How To Best Prepare For Your Portrait Session!
Portrait sessions involve several different categories -- for me it's primarily engagement sessions, but also other couple sessions, family sessions, head shots, and maternity! These are some general tips about timing, clothing, etc... so take what you can from it. :)
TIMING! Keep in mind first and foremost that we have decided on a specific time of day for your shoot for a reason, whether that be availability on either of our parts or, more importantly, lighting! If you know you will be late to your session, please just try to give me a text or call so I can have a heads up! I do my absolute best to be flexible, but if you are late to your session, there's a good possibility that the length of your shoot will be cut short since we may be confined by either time or available natural light.
LOCATION! I always encourage my clients to pick a location that is special to them, if possible. This could be somewhere that you have a sentimental attachment to -- strong memories, a first date, etc -- or it might just be a place that you find particularly beautiful. I am ALWAYS open to ideas so don't hesitate to let me know what you have in mind! If not, I travel all over New England on a regular basis and have LOTS of suggestions for you. We'll find an amazing spot no matter what! I've done shoots in many different places -- some more grungy and urban (my personal favorite), some surrounded by nature, some by rocky coastlines and crashing waves, some deep in the woods. Whatever will make you happy, comfortable, and bring out your personality! I am also psyched to collaborate with you to find an activity that you'd enjoy partaking in for your session -- a water balloon fight, paint ball, throwing colored powder at each other, bowling, hanging out at the library, you name it! Some people find it easier to relax in front of the camera when they're enjoying an activity they love, so if you have an idea -- no matter how wild and crazy -- I'm all ears!
LOCATION! I always encourage my clients to pick a location that is special to them, if possible. This could be somewhere that you have a sentimental attachment to -- strong memories, a first date, etc -- or it might just be a place that you find particularly beautiful. I am ALWAYS open to ideas so don't hesitate to let me know what you have in mind! If not, I travel all over New England on a regular basis and have LOTS of suggestions for you. We'll find an amazing spot no matter what! I've done shoots in many different places -- some more grungy and urban (my personal favorite), some surrounded by nature, some by rocky coastlines and crashing waves, some deep in the woods. Whatever will make you happy, comfortable, and bring out your personality! I am also psyched to collaborate with you to find an activity that you'd enjoy partaking in for your session -- a water balloon fight, paint ball, throwing colored powder at each other, bowling, hanging out at the library, you name it! Some people find it easier to relax in front of the camera when they're enjoying an activity they love, so if you have an idea -- no matter how wild and crazy -- I'm all ears!
GROOMING! For most people, being photographed is a fairly new and unfamiliar thing. It can be a really awesome idea to have your hair and/or makeup professionally done, or at the very least to take your time pampering yourself a bit in preparation for our shoot. You want your skin to glow, your eyes to pop, and your hair to bounce and shine! There will be lots of wide open, scenery-centric shots, but there will also be some closeups, so do any shaving, tweezing, and moisturizing that's necessary! If you're someone who loves having your nails looking their best, make sure to have them freshly polished for the shoot -- your hands will likely be in a few shots! If you're doing your own makeup, be a little more heavy handed than usual while still keeping your look natural and true to yourself -- makeup tends to disappear a bit on camera, so if you bump it up a bit it will look normal in photos! Try to avoid doing anything new right before the shoot -- facials, waxing, new hair cut or color, tanning, etc. Give yourself enough time to have anything fixed or altered if need be! Keep in mind that some ill effects from tanning -- tan lines, sun burn, skin peeling,
orange skin from a bad spray tan -- will be obvious in photographs, so best to avoid it altogether!
WHAT TO WEAR! I have lots of clients and couples ask me what they should wear for their session. In short? Wear whatever makes you feel AWESOME. This is your shoot -- if you want to keep things casual, go for it. If you'd rather dress up, amazing. I always encourage pops of color, texture, sequins and glitter, stripes, polka dots, etc -- so don't be shy! We often walk a good deal during photo shoots, so make sure you wear or bring comfortable shoes. Check the weather a few hours beforehand and make sure you dress appropriately for the temperature -- make sure to layer up if it's going to be chilly or bring a warm coat for the walking in between shots, and if it's going to be hot, try to avoid clothing that will have obvious sweat marks. :) You're more than welcome to bring a change of clothing or two -- I generally recommend no more than 3 outfits total per person, otherwise we're spending more time changing than we are taking photos! Feel free to bring accessories or props that will personalize the shoot -- hats, jewelry, bikes, a sports jersey, balloons, dress blues, books, whatever you like. Making sure outfits coordinate and complement each other without being too matchy is great -- this is as simple as laying out the clothing together and seeing if there's any obvious clashing. For the most part, colors look great together... you'd have to try pretty hard to have a bad combination, in my opinion. :) The only thing to avoid? Brand names and logos! If you'd like some ideas, feel free to peruse my Pinterest board: http://www.pinterest.com/crownofstorms/engagement-style-ideas/
orange skin from a bad spray tan -- will be obvious in photographs, so best to avoid it altogether!
WHAT TO WEAR! I have lots of clients and couples ask me what they should wear for their session. In short? Wear whatever makes you feel AWESOME. This is your shoot -- if you want to keep things casual, go for it. If you'd rather dress up, amazing. I always encourage pops of color, texture, sequins and glitter, stripes, polka dots, etc -- so don't be shy! We often walk a good deal during photo shoots, so make sure you wear or bring comfortable shoes. Check the weather a few hours beforehand and make sure you dress appropriately for the temperature -- make sure to layer up if it's going to be chilly or bring a warm coat for the walking in between shots, and if it's going to be hot, try to avoid clothing that will have obvious sweat marks. :) You're more than welcome to bring a change of clothing or two -- I generally recommend no more than 3 outfits total per person, otherwise we're spending more time changing than we are taking photos! Feel free to bring accessories or props that will personalize the shoot -- hats, jewelry, bikes, a sports jersey, balloons, dress blues, books, whatever you like. Making sure outfits coordinate and complement each other without being too matchy is great -- this is as simple as laying out the clothing together and seeing if there's any obvious clashing. For the most part, colors look great together... you'd have to try pretty hard to have a bad combination, in my opinion. :) The only thing to avoid? Brand names and logos! If you'd like some ideas, feel free to peruse my Pinterest board: http://www.pinterest.com/crownofstorms/engagement-style-ideas/
WEATHER! In New England, the weather can be fickle. Winter can be either brutally cold or delightfully spring-like, and it can change on a dime. Summer can be perfect -- 70 degrees with a slight breeze -- or it could be sweltering hot or monsoon weather. My portrait sessions take place outdoors 99% of the time, so they are very weather-dependent. I will be keeping an eye on the weather starting 3-4 days before your portrait session. If the weather starts to look funky, I will get in touch with you to give you a heads up. Ultimately I make the final call as far as weather goes, and when I do so is totally up to you (some clients prefer to know at least 1-2 days in advance, but some would rather wait until a few hours before the session). My goal is always to make the shoot happen, but if the weather looks ominous -- particularly if rain/sleet/heavy snow is likely, if there's heavy winds that will interfere with the shoot, or if temperatures are going to be frigidly cold or overwhelmingly hot -- it's generally time to reschedule. I've been taking portraits for 5+ years now... trust me when I say that my #1 priority is YOU having an amazing shoot!
OTHER TIDBITS! I am always 100% open to pets coming along to the shoot -- this is most often dogs, but I'm open to other pets, too! Generally it's best to have a friend or family member along to the shoot so that your pup (or pups!) can be in a few photos but then go for a nice walk for the rest. Dogs can be distracting to have along for the full session if you're needing to take care of them along the way! If you've paid a 50% retainer for your session, the remaining 50% is due by the end of the session. This can be paid with cash, personal check, or with a credit/debit card, so come prepared! If you need to get a hold of me at any time, feel free to call or text at 207-807-1379! :)
OTHER TIDBITS! I am always 100% open to pets coming along to the shoot -- this is most often dogs, but I'm open to other pets, too! Generally it's best to have a friend or family member along to the shoot so that your pup (or pups!) can be in a few photos but then go for a nice walk for the rest. Dogs can be distracting to have along for the full session if you're needing to take care of them along the way! If you've paid a 50% retainer for your session, the remaining 50% is due by the end of the session. This can be paid with cash, personal check, or with a credit/debit card, so come prepared! If you need to get a hold of me at any time, feel free to call or text at 207-807-1379! :)