Whether this is your first time or your tenth time, it is helpful to share what makes a great portrait. It is ultimately up to each person what type of portrait they want hanging on their wall at home and these professional suggestions are merely guidelines to help make the most of everyone's portrait session. 

If you have any further questions, please give us a call or send us an email!

Clothing

Everyone has their favorite clothing, however, not all clothing photographs well. Solid colors are best because they will allow more focus on the face, which is the purpose of the portrait!  Flashy clothes with stripes, prints, and patterns, will force the main point of focus toward the print and away from the face. 

Long sleeves look nice because they allow the attention to be drawn toward facial features.  There is more skin on the arms than there is on the face, so by covering the arms you draw attention toward the face. 
Bare arms tend to add weight to your overall look, so if weight is a personal issue try wearing long sleeves.  Additionally, darker clothes tend to make people look thinner, so if you have any of these concerns please keep these clothing tips in mind. We have a few tricks to help slim down any problem areas, however letting our photographer know your concerns will aid in making you look your best. 

Hair

Have you ever come out of the salon or barbershop thinking your hair is too short, too long, or that you just don’t like it?   Try and have you hair cut at least a week to two weeks before the session. This gives you time to work out any issues you have and get your hair just the way you like it.

Ladies, we want to make sure your hair is just the way you want it, so bring any styling tools you wish to help you along during the session.  We encourage hair style changes during your photoshoot as long as the styling time is kept short.  The longer you take with your hair, the less time we will have in front of the camera!

Men, please make sure you shave just before your session. This will help alleviate any shadowing in your portraits.  Unless, that is a look you want!  

Makeup

Makeup should be applied as normal when going out for the evening.  Keep in mind that light lipsticks may not show up well in the photos.  Use lip gloss if you normally don’t wear lipstick. Adding color and or shine will give your face more overall color. Bring powder with you as this will assist in reducing any shiny spots that may occur during your session.

Blemishes / Scars

We are 100% digital and can fix “almost” any blemish.  Please let our photographer know ahead of your photo shoot if you have any scars that you want removed. 

Glasses

Glasses sometimes make up who we are as a person. If you wear glasses try and ask your optometrist to loan you a pair of lens-less glasses for your session. Glare is often difficult and expensive to correct after photos are taken. While we are digital, we cannot correct all lens glare. Often times tinted lenses will turn dark in the studio resulting in dark eyes, and we cannot fix this. If you wear contacts we suggest you wear them for your session.  However, don’t change who you are. We can pose you in certain ways to help reduce glare, but please be aware of the aforementioned problems that can arise.

Props

Please bring as many props as you can carry including but not limited to pets, friends, boyfriends, girfriends, etc. Having your things with you defines who you are. If you love to draw, bring some of your drawings. If you love to ride a skateboard, bring that along as well. We want to personalize your experience as much as possible. We do have a BIG studio, but we are on the second floor, so keep this in mind when you are thinking about the size of any object you might want to bring.

Indoor/Outdoor

Early in the morning and just around sunset is perfect for a beautiful portrait. Keep this in mind when scheduling your appointment, but don’t let it prevent you from scheduling during the main day light hours.  We can work around most all conditions (except when it’s raining!)

The most important thing to remember for your session is to Relax, and have fun!!!