1. Posing. Most of us get self-conscious about our bodies and appearances. I truly believe that we are our own worst enemy most critical of ourselves. As a photographer, I mostly see light, emotion, and joy. I want you to see the same! This is how you should want your family to see you.
While I do minimal skin fixes, I do not glamorize any image. That means I will not shrink any part of your body nor grow any part of our body. Don't fixate on these things, and instead focus on the positives. These bigger memories are so much more important.
With that, I do recommend you to practice smiling (it's harder than you think!), and find that pose you love.
2. Hair and Makeup. Ladies, always cut your hair (if you are planning to) at least 2 weeks before the session to allow some growth in the event the hair cut didn't go as planned. Bring a baggie of extra ties, clips, and a brush, because Mother Nature will tend to blow wind our way. Makeup - bring for touch ups especially if you have kids rubbing on your face like I do!
3. Glasses and Nails. Clean nails for everyone is important. The slightest can be seen sometimes in the photos. Once again, I do not do special removals of nail colors or other nail issues. Be sure to lotion and bring lotion. Glasses - most common glasses are now transitional and they do absolutely no good for photos. Try wearing contacts, or if you normally wear glasses and want to capture that essence, I recommend buying some cheap $1 glasses from the dollar store and pop out the lens to wear only the frames! All glasses produce a horrendous glare, and we do not want glares in our memories.
4. Dry and Tanned Skin. Moisturize everyone for days! That includes lips, skin, face, everywhere. Bring chapstick. It will help to get that beautiful natural glow. As for tanned skin, I recommend covering tan lines and sunburn as much as you can. There are no special edits for tans.
5. Children. Children of napping ages should get a nap and be fed prior to the session. It makes them the happiest. Bring extra snacks but avoid the gooey and messy ones especially those that dyes. Always bring wipes, and water. Most importantly, let them be themselves!
6. What to Wear. Long gone are the 1hour photo studio days where everyone wears the same colored tops and bottoms. Now, coordinating colors is the thing! Pick 2-3 colors and mix and match. Layers are visually appealing too. Ive created a board with sample coordinates on Pinterest for ideas here. Always pick clothes SHOES that flatter your body and are comfortable because we will sit, stand, squat, and all. Bring flats/sandals to walk in and slip on the heel for the shot!
Avoid pin stripes, busy patterns that will generate a Moire effect in the photo and video because it's not pretty. Also avoid too short clothes that may cause for a wardrobe malfunction.
7. Props and Accessories. Bring that prop or heirloom that means a lot to you! We will incorporate it as much as we can. This is most important for Senior and Maternity Sessions.
