If you want your portrait to be
superior it is important that you plan and prepare for
the occasion, so we have included some tips to help make
the best of the time spent in front of the
camera.
Hmmm. . .
What To Wear?
. . .that is the age-old question,
and a puzzler we often get asked when helping prepare
for the best portrait possible. How you feel about how
you look can make a difference in facial expression, so
we want you to feel great!
First
of all, there is no wrong way to dress, only wrong
applications of how you want to come across in your
portrait. Let's begin with a few basic
guidelines:
COLOR
:
Choose a color that you know
compliments your skin tones. If you're not sure, think
of the clothes you wear that you receive compliments on.
Usually, you look good in them because their color
brings out your best facial tones.
TONE:
Tone is the
lightness or darkness of the color you choose. If you
want your portrait to be taken with a light backdrop,
choose a light tone of clothing. For a dark backdrop,
choose a darker tone. For a group photo, dress everyone
in the same or similar tones. The reason tone is so
important is that the eye goes to the area of greatest
contrast, and the best portraits bring the eye to the
face of the subject. When extreme tonal changes occur in
clothing chosen, then the eye goes to the clothes. That
is OK if you want to show off the clothes, but for a
fine portrait, the personality and features of the
subject's face should be the focus of the
portrait.
PATTERN
:
Solid colors
are best, because they do not draw attention away from
the face. However, subtle pattern is fine and does add
variety in a group photo. loud patterns are not
recommended.
LONG SLEEVES AND LONG
PANTSare better than sleeveless or
shorts unless you want to draw attention to the body
rather than the face. That is because large amounts of
skin exposed draws attention away from the face.
Makeup, Yes or
No?
We say, Absolutely
Use a good coverage base
foundation and lots of loose powder to diminish flaws
and blemishes and control shine. Apply your eye and lip
colors in darker tones than you usually wear to
counteract the bright lights used in photography.
Men should examine their skin and
if they have red spots or blemishes, a makeup base
should be applied to help hide any flaws. Men should
shave shortly before arriving for their portrait
session.
If you don't feel comfortable doing
your own makeup for a professional portrait, we have
certified makeup artists who can do wonders for a
professional look. They can also style your hair!
The Truth About
Glasses
Your glasses are a part of
you. If you always wear them, please plan to leave them
on for your portrait session. The truth is that glasses
will reflect a glare caused by the flash, or if taken
outdoors, your glasses can reflect glare from a number
of surrounding objects. There are several things we can
do to minimize the glare, and some things you can do,
too.
Have your optometrist remove
the lenses from the rims, or use an empty set of rims
for the portrait session.
If you choose to leave the
lenses in the rims, we can do much to minimize the
reflection they make. Some glasses pick up glare easier
than others, and most of the time, in a studio
situation, we can adjust the angle of the light and the
angle of the glasses to control most of the glare. Some
glasses are curved in such a way that they distort the
face within their circumference. When this situation
occurs, we cannot change or alter their effect.
After all efforts have been
made to minimize the glare your glasses produce, they
may still show some glare (usually a small area at the
top of the glasses). This is normal and acceptable.
However, if you are unhappy with this result, retouching
can be done to further eliminate glass glare.
Retouching is a hand-painting
process and by its nature takes some time. The cost of
retouching glass glare is not included in the cost of
the package priced
portraits
Preparing For A Child's
Portrait Appointments - Some
portrait studios will not let you make appointments, but
if your portrait studio takes appointments then take
advantage of this opportunity and make an appointment.
Make sure to arrive anywhere from 5-10 minutes before
your scheduled appointment, there are two reasons for
this. The first being that if there are no other
sessions at the time when you walk in, the photographer
can get your session started as soon as you come in and
thus hopefully getting you out quicker. The second
reason being it is just common courtesy to be at least
on time, however many people assume that because you
made a portrait appointment it will hold your slot no
matter what time you come in. This is not the case, in
the portrait studio that I worked in we had a 5 minute
waiting window, if you didn't come in within 5 minutes
of your scheduled time then any walk-ins or next
appointment that was waiting got your slot. When you
make the appointment make sure to ask if there are any
appointments scheduled before yours and how many. If at
all possible the best time to make a portrait
appointment would be to schedule it for the first one of
the day, so you will be able to get in and get out
without any delays. Remember to take in consideration
the following things before you make your portrait
appointment: Child's schedule (ie. nap time,mealtime,
etc), Your schedule (ie. Any other appointments,
errands,etc) holidaysand the weather. For some portrait
studios certain days are slower than others make sure to
ask your portrait photographer if there is a certain day
that is better to schedule your session on.
Child's routine or schedule
-
I don't know how many babies I have seen that come into
the portrait studio fussy and then have their parent say
"Well, they just woke up from a nap, or they are hungry,
or they are tired". Please!! If your child is tired,
hungry or just woke up, now is not the grand
opportunistic time for you to get their portraits done.
Have your children fed, well
rested and fully awake before you decide to bring them
in for a portrait session. It makes for a more pleasant
experience all the way around.
Clothing and General
Grooming -
- Getting your portraits taken
professionally should be something that you have planned
out, not some fly by the seat of your pants thought.
That being said, remember to groom your child accordingly. No matter how
small or light a stain may be, the chances are that it
will show up in your finished portraits. Try to
find colors that go well with your child's
features. If you are doing portraits with more than one
child, make sure the colors they are wearing complement
each other. You rarely can go wrong with solid colors.
Please do not forget to brush your child's hair
and style
it the way you
wish to have it before coming into the portrait studio.
If your child has marker, paint or just dirt in
general on them rest assured that those things will
indeed show up in the finished
portrait.
Smiles-
The best smile is a genuine smile.
That being said, this is normally not the smile that the
average person wants their child to have while they are
having their portraits taken and I honestly have no idea
as to why this is. I have seen and just as equally
photographed many beautiful smiles only to have the
parent say, "No, I think they can do better". This
inevitably turns into a portrait session where the
photographer takes in excess of 20 some shots to have
the parent say," I think I liked the first one, the
best". Let your child smile naturally, you can always
tell the difference between a naturaland a forced smile when you look at
your portraits.
Talk to your portrait photographer
before the session starts - Most portrait photographers
are very open to suggestions. If you have a certain pose
that you wish to achieve, take a few minutes before the
start of the portrait session and let your photographer
know what you want and equally if there are poses that
you don't wish to have, let them know that as well. Some
portrait studios have props that they use, if your
portrait studio has props and you wish to have them
included in your portraits let this be made known as
well to the photographer.
Pick out your backgrounds
accordingly - When looking through the
backgrounds that your portrait studio has available keep
in mind the color scheme of your child's clothing
and how many people will be in the
portraits. Ask your photographer how much of the
background will be visible in the portrait, sometimes
not all of the smaller portrait backgrounds will be
visible.
Holidays- The
holiday season is one of the
busiest times in any portrait studio. There are some
ways to lessen the hassle and crowds of the holiday
rush. Find out when your
portrait studio changes the backgrounds, some portrait
studios keep backgrounds available all year long while
others have certain time frames that they use the
backgrounds. The portrait studio that I worked for would
put up the Christmas holiday backgrounds about the
beginning of November. The sooner you take your
pictures the less chance you will have of
being in caught up in the mad rush of the holidays.
Choose to use solid backgrounds for your
holiday portraits and you have the option
of having your portraits taken at any time that suits
your needs best. Basically, the later you wait to get
your portraits done, the worse the wait will be.
I hope
these tips help you to have a successful portrait
session the next time you set out to have your child's
portraits taken.
Pet Portrait
Preparation
Pet Portrait Preparation Tip
#1 : Bathe your pet. Be sure to give
your pet a bath the day before your
photography session. Use a pet safe shampoo
to enhance your pet's coat.
Varieties include formulas especially for white fur,
black fur, red fur, extra shine and even dandruff
prevention. If your pet has tear stains by their
eyes, you can purchase special products at your
local pet store to
eliminate the reddish
stains.
Pet Portrait Preparation Tip
#2 : Brush your
pet. After you bathe your pet, be sure to brush out
their fur. Use a de-matting comb to remove matts, knots
and tangles in the fur. Hard, lumpy fur patches on your
pet's tummy and legs may show in the
photographs!
Pet Portrait Preparation Tip
#3 : Groom your pet. If you are having
your dog photographed, consider taking him to a grooming
salon to have him groomed so that his fur is styled in a
traditional breed specific cut. A trim can help make his
eyes, physique, tail and paws more visible. If
your pet has very long fur on their head,
consider tying it up with a cute bow.
Pet Portrait Preparation Tip
#4: Get
dressy.Take a moment and look at your pet's collar. If
it's looking worn, cracked and discolored, it's time to
get a fresh new collar. Also consider putting a bandana
around your pet's neck. If the weather isn't too warm,
you may also opt for doggie and kitty sweaters,
t-shirts, sun-visors, goggles and collar jewelry to
spice up their pictures.
Pet Portrait Preparation Tip
#5 : Go for a walk. A
few hours before your session , take your pet for a
walk. This will expend some of his energy, and hopefully
help him eliminate before getting in front of the
camera. Just be sure to stick to clean sidewalks and
walking paths. This is not the time for a forest run
with a stop by the lake!
Pet Portrait Preparation Tip
#6:
Arrive a little early.Plan to arrive a few minutes early
for your session. This will allow your pet time to get
used to the smells and sounds of a new place. If
possible walk your pet around so they can see where they
are, rather than leaving them cooped up in a crate.
Allow a minute or two for your photographer to meet your
pet and make a connection with them before starting the
session. Once your pet knows that the photographer is a
nice person that isn't scared of them, everything will
go purrrrfect!
Senior Portrait
Planning
Your senior session is ALL ABOUT YOU
so plan ahead and consider the tips below to create
senior portraits of YOU AT YOUR
BEST.
WHAT TO BRING
- Several
extra outfits (while you may not wear every outfit, it
is good to have several on hand)
- Casual and
formal outfits
- Matching
shoes (for full-length poses)
- Long sleeves
and solid colors (to keep the focus on you)
- Letter
jackets, uniforms, pets and props that reflect who you
are
- Make-up,
hair supplies, and accessories
Friends and parents (to assist
you and even join you for a few poses)
GETTING READY FOR YOUR PORTRAIT
SESSION
-
Check your
outfits for wrinkles and place them in a garment bag
-
Do your
nails (clear or neutral colors work best)
-
Guys, be
sure to shave the night before
-
Limit
exposure to the sun a few days before your photo
session to avoid sunburns or tan lines
-
Avoid
getting a new hairstyle or cut right before your
session
-
Instead,
select a comfortable style you know looks good
JUST BEFORE YOUR PORTRAIT
SESSION
Once you’re ready to
experience a portrait session that is ALL ABOUT YOU
. You hold the
complete attention of your photographer – we’ll have
posing and background ideas, but don’t hesitate to ask
questions or express whatYOU WANT
. Expect
some poses to feel a little awkward butTRUST YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER
to know
what looks great in a finished portrait. Depending on
the session you select, expect to spend an average of
1-2.5 hours at Ruback Studios ™. Most
importantly, relax and HAVE FUN
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