Photo Sessions Helps

Senior Pictures and Individual Portraits

w Long-sleeved medium to dark colored clothing looks the best.  Good color choices include brown, grey, burgandy, green, and dark blue.  Not only are these colors more slimming, but they do not detract from the picture or draw the viewer's eye off the face.

w Avoid bright colors such as red and orange.  These will overwhelm the face and detract from the portrait.

w Avoid light colors and colors that approximate flesh tones such as tans and pinks.  These will overpower the face and make you look pale.

w Most important, avoid bold prints, plaids, checks, and stripes.  In a photograph, the effects of "busy" fabric is magnified much more in a camera lens than with the human eye, and they will ruin a picture.

w Avoid sleeveless and short-sleeved outfits.   Close-ups tend to make arms look fatter than they really are and flesh that shows so close to the face will pull the eye away.

w As hard as this may be, avoid clothing fads.  Something that's cute and popular now but that may go out of style in a few years will make your portraits look laughable and silly in the future.  (If you don't believe me, ask your grandfather about leisure suits or your mom about leg warmers.)  You want your children to look at these pictures and admire how pretty or handsome you were, not laugh at your clothing.  Senior pictures are a time to go with conservative styles that will stand the test of time. 

w Your feet will show in the pictures, so make sure you bring footwear to coordinate each outfit.

w Guys, make sure you are clean shaven!  The camera lens picks up everything, including stubble.  Also, please get a haircut at least a week ahead of your sitting time, not the day of your pictures. 

w Girls, go light on the makeup.  While you want your face made-up, avoid heavy use of eye shadow or too much blush.  Make sure your base matches your skin tone.  Eyeliner that's too thick and mascara that's too heavy will look like sickly dark shadows to a camera lens.   When you are applying your makeup, think "light and fresh." 

w Girls, be aware of your necklines.  During shooting, low cut necklines can sometimes slip too low, and some of my shooting angles will be from above.

w Glasses can sometimes be problematic in photographs if they don't have an antireflective coating.  If you've always worn glasses, then I encourage you to have them on in your pictures so that you look like you.  However, to avoid glare off the lenses, please have your optometrist remove the lenses before we take your pictures.  (Of course, you'll want to bring a backup pair along to wear between photographs.)

w Don't worry if you get a pimple right before picture time.  I can edit these out of your photographs in post-production.

w Bring along accessories and props for some fun shots that tell the story of who you are.  Hats are great fun in some of your shots.  If you play an instrument or a sport, bring your equipment along as a great way to individualize some of your images. Do you own a car or bike that's your "baby."  Well, let's get it in a picture!   In addition to formal portraits, my goal is to create some individualized, fun pictures that reflect your special interests and talents. 

w If you are interested in on outdoor location shoot, the best time to schedule is in the late afternoon a couple of hours before sunset.  The sun is warm and golden at that time and will fill your picture with beautiful light.  Daylight from approximately 10:30 am to 4:30 pm is often called "devil light" because it is so bright and harsh that it will blowout your pictures, not to mention rendering all sorts of shadow problems.