Tuesday Tip: Senior Portraits

Summer is rolling around and for many of you that means.... 

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PORTRAITS! 

Since I myself am all ready booking, I thought that I would make it easy, for my clients as well as my readers to get some great tips on what to wear, bring, etc to make your senior session a success! 

Today we will be talking about ideas for you, and general Senior Portrait suggestions! If you are having portraits with me... these are my recommendations! If you are having portraits done with another photographer, you should take these as general suggestions and talk them over with your photographer. Since each person uses different tools and creativity to produce your images they may have their own rules, guidelines or suggestions.

1. Think about your location. Are you doing portraits indoors, or outdoors? 
2. Think about your style. This is a session about YOU. Your clothes, accessories and make-up matter. Let them tell your story.
3. Think about who your giving them to. Your grandmother loves you. She may not love seeing you dressed to go clubbing.

Personalize your session.

When you schedule your appointment, I will work with you to find the right locations. I have several "go to" locations, but I want your portraits to be a reflection of you.

Punk, skater, or rock and roll: Graffiti walls, brick, or more urban and edgy locations fit the bill.

More country or casual: Then we can look for a barn, hayloft, horses... railroad tracks, tall grasses and old fences. The more information you can provide during your consultation prior to scheduling the more I can offer personalized suggestions and options. 

Feminine, traditional or classic: Flowers, lakes, parks, green grass. 

BYOP: Bring your own Prop! Skateboard, football, ballet slippers, or an instrument. Bringing something that shares your interest helps tell your story!

What to bring:

Clothing Changes. I ask that you bring 3-5 clothing changes (if possible) to your session and even some extra accessories, shoes, and jackets or sweaters to change the look easily. I will then assist you on what will look best for your shape, coloring and setting.  The clothes will then be edited down to the best of the best!

When selecting outfits I recommend that you avoid large stripes and too many patterns.  Choose clothing that will best fit your shape and body style.   

You should always bring things that you love and fit your personality. However, I also suggest you bring at least one  “classic” look as well. If your a girl and you NEVER wear dresses... don't bring one. You will be uncomfortable, and it will show. Instead opt for a nice shirt or sweater, even a jacket that can be put on to create a "Grandparent friendly" or classic option! I understand that if you are a bold, trendy person it would look unnatural to put you in a baby pink button up! You can however do a solid color stylish cut shirt, in a bold color, or even a classic white with a showcase jewelry piece!

That being said I still love trendy, fashion statements... I love when someone has a unique look and really owns it. I just suggest you create a little balance, a compromise for just a few shots, and think about how your outfit will look hanging on Grandma's wall! I'm a parent, I have to say it!

 I suggest also that you think in layers, bringing along a few simple options like a jacket or sweatshirt that can be slipped on and off can help give you different looks, and be more suitable especially if your on location and walking around! 

Shoes. Don't forget different shoes... if your going formal, bring a formal pair of shoes... casual we can do bare feet, or sandals.... but be sure they are in good shape, and clean. I will do full body as well as close up images, so your feet and shoes will show!

Accessories: If your bringing jewelery, I suggest you pack it carefully so it doesn't break or get tangled. Bring it in a pouch or something that wont be lost easily! 

Makeup/Hair: For most clients I suggest you come with your hair and make-up already done. If you would like me to schedule a hair or make-up artist to do this for your prior to your session, that can be arranged however you will be responsible for covering the additional expense.  

Ladies should remember to bring extra lip gloss or lipstick, and powder to help with shine.

You should bring your own comb or brush, hairspray and small water bottle for location shoots. If we are in the studio, I will have plenty of these items around.

Tip: Verte Photography is not responsible for hair dissatisfaction since we are not familiar with your preferences, tolerances for styles, locks or strands. Retouching is done at the client's expense

WATER! While, again I have this in the studio, you should bring 2 or 3 times more water then you would normally drink when your outside. Being a model for a few hours really is HARD work, if your outside and walking around on location you will be thankful for the extra refreshment!

Bring your own Sherpa: I always recommend a friend or loved one come along with the senior. Not only can they help carry your items on location (because there is a lot!), but it sometimes helps you feel more comfortable to have a friend! They can help check your hair and remind you to fix make-up and things as well! While I am happy to help tote items, and always check your details... I do have my own pack of goods to tote and an extra set of eyes is always helpful! 

Verte Extras:

I offer my clients a portable changing room for location shoots. It isn't glamorous, or spacious but it does provide privacy in public areas. However, I do limit full clothing changes to 3 per hour session so that we don't spend all of our time changing clothes!

If you plan on adding a make-up or hair service contact me directly before you schedule your appointment. We will need to co-ordinate the services and times appropriately.

Typically an outdoor session is 1 hour, depending on location. Some locations may require more walking time to get from spot to spot. I never suggest a shoot last longer then 2 hours. I never limit my clients on a number of images. I shoot way more then you will ever need. Trust me.  

I offer all seniors a free digital yearbook image, or depending on the school 2 wallets. I ask each senior to bring, or email me the school information regarding portraits.

Verte also provides 1 free social media image, for each senior to share online with each package, and a 25% discount for a graduation session, that you can use for announcements or collage applications during the spring the following year.

 

                       

Tuesday Tip: Family Portraits

Summer. The ultimate time to get outside, and focus on family fun! Many people take vacations, and attend family reunions, go to weddings... its all part of the Family Photo Season!

Today, I wanted to give you a couple "out of the box" tips for capturing those family moments, without setting up a big "to-do" or stressing yourself out! You can add a lot to your basic snapshot by following a just 2 basic photography guidelines.

1. Learn some basic poses. If your taking group images, nothing ruins a good portrait like poor posing. It doesn't need to be any big deal! By utilizing this basic triangle you can successfully shoot 2 - 20 people in a snap!

The Stair, is created when one subjects eyes are in line with the others chin.

You can easily add people, by going from a single stair to a triangle.

Now you can add as many triangles to your image as you have people!

The key to this - is not to put anyone's head directly on top of someone else... you have to leave room to see part of their chest and shoulders! 

Tip: Keep children and babies in front, not only will this help you get their attention if they are close together, but it will also keep them from looking oddly small due to them being farther away!

Another classic pose is the: LINE

It doesn't get easier, just put everyone on the same line in front of you! 

2. Learn a couple easy rules of composition. These rules apply to all types of photography, and are common in all different types of art as well!

This shows you some guidelines for what's called "The Rule of Thirds" it simply states that 2/3's your image should be subject and a 1/3 dead space. (or vise versa). You see this a lot with off centered portraits, and landscapes like beach images where the horizon line will be the bottom 1/3 and the setting sun and sky will fill the top 2/3's!

Another MUST have in your bag of tricks is...

If your subject is wider then they are tall, shoot Horizontally.

 Taller then they are wide? Shoot Vertically!

I hope you put these super simple tricks to use this summer! Remember, it's more important to capture the moment... then to capture the moment perfectly. Relax and have FUN!

A Crafty Gal

 It seems only fitting that I do a introduction to the woman behind Crafty Gal Creations. Pam has been a client of mine for so long, and I use her items as examples here all the time!

I first met Pam when she opened her business in 2010, she was looking for a product photographer who could "think out of the box". A typical white background... just not Pam's style. It was a natural fit! Pam looks for scenes and props to be used with her jewelry to really open up the imagination of her buyers. She feels that this really separates her from so many other shop owners. Pam also finds that she is picked up, and showcased in many treasuries on Etsy due to the more unique style of images she has!

Pam created her business because she was tired of department store, mass produced items. Pam found a passion in jewelry, so much so that before she knew it she had made over 100 items! She had to start selling. Today, Pam is so proud to have a shop where each and every customer feels like they are her only buyer. Pam exudes customer service and provides quality products at extremely competitive prices. While her store began as a hobby, it grew to be Pam's therapy. She finds herself the happiest when she is alone and quiet in her studio with her beads and stones. If she could do it for her sole income, she would!

Pam's best sellers are items with Earth's Natural stones in them, which is fitting because it is where her passion lies, she loves working with them. She does offer other items, and non natural stones, but that's not her focus. Combining the fact that she works with these Earth Natural stones, and that Pam only creates only one of a kind items creates an EXTREMELY special product, that she often refers to as her treasures. She jokes (at least I think she jokes) that she finds often finds it difficult to pass on something she has created because she loves each of them so much!

Recently, Pam has been making items with a little more "bling" in them. Since she has had many requests for these items. She is currently trying to have a few of these new items in her shop at all times to provide some variety.  I have to say I have LOVED seeing these in the studio! This one might be my newest favorite!

    

Pam finds inspration in many different places, including seeing a piece of jewelry on someone else. She often sees something and thinks... "If I made that, I would have______" and then she goes home and she creates it!  Other times, she is simply drawn to a particular stone, and she will make several different pieces to showcase it. 

 

 

Even though Pam and I have known each other for so long, and I see her items in my own studio every 6 weeks or so, I still learned a thing or two about her while gathering information for this post. Pam is one tough cookie! She is a retired Army veteran... and flew in a helicopter during combat training! THAT is no run-of-the-mill helicopter ride. From someone who has been afraid of flying for a large part of my life... simply getting into a helicopter is something I'm not sure I would want to do... combat training... pretty sure that includes some quick turns and ups and downs... no thank you! I am SUPER impressed by this! 

For my closing note, I DO realize that I showcased most of the items with close up, detailed shots, I did this because Pam has paid such amazing attention to detail and crafted each item with care and love.  I very much wanted you to see those details!! She offers necklaces, lanyards, earrings, bracelets, bookmarks and SO much more in her shop... I literally never know what to expect from her... but I know I always love each item! I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little more about Pam, shes a fantastic client and I consider her to be a good friend! She's stuck with my business even after she also moved away from the Denver area, and has always been supportive of my goals! Pam does offer sporadic sales AND FREE giveaways for her Facebook fans. All of her sales and promotions are announced via FB, so take a few moments and like, love, and share this fantastic shop owners social media and shop links!

www.craftygalcreations.etsy.com             http://pinterest.com/pamsjewels/         http://www.facebook.com/pages/CraftyGalCreations/128737910505845