PORTRAIT TIPS

Here are some tips about how to prepare for your portrait session. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to call our studio at (352) 372-4462.

Clothing: Solid colors are the best thing to choose, stay away from anything with stripes, prints, or plaids. Remember darker colors and sleeved clothes are more sliming-- bring choices.
Family clothing: when trying to dress two or more people for a session. Don't worry about matching everyone exactly the same, instead match a color pallet such as fall colors, light pastels, etc. Think about tones that match rather than trying to get everyone to wear the same color shirt. However matching bottoms such as everyone wearing jeans or kaki is a good idea.

• Whites and pastels are great for our white and light backgrounds.
• Something dark or black always looks great in our studio
• Bring different outfits to choose from
• Please avoid sleeveless shirts they just never let you shine

Hair: Do your hair before you arrive, we don't suggest trying new hair styles or colors for your portraits. Be natural and comfortable. Tame those flyaways.

Skin: Don’t worry if you develop skin problems, our finished portraits can be fully retouched to eliminate blemishes.

Glasses: Problems with glass glare can be very unflattering. We can remove some minor glare on glasses but tinted glasses can not be lightened. Glasses that are tinted and/or exceptionally thick should be replaced with a pair of frames without glass. You can ask your optometrist for these or you can take the lenses out of an old pair if you are comfortable doing this.

Makeup: Both fresh natural makeup and evening makeup look great in photographs. Please don't try to change the color of your skin with make up, your neck and arms should match the skin tone of your face. Any type of waxing (such as eyebrows) should be done 2-3 days before your portraits to make sure the redness and swelling goes down.

Expecting mothers: We suggest you bring several different clothes to choose from, such as button up shirts so we can open them and show belly, gaucho cotton pants, skirts, your favorite outfits and accessories.  We have fabrics and wraps but we still like to see what unique things you might bring to mix and match with our fabrics. Stretch marks (beauty marks as we like to call them) are very common and can be removed through retouching upon request. Please refrain from wearing tight bras or pants or anything that will leave a strong mark on your skin prior to the session.  As always, keep yourself hydrated and rested for a more pleasant session.  Keep in mind that although we photograph a lot of moms in white, darker colors are more sliming than lighter or white colors.  You may look at examples on our web site. Solid colors photograph much better than patterns.

Newborns: It's best to bring a well fed sleeping baby. The best time to photograph a newborn is between 5 and 14 days old. If breast feeding, your milk must have come in before we can shoot. Bring extra bottles, wipes and an outfit. It is best to have an outfit on that is easily removed, buttoned or zipper outfits that allow us to remove the clothes without pulling over the head are best. We usually suggest you keep your baby awake an hour or so before the shoot, then feed your little cutie and put him/her in the car. This with the car ride usually has them arrive sleeping which is what we really want. Bring several extra blankets and an extra shirt for yourself. Please understand that we are professionals and will pose your baby as needed, we will call upon for assistance with your baby when we really need you.

Babies and Children: Bring your favorite outfits, but stay away from busy patterns if possible.  We suggest a full tummy prior to the session and if your child is on a set schedule, try to make your appointment at least 1 to 2 hours prior to nap time.  Bring snacks and juices as well as a lovey favorite toy.  Teething is a very important milestone, but also one that can make for a tough session, feel free to re-schedule if your child doesn't feel good the day of the session. PLease also understand that sometimes we will ask that you do not interact with your child during teh session. This is becausewe pay very close attention to the direction the child's eyes are looking and we don't want the parents to throw the angle of view.

Tanning: Removal of tanning or sunburn lines will incur additional charges. Tanning is ideal to add a little color to your skin. If you over tan you run the risk of looking orange or burned and uneven. If you use a spray tan please make sure it is evenly applied and blended especially in the joints and bends of your body.

Ordering Session: After your session we will schedule an appointment for you to come back and view the final photographs. If you are in a hurry we can sometimes shoot and show you in the same day but please let us know you want to do this when you schedule the shooting appointment. Please make sure everyone who will be involved in making your order decisions will be present for this viewing.  Also keep in mind that friends and family who won’t be involved in decisions tend to be more distracting than helpful.