Your Portrait Session Style Guide

I'm so excited for your portrait session! Whether I'm capturing your sweet family, or celebrating a special moment in your life, like a graduation, birthday, anniversary, or new baby, I'm so honored to help you create memories you’ll cherish for a lifetime. I’ve created this suggestion guide to help you get the most out of your photos, and by the time you’ve read through this, you'll have all your questions answered and feel more than ready and prepared for your session. Your only job is to be yourself, laugh a lot, and have fun!

Most important suggestion is to make sure you are wearing something comfortable and clothing you “FEEL GOOD” in. If you feel good…. you will love your photos.

Fashion Tips: For Her

Say Yes to the Dress: Don’t Be Afraid to Dress It Up. Dresses and skirts look most stunning because they really flatter every female body, especially on camera. If you are going for a casual shoot, jeans with closed toe shoes/boots look great. Also, layering tops/sweaters/jean jackets create a styled look.

Long, full-length, flowy dresses and skirts look amazing on camera because they bring extra movement to the photos. Softer fabrics like chiffon or tulle which allow for beautiful movement in the images.

When considering the length of your dresses or skirts, it’s also a good idea to factor in whether or not there will be little ones in your photos. If you have smaller children, I will likely have you sitting or crouching on the ground to interact up-close with them. Cute, shorter cocktail-length dresses photograph beautifully, but if you have little ones in your photos, a floor-length dress or skirt, will make moving around with your kids much easier, and look perfect on camera, too.

If you’re an expecting mother, floor-length maxi dresses are beautiful. These dresses create the best silhouettes to flatter your figure and really highlight your bump.

Flattering Your Features: Every woman, regardless of her shape has an area of her body that she’s self-conscious about, so recognizing what area that in advance is key. Choosing flattering colors that complement your natural features is the best way to ensure you’ll love the way you look in your photos.

Three-quarter length sleeves create an awesome slimming effect on all arms, so be on the lookout for an option with a longer length sleeve. You could also bring a cute jacket/Denim Jacket, blazer or cardigan along, too.

Quick Tip: If wearing not so comfortable shoes, bring a pair of easy-to-kick-off flats to wear when moving from place to place in between photos. Your feet will thank you later!

Believe it or not, chipped nail polish is noticeable on camera. It can't be edited out in post processing.

Make a Statement: Pairing an accessory or two with your outfit can really help bring some extra dimension to your images and be a nice tie-in when you’re coordinating with a group. Big statement necklaces bring a lot of pop to the photos, while the smaller, delicate ones are not as noticeable on camera. Scarves are a great compliment too.

Avoid shirts/t-shirts with sayings, graphics, or logos on them.

Skip the Spray Tan: Although it might seem counter intuitive, I recommend that you do not get a spray tan before your session, even a few days prior, because it tends to photograph orange even when it’s applied subtly and by a professional. Your actual skin tone will photograph the most beautifully and naturally. Orange skin does not come out in post processing.

Fashion Tips: For Him

The Best Fit: Long, fitted pants and closed-toed shoes are the most sophisticated and masculine looks for men. Solid shades of gray or navy are a strong compliment to most women’s outfits, Also, stay away from graphics and logos. Closed-toed brown/black dress/casual shoes photograph well. For a casual shoot, nice, well fit jeans always look great.

Coordinating the Crew:

As you’re coordinating your outfit with your family, keep in mind that your outfits will look the most cohesive on camera when the color palette and wardrobe pieces coordinate, but don’t actually “match.” In fact, I recommend that you avoid thinking about “matching,” and instead think about what “fits” together. This will create more visual interest and allow each personality to shine through. Choose a color palette of 3 colors. Coordinate outfits based this color palette. Stay away from graphic tees/logo shirts and bold patterns that will cause a distraction in your images.

Layering is always a win! Adding in textures with a scarf, sweater, denim jacket, or a pop of color from accessories like jewelry or a bow, always brings individual style that photographs well. A tip I do when coordinating for my family is I usually shop for all outfits at the same store during the same season. Colors usually coordinate well.

An Important tip: Dress all from head to toe. Don’t forget the shoes! Old shoes and sneakers do stand out and are noticeable.

Also, I lay out everyone’s outfits, including shoes, a couple days prior to the session. I will take a picture of all the clothes together on my phone. This gives you a great visual on how all the outfits and colors coordinate together. Doing this ahead of time give the opportunity swap out clothing as need be.

Prepping Your Little Ones:

Prep diaper bags with bottle/sippy, snacks, an alternate outfit in case the primary outfit gets soiled. Bring a baby blanket or something that is special and personalized that you would like to include. Bring along your Childs favorite toy. A toy that makes a sound they like will most likely get their attention and smiles. My goal is to make this as fun and stress-free as it possibly can be for you and your family! I do bring blankets.

Heather