Portrait Session Guide
I'm so glad that you've booked a your portrait session with me. This is going to be an amazing experience, and together we are going to create some beautiful portraits!
Proper preparation will help me to capture you looking and feeling your best, so here are a few tips I hope will help you get ready for your session.
What To Wear To Your Session
Clothing Style
Everyone’s number one question is WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?? My number one recommendation is to wear clothing that you LOVE and feel BEAUTIFUL wearing.
With that in mind I do have suggestions and recommendations that can help you choose outfits. I will be trying to capture at least two or three different looks during your session, so I recommend bringing a couple of different styles to reflect your personality and give you some variety. Here’s some ideas:
Professional - A suit, or outfit that has a professional or business look. Something appropriate for an interview or important client meeting is ideal. A layered look with a jacket is perfect!
Classic - An outfit that would be considered dressy, such as a tailored dress, or a dressy blouse and pants.
Casual - A relaxed outfit that you feel comfortable in. Anything goes here, like jeans and a t-shirt or camisole, athletic wear, or something street fashion.
Glamorous - Something fancy and elegant! Like a little black dress, a full length dressy gown, or a sparkly cocktail dress.
Couture - Something ultra feminine!! Choose one of my tulle skirts in black or cream and bring your own corset top. I also have floral headpieces you can wear!
Bring additional layering pieces. For example, if you choose to wear a professional business suit, bring an extra cardigan or jacket so that we can change up your look quickly and easily. Or a leather jacket to throw on over jeans and a tank top. Or a jean jacket to wear over a sun dress…etc.
Choose fitted clothing. Fitted clothing is more flattering in photographs than loose, flowing clothing. This is true for everyone, but even more so if you are a bit more curvy. Please avoid bringing bulky sweaters and flowing cardigans.
Necklines: V-necks look good on most women and accentuate the neck, creating a slimming effect. Avoid wearing turtle necks, bows, or ties because they will shorten your neck. Blouses with ruffles, or excessive bulk around the neckline can draw to much attention to your bust line, which will make you appear wider in your portraits. I also discourage bringing scarves.
Sleeve length: If you are curvy, or self conscious about your arms, bring clothing with sleeves. Wearing a layered look with a fitted jacket also works well. Avoid short sleeves and sleeveless tops for a formal business portrait.
Undergarments: Please bring well fitting undergarments that are appropriate in fit and color for each outfit that you bring.
Jewelry: Please feel free to bring whatever jewelry you feel goes best with your outfits.
Shoes: For in-studio portraits you will not be wearing shoes so don't worry about bringing them. For outdoor portraits, bring comfortable walking shoes along with shoes to match your outfits.
Other Tips: The day before your session make sure you try on your outfits to make sure everything fits and looks great. Make sure that your clothing is cleaned, ironed, de-linted, etc.
Clothing Color
I generally use neutral colored backdrops, so most clothing colors will work well. Here are a few colors that I know photograph well and match my style and backdrops.
Dark - Black, navy, or charcoal. Dark outfits are typically flattering and work well with every body type. A dark suit jacket works great for a professional business portrait and a black cocktail dress is an excellent choice for a classic look. If you want to create some dramatic vogue-like images definitely bring a dark outfit.
Color - Most colors photograph well, except for hot neon colors so please avoid those colors. Some examples of colored clothing would be, a colored blouse under a suit jacket for a formal business portrait, a colored dress for a classic portrait, or jeans and a colored top for a more casual look.
Light - Ethereal shades of nude, blush, light pink, white, cream, etc. These colors look beautiful in fabrics that are sheer, gauzy, or soft and are especially great colors if you want to project a soft, feminine image. Some examples of using light ethereal colors would be a light colored suit jacket along with a neutral colored blouse to create a softer business portrait. A light colored lace or chiffon dress would be lovely for a classic look. A sheer blouse layered over a tank top along with dress pants or leggings, or a gauzy blouse with jeans makes a great casual look.
Sparkly - Gold, silver, black, grey, champagne colors are lovely. This is a perfect choice if you would like to project a more elegant or glamorous image. Some ideas include a beaded cocktail or evening gown, a glittery top or cardigan with dress pants, a sequin tank with leggings, or even a sparkly scarf or shawl that can be draped over a more neutral colored dress.
Choose solid color clothing. Patterns and prints can be distracting and take attention away from your face and your eyes in the portrait. Instead choose clothing with textures and/or layers to add visual interest to the portrait. They can also provide a way to create a variety of looks during your session. Choose clothing with textures such as: denim, leather, lace, knitting, embroidery, fur, tweed, smocking, ribbons, buttons, ruffles, etc. Create layers with sweaters, hoodies, jackets, vests, etc.
If you are bringing a suit or suit jacket please bear in mind that clothing with tight grids or a small herringbone pattern can have a moiré pattern effect on camera, so stay away from grid-like patterns. Thin stripes are okay.
For other clothing ideas and tips, please see my Pinterest page.
Inspiration and Ideas
Gray Walls
White Walls
Pink Walls
Blue Walls
Truffle Walls
Black Walls
Backlight
Dark Textured Canvas
Stone Canvas
White Backdrop
Other Preparations
Personal Grooming
Professional makeup can be added to your session, but some people prefer to do their own. I cannot stress enough the importance of wearing makeup to your portrait session. It really does make a huge difference in how your portraits will look. If you don't normally wear makeup that's okay, however I highly recommend that as a minimum you wear a good foundation (not a tinted moisturizer) to even out your skin tone and cover any blemishes, as well as lip balm to make your lips look soft and moisturized. If you have chosen to do your own makeup please click here to access The Makeup Guide with step by step instructions to help you apply makeup for your photo shoot.
If you have chosen to use my professional makeup artist, please arrive to your session with a clean, lightly moisturized, but make-up free face, ready for the make-up artist to work her magic.
Professional hair styling (a wash and style) can also be added to your session, but if you prefer to do your own I recommend wearing your hair in a style that is normal for you. Keep in mind that if we are doing an outdoor session that Calgary can be a windy place, so take that into consideration and come prepared for fix ups.
Haircuts should be done at least 2 weeks before your session. This gives your hair to grow back slightly. I don't recommend making any drastic changes at this time. Just stick with a trim and a color touch up if necessary. Don’t color your hair right before the shoot. Freshly colored hair can look too vibrant and unnatural on camera- drawing more attention to your hair than your face. Colored hair looks more natural after 1-2 weeks’ worth of shampooing.
Prepare for your portraits by taking care of yourself in the weeks leading up to your photo session. Get started on a good skin care routine if you don’t already have one. Click here to access The Makeup Guide, where I give tips and recommendations for a good skin care routine.
Exfoliate! It will smooth your skin if you exfoliate a few times the week before your session, but DO NOT exfoliate on the day of your session! Use moisturizer on your skin daily, even your hands. Also use lip balm regularly the week before your session. This will also make you look healthy and glowing for your photographs.
Don't worry about any pimples or skin flare ups. These things happen! Having a great makeup application will hide any imperfections, plus your images will be fully retouched, so your skin will look beautiful in your finished portraits!
Avoid drinking alcohol or smoking, and drink plenty of water for a few days and on the day of your session. This will make your skin very hydrated to fill in lines and wrinkles, undereye circles, and give you a healthy glow. Get plenty of sleep the night before your photo so you're rested and ready to go.
Tweeze your brows the day before your session.
If you want to whiten your teeth before your session, start as early as possible and use a natural whitening method, or have your teeth whitened with your dentist. If you don't have time, then rest assured that your finished portraits will be retouched which includes subtle teeth whitening.
Do not apply self-tanner. It will make your skin look orange in your portraits. If you normally get a spray tan book it a couple of days before your session.
Don't shave on the day of your session. If you want smooth legs and arm pits, shave 2-3 days before your session to give your skin time to recover before your session.
Don't forget about your nails. Get, or give yourself a mani-pedi. Choose natural or neutral colors that will go with all of your clothing and not be distracting.
If you have chosen to add professional hairstyling and makeup come to your session wearing something casual and comfortable, and bring the clothing you want to wear during your session separately. I also recommend coming to your session in a top, or blouse that zips or buttons up so that you can easily remove it once your hair and makeup are finished.
What to Bring To Your Session
Any additional clothing and accessories that we discussed in your pre-session consultation.
Your lipstick, and your lip balm or lip gloss for touch ups.
Please feel free to bring your own water and snacks.
I sometimes use fresh flowers as props, so if you have any allergies I need to be aware of please let me know.
Any personal props you would like included in your photograph, such as cell phone, laptop, books, etc.
For outdoor photo shoots please bring a comb, or hair brush and hairspray for touch ups. For in-studio photo shoots I’ll have these supplies on hand.
For outdoor photo shoots please bring comfortable shoes for walking. We will be walking around to various locations during your session so if you are not wearing shoes that are suitable for this please bring along an extra pair of comfortable shoes that you can slip into. For in-studio sessions shoes aren’t needed.
For outdoor photo shoots please bring a jacket. Outdoor sessions are scheduled 2 hours before sunset, so by the end of the session it can be cool, even in the summer, so bring a jacket. During the spring and especially in the fall the weather can be changeable here in Calgary, so please dress for the weather. You probably don't want to be photographed in bulky sweaters and coats, but bring one along so that you can slip into it when there is some down time during your session. I want you to be comfortable!
For outdoor photo shoots please be aware that your session will take place in fields with grass and various trees and flowers, so if you have any allergies you may want to take allergy medication before the session.
For in-studio sessions please be aware that cats live in my home, and although they won’t be around during your photo shoot you may be sensitive so please take medication or bring it with you. You don't want to be sneezing, itching and have red, watery eyes during your session.