GENERAL SESSION TIPS

ARRIVE EARLY Please arrive fifteen minutes early for your appointment. This will give you time to get your outfits organized or to touch up your makeup. If you show up late or not ready, you may have less time in front of the camera. If you need more time to get ready and would like to come earlier, just call the studio to see if the dressing room will be available. Sessions are relaxed and will not be rushed.

COMPLEXION We retouch blemishes and will make you look your best, so don't worry about minor breakouts.

HAIR & FACIAL HAIR Avoid changing your hairstyle or cutting your hair right before your session. Let it be natural. Although our photographer tries to help with hair, it is hard to know what your hair "is supposed to look like.” So make sure you like the look or let the photographer know your preferences. Hair style is ultimately your responsibility. Guys should be clean shaven if you don’t want any whiskers to show. The camera will not hide anything.

CLOTHING FOR CHILDREN Try to keep it simple. We realize that a lot of children’s clothing has pattern or print on it, but most of the time it just doesn’t photograph very well. If you really like an outfit that has a pattern or print, go ahead and bring it. We would also like you to bring another outfit and we can try to use both.

CLOTHING FOR FAMILIES AND GROUPS If there is more than one person in the photo, PLEASE coordinate your outfits so that everyone in the photo matches!!! I cannot stress this enough! A different color tone or higher contrast will distract by standing out and drawing your eye to the outfit and not the faces. If possible, lay the outfits out on floor and if something stands out more than the rest, try to pick something different to wear. If you aren’t sure, bring extras and we will help you decide.

GLASSES Most glasses glare, but some lenses glare more than others (anti-reflective coating has less glare). Your best bet is to check with your optometrist to see if they will loan you an empty set of frames for your photo session (if your lenses are dark, frames without lenses may not look right). If that isn’t an option, we can usually correct glass glare on your final photos for an additional cost.

MAKEUP Girls… your makeup should not be heavier than normal, but natural. Excess shine can be controlled by using translucent powder that tones down shine without adding additional color. Do not wear glitter or shimmery makeup or powder because it can look like specks of sweat in the photographs. Heavy eyeliner is also not recommended because it can make your eyes appear darker.

SUNBURN / TANNING Tan lines are not attractive in photographs. We suggest you vary your swimsuit top or use a self-tanner. Do not over tan and try to avoid getting sunburn right before your session. Sunburn and peeling skin DO NOT photograph well and may cost extra if we have to retouch it.

PIERCINGS / TATTOOS / SCARS / BRACES Just let the photographer know if you want tattoos or piercings to show or not. They can also be retouched out of portraits for an extra charge. Scars are not automatically retouched, but can be removed or softened at your request. If you have braces, we can retouch them out of the final portraits (or you could have them removed for your session). But don’t fight smiling. A braces smile is better than an awkward, holding-back-a-smile look.

WEATHER If it is raining, we will need to reschedule. If it happens to be cloudy, don’t worry about it. Clouds are fine and some people even tend to squint less if it is overcast. If the weather is questionable, feel free to call the studio. Please understand that we may wait until and hour or two before the session to decide upon rescheduling as weather can change quickly.

EXTRA TIPS FOR SENIORS

CLOTHING Pick outfits that show who you are. It is best to try to avoid stripes, plaids and busy patterns because solids photograph much better. If your favorite outfit has a pattern or writing, BRING IT!! Just make sure you bring some simple, subtle outfits too. Also please bring a variety of color. Don't bring five blue outfits even if it is your favorite color. Bright colors are fine, but we strongly encourage you to also bring some neutral colors, such as black, white, tan and brown so you will have a nice variety of tones. Vary the dress level by bringing some dressy and some casual outfits. PLEASE bring several extra outfits so we can help you pick what looks best on you. It is better to have extra outfits than not enough to pick from.

Group your outfits together on hangers and make sure they are ironed. Clothes stuffed in a bag will come out wrinkled. Although we have an iron for touch ups, we don't want you to waste your time ironing.

Some shots are close up, others are full length which will show your shoes, so plan outfits completely.

Make sure your clothing flatters you. If you think you have large arms, be careful of sleeveless styles, as they can make your arms look fuller. Light colored and baggy clothing tend to add weight. Black, as well as dark colors, tend to be more slimming. As a general rule, light clothes look better on light backgrounds and dark clothing looks better with dark backgrounds. It you don’t have a preference, bring light and dark outfits for more variety.

CLOTHING FOR GIRLS – What you love and are interested in is really important. A variety of styles and colors will give you a lot of unique images to pick from (prom dress, hats, scarves, jeans and a simple t-shirt, that hoodie you just love)

CLOTHING FOR GUYS - Bring a variety of tops (polos, t-shirts, button ups, jackets, sweatshirts, sweaters) and a variety of bottoms (jeans, khakis, shorts). Most importantly, bring clothes that you like to wear. A casual outfit that you like to wear everyday can look really authentic. Don’t bring dad’s clothes unless you share clothes with him.

JEWELRY Again, the best tip we can give you is to keep it simple. We want the attention on you, not your jewelry. Big, shiny jewelry can be distracting. If you have a necklace that matches an outfit but may be a little distracting, bring it and we can take a few photos with and without the necklace. If you have different jewelry for each outfit, you might want to put it in a plastic baggie and hang it on the hanger with that outfit.

PROPS You are welcome to bring props! Bring items that help define who you are or mean something special to you. Some popular choices are; sports equipment and apparel (soccer ball, football, hockey stick, jerseys and cleats), musical instruments (guitar, saxophone, trumpet), activities (dance, paintball, hunting, and hobbies), automobiles or motorcycles. Just remember that too much can be distracting, so choose props that will compliment you and not take the focus from you. Sometimes it may be better to focus on your favorite sport or hobby instead of having a bunch of things in the same photo.

PETS Pets are OK as long as they are house broken. It is a good idea to have someone bring a pet, then leave with them after being photographed. Or bring a pet carrier to contain them while you are being photographed without them. Treats can be helpful to keep a dog’s attention.

FINGERNAILS & TOENAILS Nails may show in some of the photos. If the nail polish is chipped, it will show. Many casual shots are done barefoot, so don't forget about those toes! Avoid bright colors. Natural or light subtle colors may look best.

FRIENDS AND PARENTS Most seniors bring a parent along although you don’t have to. Too many people in the camera room may be distracting or make you nervous. We do not recommend bringing your boyfriend or girlfriend to your session. It is fine for them to be in a photo with you but it is usually best if they only stay for that part of the session.

MUSIC You are welcome to bring your IPOD or MP3 player with you. We can hook it up to our speakers and play your favorite music during your session.