
June 19, 2019

July

best time of year for central park photography
July 1, 2019
when to do central park photo session
July 15, 2019
best season for a central park photo session
July 16, 2019

August

central park dance session
August 9, 2018
prettiest time of year to visit central park
August 9, 2019

September

september in central park
September 17, 2017

Still green but with a hint of fall.

September 23, 2019

October

central park in october
October 15, 2017

Mid-October and the trees are still mostly green, with some red leaves on the ground. (As demonstrated below.)

central park leaves in october
October 15, 2017
when is fall foliage in central park
October 22, 2018

By late October, the leaves are getting a bit yellow.

November

best time of year for fall foliage in Central Park
November 21, 2018
best time for fall foliage in central park
November 21, 2018
central park with kids
November 25, 2018
central park fall foliage time
November 27, 2018
central park family session in fall
November 28, 2018
November 29, 2018

December

Central Park Maternity Shoot in Snow
December 9, 2017
Central Park in December
December 22, 2018
Central Park Family Session in December
December 22, 2018

December had a mix of snow, and a return to the light wintery light at the beginning of the blog post.

Central Park Month by Month

Whew! Well, there’s a year of Central Park. It’s fun to see how much it changes each month. As I mentioned, I don’t believe there is any one best month for a central park photo shoot, but I leave that entirely up to you.

Of course I also don’t want to imply that Central Park is the only place to do a shoot in NYC. There are tons of great photo shoot locations in NYC. But Central Park is probably the one that changes the most throughout the year.

If you’re curious, you can read more about my Central Park photography here.

Book your Central Park Photo Shoot today!

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We look forward to hearing from you!

About Daisy Beatty

Daisy Beatty is a family, maternity and newborn photographer based in Manhattan and East Hampton NY.

She works on location in the NYC area, and the Hamptons, and in her Greenwich Village Manhattan photo studio.

She specializes in gorgeous portraits of pregnancy, newborns, families, and dancers, and eye-catching headshots for executives, actors, artists, and online dating.

Her award-winning work is featured extensively in both online and print publications.

For more information, please contact her here, or visit her website.

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