Preparing for a portrait photography session can be a bit daunting, especielly for members of a group who just don’t like getting photographs taken or who dislike posing. When thinking about your portrait session, bear in mind that the final image will convey something about you, or you and your friends or family if it is a group session. The final result will convey the mood of the sitter(s), the personality, lifestyle or working environment or a combination of these aspects.
Here are a few tips on preparing for a portrait session
Bring along clothing you’re comfortable with
Chose clothing that you’re comfortable wearing and you know looks and feels good to wear. This will make you feel relaxed, making you look relaxed in the final images. Bring a change of clothes that you’re happy with. Not too many. Two or three changes are fine but it’s good to have a choice in the studio. Unless there is a reason to be suited up, stick with casual and comfy clothes.
Bring suitable props
Props are personal and tell a bit about who you are. It may be something you can wear or something that is significant or special to you. There may be a theme you would like your images to convey. You may be a cyclist or a enjoy fishing or walking and painting. Kids enjoy bringing toys or football strips and boots, favourite dolls or dancing dresses. All these things convey the personality of the subject and years from now will be a great memory of whao you were ‘back then’.
Plan your makeup and hair
Women like to look their best for photographs so it’s a good idea to plan your look for your session. You may have a favourite hairdresser and stylist you use or you may like to book one with your session. I work with an excellent makeup artist for most of my hair and beauty sessions so this can be done in studio if required.
Look at colour coordination for group shots
If you’re planning a portrait session with family or friends it’s a good idea to plan the colurs you will all wear. Well planned colours will make a visually striking image. Again, bring a selection of clothes along and we can discuss the best combinations.
Avoid logos
Avoid clothing with large logos. An image doesn’t look good with a group of friends with nice colourful clothes and a great pose and one wee chap with a t-shirt with a massive Superdry logo emblazoned across the front. The amount of times I’ve heard mums say “aw I wish I’d brought your shirt”…. Joking apart, logos tend to spoil good images. I know Photoshop is great but deleting logos takes time and it’s better to deal with it beforehand. There may of course be exceptions when a logo may be a vital part of an image or may be the prop you require but bear the thought in mind.