Creating great images is a collaborative effort between subject and photographer, and unless you are a professional model, you may not know how to put your best face forward in your photos. Thus, we have compiled some tips and information you may find helpful as you prepare for your session.

Get Comfortable
The best photographic moments happen when the subject is relaxed, comfortable, and feels free to show authentic emotions. We strive to capture our clients as they really are, and prefer to leave stuffy, overly posed images to other folks. As a result, we allow 1-2 hours for each session to give you or your children time to get comfortable with the camera around. We try to come to each shoot with a plan, but many of the best captures are those born out of spontaneity and creative whim, so don’t be surprised if your session becomes an adventure! 

Choosing a Location
Natural light is very flattering for skin tones, and while we do occasionally employ a variety of lighting tricks to help you look your best, we prefer natural light as much as possible. Keep this in mind when choosing your location. Outdoors are best when there is some cloud cover, shade, or your session time is 1-2 hours before sunset. Indoors are great when ample natural light is available through windows, doorways, or skylights. 

Clothing Choices
As stated above, your comfort is of primary importance, and clothing that reflects your personality is always best. We are glad to help you make clothing selections if you’re having trouble figuring out what to wear for your session. In general, solid colors, classic lines, and pieces that cannot be easily dated (ie. the puffy sleeves of the 80s!) are the best choice. If you are doing a couples or family session, there is no need to match too closely. Just be sure that your color choices and overall styles complement each other. Feel free to bring several options with you when you arrive for your session. 

Hair & Makeup
Especially for weddings and headshot sessions, we highly recommend that you consider employing the services of a great hair stylist and makeup artist for your photos. I’m a believer that great makeup artists are worth their weight in gold! Please refer to the resources section of our site if you’re in need of a good recommendation. 

Smile for the Camera
We love capturing the great smiles of children, but often find parents are consumed with getting their children to look AT the camera…and those efforts occasionally result in frustrated, uncooperative children who are not smiling at all. We’ve found that it is much more helpful for parents to put their energy in engaging their children in play to get them smiling and laughing, whether they’re looking at the camera or not. Our lifestyle portraits are intended to capture your family as you are when there is no camera around, so please don’t feel pressured to make those little ones sit still for long periods of time! Most sessions we sit some, play some, jump some, twirl some…we have our own small children at home, so we know that sitting still is not a common occurrence!