Ways to help you look your best:
Portraits are best when the viewer’s eye is drawn to your face. Unless you choose
your clothing carefully, it’s possible for the viewer’s eye to be diverted to the
clothing. Below are some very important tips we recommend you follow in order to
look your best for your portrait session.
Close-Up Portraits:
For your traditional head-and-shoulders portrait, dress in something very simple,
both in color and style. Men can choose a suit, sport coat or sweater. Women, a
plain dress, sweater, or shirt with a simple neckline often looks the best. Both
men and women should wear long sleeves to keep the eye from being drawn to the flesh
of the arms.
Clothing Color & Style really make a Difference:
Proper clothing allows the face to dominate the portrait, with all other elements
being secondary. Against a medium or dark background, colors that photograph best
for the portrait and other close-up poses are medium to dark tones of blue, brown,
rust, wine, or green. Keep in mind that darker shades tend to be more slimming and
figure forgiving.
Against a medium or dark background avoid light colors that approximate flesh tones
such as beige, tan, peach, pink, white, and yellow. These colors not only dominate
a portrait and overpower the face, but also drain color from the face and make the
wearer appear unusually pale.
Families and groups should try to stick with wearing the same colors, i.e. everyone
wear shades of blue or black, for example.
This keeps the focus on the faces, not the clothes.
Mix-matched patterns and colors often take away from your portrait.
Enjoy the Fun of an Outdoor Session:
Bring a casual outfit that will blend with natural outdoor settings. Earth tones
are an excellent choice. Also, remember that simple styles photograph the best.
Planning for Your Session:
Hair
Don’t try a new hairstyle just for your portrait session, and if you need a haircut,
do this at least two weeks prior to your appointment session.
Skin Problems
Don’t worry if you develop a skin problem before your portrait session. Our finished
portraits can be fully retouched to eliminate blemishes, soften harsh lines and
smooth stray hairs.
Glasses
Problems with glasses can lead to extra retouching charges. We can remove normal
glare on glasses, but tinted lenses cannot be lightened. If your glasses are tinted
or exceptionally thick, they can distort the way the camera photographs the eye.
In this case, you should ask your optometrist for a pair of empty frames to wear
for your portrait session. If you have any questions regarding your glasses or extra
retouching charges on glasses, please ask us.