Portraits

Classic clothing, like khaki or denim, is timeless. Coordinating solid color tops with jeans or khakis works well. The eye is drawn to bright areas in the photograph, so no one should wear white unless everyone is wearing white.

Patterned outfits (plaids, stripes, and prints) are generally avoided, because they can distract from the portrait. You want the viewer to be looking at you- not the shirt! Patterned shirts, dresses, or skirts can help add a little flavor to a picture though, if done right. Think of what color background you have decided to go with for your picture, and how your outfits will look against the background color.

If you choose to go with a patterned shirt in a family portrait, make sure what you are wearing does not conflict with the other outfits. It’s a good idea to have the other outfits more subdued. Very thin stripes and tiny plaid patterns will not be very distracting. Thicker stripes and plaid will cause you to be the center of attention in the family picture! If you aren’t sure if your outfit will distract from the photo, we can help you with our opinion. If this is the case, make sure to have a backup outfit ready to change into.

If you are having problems with picking out outfits, an easy way to help visualize what you want is to Google “family portrait” images. Now, you have thousands of pictures at your disposal. Look for pictures you like, and see what kinds of outfits different families chose for their portrait. You may find yourself consistently liking and not liking certain things in the pictures. You might really like matching family outfits, or dislike when people wear thick stripes. This is a great way of helping yourself decide what you want to wear. If you want to see even more pictures, use another search engine as well such as bing or yahoo.

PLANNING YOUR SENIOR PORTRAIT PHOTO

SESSION

Come with hair and makeup ready, so you have more time in front of the camera.

Clothing:

Avoid patterned tops, stripes, and plaid. Solid colors photograph much better, because they are less distracting. Also, avoid clothes with words on them, unless it‘s your school logo. Please look at the sample pictures on the side and throughout the site.

Bring both casual and classy outfits. You may want to bring a pretty dress or tux for a more formal school portrait. Ladies-we can provide a black, velvet drape and pearl necklace for your school portrait (the same kind that is used for the yearbook). A nice sweater, polo, or collared button-up shirt will look great for headshots and shots from the waist up. Pairing any of these with jeans is a great casual look.

Bring a variety of colors to choose from. This gives you more options when you are choosing which pictures you like at the end. Red might be your favorite color, but you may be disappointed when you see you are wearing the same color in all of your favorite pictures!

Bring different styles. Just like you don’t want to be wearing the same color in every picture, you don’t want to be wearing a polo in every picture, as well. You want your pictures to look different, so switch it up.

Personalize your pictures. Wear your school uniform (football, baseball, cheerleading, dance, soccer, band, swimming, etc…), bring props (helmet, football, wrist guards, weights, baseball hat, bat, pom poms, soccer ball, instrument, dance shoes), letterman jacket, club or student council tshirt, etc. Vehicles and motorcycles can come to an outdoor session, but make sure to let us know so we can plan accordingly.

Make sure your outfits are ironed and wrinkle free! Wrinkly shirts, slacks, and dresses will show up in your picture.

Hair
Avoid changing your hairstyle or cutting your hair right before your session. Let it be natural. Quick easy hairstyle changes during your session are OK, but make it quick or you loose camera time.

Jewelry
Best tip here, keep it simple. We want the attention on you. Big, shiny jewelry can distract from the real subject, YOU. If you have different jewelry for different outfits, you might put each set of jewelry in a plastic baggie and hang it on the hangar with that outfit.

Sunburn/Tanning

AVOID SUNBURN! Sunburn and peeling skin DO NOT photograph well!! Tan, yes, burn, no. If you are a winter or spring session and your tan has faded, you might consider tanning. But don’t overdue it so you look too fake-and-bake. Also. tan lines are not attractive in portraits. We suggest you vary your swimsuit top or use a tanning bed to minimize any tan marks.

Friends and Parents

Friends or parents are welcome. They can be a help. You can have a couple of shots with a boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend or sibling at no extra charge.

Weather for Outdoor Portraits
Let’s face it, we are at the mercy of mother nature. If it rains, we’ll have to reschedule. Don’t worry about clouds, they actually help. But rain falling IS a problem. We will give you a number to call if the weather is threatening.

Tattoos, Scars, Braces, Piercings
Just let the photographer know if you want tattoos to show or not. It is that easy. Scars are not automatically retouched, but can be removed or softened at your request. Extensive work may have a slight extra charge. Braces? Don’t worry. You could have the tops taken off for your photo session, or we can retouch them out by computer. But don’t fight smiling, a braces smile is better than a “holding back a smile” look.

TIPS FOR GIRLS

Clothing styles
Be careful of baggy clothes that might make you look larger than you are. Make sure your clothing flatters you. If you think you have large arms, be careful of sleeveless styles, they can make your arms look fuller.

Wild to mild. We don’t really tell you what you can and can not wear. A little sexy is OK, but don’t make ALL of your outfits that way. We photograph everything from prom dresses to swimsuits. What one person likes may not be appropriate for the next person. Our philosophy is “as long as your parent’s approve, we don’t care”. But remember your yearbook may have a dress code for submitted photos.

Undergarments
It is amazing how many times someone will come in wearing flowered underwear and not realize it is a problem until they go to put on their WHITE PANTS! Or come in wearing a white bra and put on a black sleeveless shirt. Please bring appropriate foundation wear for each outfit. Flesh colored is the best. Also, if you need a strapless bra, bring one. Tucking the straps down usually shows and looks bad with regular clothes. It is not a problem in your drape photos. With today’s thin fabrics, carefully select these pieces so you can’t see unsightly lines.

Finger and toe nails
NAILS SHOW! If they have the paint all chipped off, it will show. Many casual shots are done barefoot, so don’t forget about those toes! Avoid real bright colors. Natural or basic work best. We don’t want to draw attention to your neon orange toe nails. And they may look really bad with your next outfit!

TIPS FOR GUYS

Clothing
Remember, if mom gets her nice shot, she is much cooler on letting you get what you want! So make her happy and keep her off both of our cases. Bring the right shoes for the outfits. Docs or sandals photograph much better than big, bright tennis shoes. Bring a dark t-shirt to wear under dark shirts. A white t-shirt triangle under a dark shirt sticks out like a sore thumb. so bring a black or gray. The white t-shirt is for wearing under light shirts and your tux shirt. Avoid large, bold brand names or words on clothing. Already, a few big names from just a few years ago, you would not be caught dead wearing now. No need to make your portraits advertising billboards for a clothing brand.

Shaving
Please make sure you are clean shaven. Retouching stubble costs extra and is still does not look as good as a clean shave. Got a goatee that mom hates, but you love? Do your casual shots first with it on, then bring a razor and go to the restroom and shave it off for mom’s formals. Everyone is happy that way!