How Do I Prepare for a Photo Session
Helpful Suggestions for a Successful Photo Session
Preparing For Your Photo Session
One question that I get a lot from clients is “How do I prepare for my pictures”? Over that last 25 years, I’ve compiled some suggestions on how to prepare for your professional pictures. These are things that I discuss with all of my clients that enable us to have a successful session.
What Do I Wear?
When it comes to what to wear for your photo session, the first thing to take into consideration is the time of year and the weather. You must dress appropriately for the season, not only for comfort, but for authenticity. It wouldn’t look natural to be wearing summer clothes in a wintery forest so dressing appropriately for the season just makes sense. Is it going to rain? Let’s do it! Of course we can reschedule if there is inclement weather on your scheduled day and we’re scheduled for an outdoor session.
Secondly, if you are having a family portrait, you want to coordinate your apparel. I’m not saying to completely match, but coordinate your style and color of clothing. Earth tones are best if you are doing outdoor pictures. Black is the most forgiving color regardless of body type. You want to avoid patterns or stripes that will follow every contour of your body.
You also want to avoid having one person in your group wear a bright color that draws the eye to them and away for the group as a whole unless, of course, that is your goal.
Never wear shorts unless your on a beach and don’t wear flip flops unless it’s a flip flop type of session. These are pretty standard suggestions and these rules are broken based on what you want.
Also, bring extra clothes. Different clothing means a variety in your pictures.
The only time that I throw all dress rules out of the window is for senior pictures. Clothing, for most high school seniors, is part of their identity at this point in their lives. So I want my seniors to dress in a way that makes them feel empowered and shows who they are.
Be Prepared To Walk
If I am doing your portrait session, we are going to be creative. We are going to try and do something unique. Normally, this means exploring the space that we are using. We will walk around and see what interesting light we can find. Interesting textures and backgrounds enhance a portrait so we will look for these things.
This doesn’t meant that we won’t do straight ahead classic portraits. We will. Especially for family photos and extended family photos. And if there are people that have trouble walking, will will arrange the session so that they won’t have to.
But, typically, since I avoid staid and boring “in studio” settings where all of your pictures will be exactly the same as the last family or senior that was there before you, we will do your pictures on location which usually means walking.
I always suggest wearing comfortable shoes to walk in and bring another pair for your pictures. You walk in your comfortable shoes and change them for pictures if they will appear in them.
Bring Grooming Items
Whether it’s a comb or a brush; hairspray; make-up. You will want everything that you will need to fix or adjust the things that need it.
What Type of Aesthetic Do You Want?
I always ask my clients, “Do you want trees and leaves (pictures in a park or forest-like atmosphere) or bricks and mortar (a more urban environment)?” This sets the tone and vibe of your pictures, overall, and gives us an idea of locations for your pictures. You can pick one type or both.
So, an in depth discussion about how you want your pictures to look and the locations that will enable that vision is essential.
Professional Consultation
I ALWAYS consult with my clients prior to their photo sessions. We cover all of these issues and more. My experience over the years has taught me that the better prepared we are, the more likely you are to have more pictures that you love. And that is what it’s all about, isn’t it?