Tips

I will be adding this to my "Tips" section on my home page...but I wanted to put it here first. Here are some "Tips" on what to wear/not wear and what to bring on a photoshoot.

What to wear:

You should always go to a photoshoot with 3-4 changes of cloths. (Unless it is a group/family Portrait). These are general rules and don't apply to all types of shoots (High Fashion/theme).

Women:

• Avoid busy patters - basically anything that draws the attention away from the subject. (Also remember what vertical/horizontal lines do to the subject)
• Bring along any accessories you think might go with it, and the photographer will help you with what looks good and what will look good on print.
• Avoid glossy make-up. Basically anything shinny can have negative affects on the prints.
• With jewelry, simple is better. Again you don't want anything that will draw attention away from the subject.

Gentlemen:

• Same rules apply for the colors and patterns.

Children:

• Smiles sometimes create a "stiff" or unnatural pose. Don't place too much emphasis on the smile before the portraits are taken. Some of the best pictures are what capture the personality of the child and not just a big smile.
• Let the photographer guide the child (unless mom's help is needed)

Groups:

• Colors that compliment each other help towards making a better image. Again, soft colors are preferable.
• If in doubt place everyone's outfit out on the bed and look at them and see if one stands out more than the others.

Glasses:

• Glasses are unique in the fact that they are needed to see. There are a few ways around the dreaded "Glasses Reflection". Either get a pair of "empty" frames from your eye doctor or when it comes time to take the photograph, remove the glasses while they are being taken.

General Rules of Thumb:

• Horizontal lines slenderize, Vertical tends to add weight.
• Dark clothing slenderizes, Light adds weight.
• Bright colors, shinny objects tend to draw focus away from the subject/face.
• Neck Ties should be toned-down with minimal patterns.
• If you lay the outfits down on a bed or something and your eye is drawn to one piece in particular, the same thing will happen in the photograph.
• Light jeans/pants worn below a darker top will draw attention to that part of the body. Try getting the lighter clothing above the waist line and darker below.

Hair Style and Make-up:

• The simpler the better.
• Hair that falls down the side of the face can create dark shadows.
• Bangs that come to low will cover the eyes. The eyes are the most important part of the portrait.
• Eye make-up should be well blended and no sharp/hard contrasting lines.
• Avoid white above or below the eyes.
• A lot of color around the eyes takes away from the eyes and focuses it on the surrounding face.
• Foundation make-up should be blended at the jaw-line so that there isn't any demarcation between the face and neck.