PORTRAIT SESSION GUIDE

Hello and Welcome!

I am so excited to be working with you for your session, and even more excited for the session itself! It is completely normal to be nervous about getting in front of a camera or having your portraits done. I still get nervous myself, and this is my livlihood! I completely understand, and to show you, I've put together this guide to help you achieve the best results we can, from our time spent together.

I want you to be relaxed and enjoy this experience, so I promise to help you every step of the way.

I can't tell you enough how excited I am to capture these incredible moments for you.

Thank you for trusting me to capture these magical moments with the ones that are most precious to you.

Please read through everything thoroughly. This guide is to help you not only prepare for your session, but to also help you get the most out of our time together. I want to ensure that you receive the most amazing images.

Before the Big Day

GOOD NEWS! There really isn't much that you have to do to before your session, outside of lining up the perfect family attire (which is covered in this guide). I want you to truly enjoy yourself, and the experience.

You want to enjoy this time with your loved ones, and in turn, you'll be able to find daily joy in the images we create together.

weather: no worries

I watch the weather forecast very closely the week leading up to your session. I know that Minnesota weather can be very unpredictable.

If the weather looks as if it may be sketchy, I take a gamble depending upon the situation.

I will always make sure to contact you with plenty of time ahead of starting to get ready.

Sunlight is important for outdoor sessions, so if the sun is hidden by dark clouds, we may have to find another time that works. I will always use my professional experience to make the final decision.

Gum...and other no-no's

Gum, transitional lenses, and spray tans all have their time and place to keep life enjoyable. Portraits, however, are not forgiving for any of these. Gum, no matter how hard you try to hide it, often will sneak into (and ruin) some of the best images.

Transitional lenses, because we will be outdoors, tend to hide those beautiful eyes. My suggestion is to go without, or simply swap out your frame with a standard lens. I will work my magic and try to avoid any glare.

While spray tans can be beautiful, the colors in camera often make you look more orange than normal. Your natural skin tone is perfect, and it will photograph beautifully!

not sure what to do?
i've got you!

I promise that you're not alone, and you can fully rely on me. My sessions are not only a relaxing experience, but I fully guide you and your family into poses and give you prompts so you can have moments of genuine laughter and fun together. More often than not, I'm capturing moments that you don't even realize happened.

One of the best parts about my job is to see the beauty in what seems like ordinary moments, and provide you those memories forever.

what to wear

It's OUTFIT time!

This can either be the most stressful, or the most FUN part of the session planning process. I just want you to know that I am here to help you!

So...here we go!!

Every photographer has different kinds of styles, and because you are here (which again I am SO excited about) tells me that you love the style that I show. Because consistency is so important, I want to assure you that if you follow along with the guide I have put together, your gallery will be consistent with my images, and you will know exactly what kinds of photographs you will be getting from your session (dreamy, light, classic, timeless, true-to-life colors, and the list goes on!)

Let's get started.

light colors and patterns

A photographer's best friend is light. When you wear light clothing, the sunlight bounces around, reflects back onto your face and anyone who is around you, creating a beautiful glow. It flatters your skin - making it creamier, and hiding flaws. It also helps create the overall aesthetic of the photo.
Another reason I highly recommend light colors is that sunlight combined with vivid colors (such as really bright blues, neon yellows, etc) will make for an unnatural color cast on your skin. If you are wearing bright green and it reflects back onto your face (...and it will....) it can make you look slightly sick and we don't want that! I want to make sure your skin looks vibrant, healthy, and true to color.

When it comes to clothing, you do NOT want it to distract from your faces and expressions! I want the focus to be solely on those dimples in your baby's cheeks, your daughter's freckles, or your son's beautiful brown eyes. When you are wearing simple and timeless clothing, the attention isn't drawn to your clothing... but to those amazing features I just mentioned. This is a great thing! When you wear busy or dark patterns, it will draw the eyes to the clothing, instead of your beautiful faces.

Are you unsure about whether or not a pattern is too strong? Simply do a "squint test" - just look at it, squint your eyes. If the clothing item looks like a solid color or close to it, it's good to go! If it still looks pretty busy and patterns can be easily distinguished, it's better to go with something more delicate.

the "squint" test

They may be adorable in person, and definitely have their place, but these types of patterns don't photograph well. The high contrast patterns (light and dark colors so close together) will draw in the eyes, and will take attention away from your beautiful faces. Leave the patterns at home for session day.

no, thank you...

Yes, please!

Light colors and delicate patterns are softer and easier on the eyes (and the overall color palette). If you squint at these you will see that even the light patterns appear to be a solid color. The clothing is soft, and doesn't attract the eye, leaving it free to focus on the most important things - the faces you love!

- WHITE VS. CREAM -

Typically, clothing that is "cream" photographs white. Clothing that is "WHITE-white," photographs blue(ish)! Cream clothes are softer on skin tones and luckily easier than ever to find. If you can, lean towards cream over whites.
**Of course, the exception to this is if you are using a lot of gray in your clothing.
Grays and whites go better than grays and cream.

- SHOES -

Anything neutral, light and/or NOT distracting works! In the summer, I love kiddos in bare feet if the terrain allows. As for babies who can't walk - if it's warm enough, let's see those cute toes! If it's cold out, neutral boots are adorable, or just about anything as long as it's not a dark or distracting color. If mom is wearing a maxi dress, often times we won't be able to see those shoes so no pressure there. When all is said and done, I just want to make sure the shoes don't attract too much visual attention, we want that going to your faces!
Leave the sneakers and flip-flops at home.
Let your beautiful heels, wedges or boots shine!

- HAIR AND MAKEUP -

Of course it isn't necessary, but if you have an excuse for pampering yourself, just do it! Professionally done hair & makeup stand up to the "test of time" nicely, and if there is humidity or wind, it is a great decision.
When discussing with your makeup artist, tell them to go a shade darker when it comes to your blush and lipstick than you usually do. Not heavy, but just a bit darker.

- COLORS -

Stick to the same TONES, but don’t overly match (don’t all wear blue jeans and a white t-shirt)
Neutral colors are BEST – find 1-2 neutral colors as your base, then everyone can use these to coordinate their outfits (e.g. grey, tan, cream, blue, lighter brown and white)
Primary colors (yellow/mustard, blue/navy/royal, red/maroon) or versions of them, tend to work well only as ACCENT colors - use sparingly.
Avoid too much black where possible – especially if someone is in a lot of black, and someone else is in a lot of white