This guide was designed to help you prepare for your portrait session so that you get the most from your session and have fun.

Clothing:

• Choose formal or casual (or both)
• Bring your favorite outfits to show your personal style
• Avoid clothes with busy patterns or designs
• Avoid short-sleeved or sleeveless shirts
• Bring matching accessories (i.e. hats, belts, shoes, jackets)
• Avoid stiletto shoes (they may puncture backdrops)
• Bring class jackets, sweaters or similar items (High School Seniors)
• Avoid bringing too many outfits. You want to be sure you spend the majority of your time in front of the camera, not in the dressing room

Hair:

• Your natural style is always best
• Don't "try out" a new style for your portraits
• Get hair cut or permed at least 2 full weeks before your session
• Try new and creative styles for glamour portraits
• Avoid excessive hairspray

Makeup:

• Less is more
• Be yourself, apply your makeup as you ordinarily would
• Color coordinate lipstick, eyeshadow and blush with your clothing selections
• Try creative and outrageous styles for models, glamour or fashion portraits
• Avoid glitter
• Avoid excessive eye makeup

Nails:

• Choose colors that coordinate well with your clothing
• Paint your nails before you arrive for your session
• Remove old, chipped or poorly matched polish before you arrive for your session
• When in doubt, don't paint your nails or choose a clear polish

Eyeglasses:

If you wear glasses, you may want to consider having your lenses removed from your frames just prior to your portrait session to avoid any glare. Many opticians will remove your lenses for little or no cost. We highly recommend this to ensure that your photos are free of glare or reflection from our lights. Of course, we take great care to position our subjects in ways that reduce glare as much as possible. However, we cannot guarantee that your portraits will be completely free of glare or reflection unless your lenses are removed from your frames or you elect to remove your glasses entirely for your session.

Blemishes & Scars:

We carefully retouch all of our images to reduce or completely eliminate any noticeable blemishes or scars. If you are concerned about any facial imperfections, please let your photographer know. We take great care to make you look your absolute best. So, don't worry about them.

Group Portraits:

The key to any successful group portrait is unity. The entire group should choose a style (casual, formal, etc.) and then a coordinated color theme (i.e. all black, all white, khaki pants, jeans, etc.). The key is to make sure that each member of the group is wearing the same basic colors and styles, not necessarily the exact same items. If, however, you wish to call attention to a certain member of the group, then have that person wear something that stands out a bit, but does not clash with the rest of the group.

Remember, we are always happy to help you coordinate clothing for your family or group portrait. Simply contact us for assistance.

Personal Items:

Most of our portrait sessions allow you to add items of a personal nature. These items help to show off who YOU really are. Here are some suggestions for personal items:

• musical instruments
• pets
• friends & family members
• sporting equipment
• your car
• uniforms (band, cheerleading, choir, etc.)
• trophies
• stuffed animals or collectibles
• kids' blankets or other objects they respond to

Things To Bring With You:

We recommend that you bring certain items with you, in case you need them during your session. These are:

• Brushes & combs
• Hairspray and gel
• Makeup
• Hair pins, scrunchies, clips
• Accessories

Of course, we also keep many of these items on hand in case you forget them. We want your session to be fun and worry free.

If you have any concerns or questions that we have not addressed in this guide, please contact us. We are always happy to help.

Children:

Because we specialize in children's portraits, we want to make certain that Moms and Dads have everything they need and are comfortable with us and our studio. Thus, we have carefully childproofed our studio as much as possible and keep a clean changing table and toddler potty seat on hand. We always have age-appropriate toys and movies for children, too. We want your portrait experience with us to be fun, memorable and carefree. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to better accommodate your needs.

We highly recommend scheduling your child's portrait session for times when your child is well-rested, alert and playful. You know best when those times will be. Depending on the age of the child, we usually have a pretty short window of opportunity to photograph before the child will lose interest or become tired. Thus, we strongly encourage parents to visit our studio in advance and select any costumes, props, sets, etc. they wish for us to use so we can have them ready to go.

During the session, children may be fussy, timid or frightened by our lights and equipment. We are nearly always able to get past that initial phase after the child has a few moments to check out the studio and warm up to us. If you know your child has a particular fear or responds better to certain items, please let us know. We want your child's portraits to be everything you always wanted.

Also remember that some of the best photographs of children are those where the child is simply playing in the moment. In fact, if a child becomes immersed in our sets or captivated by our props, so much the better. These moments often produce some of the most endearing images. Not every photograph of children must have big, toothy grins aimed straight at the camera.