Portrait Session Prep

Okay, so you have officially booked your portrait session, now what?

Let’s start the prep work! Beside outfit planning, which I blogged about here, if you have littles, there are a few ways to prep them for your session.

If they are still at that age where naps are a must, this is a day that you shouldn’t skip! This also keeps them from falling asleep in the car on the way to the session, which normally ends in a meltdown when they get woke up and taken out of the car in an unfamiliar environment.

Also, if you are anything like me, I get hangry. Believe it or not, littles do too. So, eat before your session! If it’s an early session and you will be eating supper afterward, get something small to eat beforehand. Heck, even bring snacks to your session! We want everyone to be happy and this will help a ton!

My sessions are way more candid then not. So, there won’t be a ton of you looking at the camera. This goes for the littles too. Portrait sessions can often end up stressful if you are only focused on getting everyone to look at the camera and stressed kids don’t smile and neither do stressed adults for that matter. In the event that your child doesn’t want to look at the camera, let’s roll with it. Give them snuggles, talk to them, let them play a game, look for bugs, find sticks. All of these make for beautiful candid images. So it’s a win win. Parents are getting amazing images and the kids are getting to have fun too!

If you have a blanket that is sentimental, or your child has a favorite toy (we have a bear bear in our house), please bring it! These are the small things that you will want to remember in 10 or 20 years down the road.

Most importantly, lets have fun! Let’s let loose and be goofy. Let’s play, laugh and snuggle.

How to choose outfits for your session!

Have a portrait session planned and are at a loss on what to wear?

No worries, I got you! First and most importantly, you must be comfortable. This goes for kids too. If you are wearing a skirt and you don’t normally wear skirts, you might find yourself pulling it down constantly and it will show in pictures that your mind is on something else. If your kids are wearing itchy fabrics, they will be uncomfortable and it will show. If it’s 30 degrees out and your kids aren’t in layers, they will be cold and that too will show!

So if you want to wear something that you don’t normally, I would suggest wearing it a few times prior to your pictures, that way you have time to get comfortable in it. If you have materials that are itchy, wear a layer underneath it, so it’s not touching skin! If it’s chilly and you were hoping for a fall/spring session without coats, dress in layers! LOTS of layers. Also, bring coats and when and if you get a break while I am photographing someone else or if we are walking to a different spot, throw it on!

Now, lets talk colors. I love color in outfits. However, there are certain colors that do NOT photograph well. Such as neon colors. Not only do they not photograph well but they are also distracting.

Another thing to avoid, is being too matchy.. such as everyone in denim jeans and white shirts.. please don’t do that. We want coordinating colors! Also, don’t put everyone in plaid. All we will see in your pictures are your shirts! We like patterns but not on every single person. So maybe one person in a plaid top and everyone else in colors that coordinate with the plaid. You can also throw in a plaid scarf as well!

We love layers and accessories. So scarves, hats, jewelry & cardigans!

If you saw an image online, that you absolutely love, take note of what they were wearing. Outfit choices will change the look of a session as well. So if you you wanting a light an airy session, dark bold colors wont give you that look. If you are wanting a session with lots of deep colors, wearing white and other neutrals, wont give you that look either!

I am always here to help with outfits. Send me a sample of the look you are going for and I can help with color choices. I have a Pinterest board that I can send you, that will also give you an idea of what you can wear. Heck, I even love getting photos of the outfits that you are thinking about. I can give you my two cents as far as whether I think they will coordinate and go well together!