What to Expect

What to Wear...

After you book your appointment, we will discuss your objectives and help guide you toward that goal for your portrait. We’ll ask you if you have specific clothing choices made.

While we have found that simple clothing choices work best and help your portrait stand the test of time, we know that at times you’ll want to shoot around a special outfit purchased by Grandma or the Tinkerbell costume that’s been worn every day since Halloween. Let us know this in our initial consultation and we’ll work it into the session. Just remember, you or your children are the focal point of the portrait. It’s best to choose items which complement instead of distract.

For group or family sessions: whether casual or formal, keep clothing choices within a color group. For casual shots, jeans with white, black or otherwise matching shirts works great. If more formal, staying with matching or complementary colors works best. For example, a man in a black suit could choose a tie which matches the woman’s dress. Except in the case of an infant, try to avoid one member wearing one color while all others wear another.

In general, solids are better than patterns. Collars are better than no collars. Sleeves are better than non-sleeves.

Some specifics for dressing children: unless you have the rare baby who likes hats, we’d suggest leaving the hat at home. We may do tastefully nude or diaper shots for babies under one year. If you have a cute diaper cover, bring one.

Pastels generally look better than bright colors.

Knit or loose clothing on infants works better than jeans or denim overalls.

For small children, we strongly prefer bare feet. If a child is posed in a sitting position, we’ll end up seeing the bottom of the shoes...we’d rather see their toes!

We have a wide selection of traditional outfits of all sizes. Inquire during your consultation...we’ll let you know what’s available.

A Word or Two About Clothing Changes...

With regard to children, we recommend a maximum of two clothing changes. Babies typically do not like having multiple clothing changes, and we’d rather spend our time capturing the mood of your child instead of various outfits. Feel free to bring several outfits from which to choose. As mentioned above, we may sneak in a diaper shot between clothing changes!

Who Should Come to a Session...

This is always a tough one, but trust us...we want the session to yield the best results!

For children under the age of three, we would prefer that only one adult accompany a child in the camera room. Grandma or a dear family friend often accompanies moms to the session to help, and that’s great. But once we get ready to shoot, extra folks should remain out of the camera room. We want your child to focus on the camera, and the more folks who are behind the camera often create a confusing distraction. At times, we may even ask mom to take a coffee break.

Other Tidbits...

We love to incorporate your child’s favorite “lovey” or blankey. It’s an important part of your child’s life and often comforts an unsure toddler.

We would ask that you avoid bring snacks into the camera room. Again, this often creates a distraction and changes the child’s focus away from the camera. If necessary, feed your child prior to the session (just let us know you need a few minutes beforehand). We want your child to be as comfortable as possible.

Relax...

Some folks come to the session with no idea of what they want, while others bring a checklist of poses. If you have ideas, please share them with us during your consultation. Understanding your expectations before the session ensures a smooth ride. Otherwise, rest easy in knowing we have decades of photographic experience under our belts...we’ll be happy to guide you through the session.