Suggestions

With respect to clothing, the best advice is to bring clothing you are comfortable in: timeless clothing you will feel good about when you see your portraits, not just in a few weeks when you get your previews, but when you see your portrait on the wall or in your yearbook ten or twenty years from now.

Feel free to bring a variety of clothing choices with you to your portrait session—a formal outfit, a semi-formal outfit, a casual outfit, or something just for fun. Having several outfits will allow us to pick a background or setting that suits your clothing choices.

Remember that the most important element in a portrait is you, and not your clothing. Still, certain clothing choices can be very distracting. While there are exceptions, it’s generally best to avoid busy patterns, stripes, and logos—-they draw the viewer’s eye away from the subject (you). Solids are almost always preferable. For close-up portraits, avoid short sleeves, as bare arms also draw the viewer’s attention away from your face.

Plan to wear your hair in a style you are comfortable with. New cuts should be at least 7 days old. New styles should be avoided, or at least two weeks old.

If you wear glasses, please bring them with you to your session. Wear them if you prefer, but please have the lenses removed. Glare from glasses is extremely difficult to remove from your portraits, and it’s much easier to avoid in the first place!

For Girls—How you wear your makeup is important! Apply slightly more than usual, but keep it natural, and in a style you’re comfortable with. A little blemish cover-up will also help the look of your previews and portraits.

For Guys—Shave several hours before your session! As with girls, some blemish cover-up is helpful in ensuring your previews and portraits look their best.

For Everyone—Stay out of the sun before your portrait session! When your skin is red from sunburn or peeling it is extremely difficult to retouch, and you won’t be happy with your portraits.

Before your portrait session, we’ll make sure to discuss your clothing choices, the setting for your session, and the style of portraits you’re looking for so there will be no surprises.