Some FAQ's for Portrait shoots
How do I book?
Give us a call! 07786006275 we’ll have a chat about what you’re looking for, I’ll answer any further questions you may have, and we can arrange a suitable time.
How do I confirm a booking?
A 50% deposit is required to hold the booking, the remainder payable at the time of the shoot.
What do we wear?
Whatever you are comfortable in! The choice is entirely yours – just think about what you hope to achieve in your pictures and dress accordingly. Are you looking for a contemporary relaxed family picture? Then jeans work very well, with bare feet and perhaps same coloured shirts.
Bright contrasting colours (no clashing colours!) make a high impact with children, but can be distracting on adults.
Perhaps you want to bring along some formal evening wear for a more mature, classical portrait.
Everyone in black or white can look effective too. The key is to know what you’re looking for – or bring a selection and work together to create some different looks. Choose clothing in similar colours or neutral tones so that no single member of the family stands out because the clothing is too light or bright compared to the rest of the group.
The goal of any portrait is to direct the viewers attention to the face or faces in the portrait. Simple, long-sleeved garments in natural colours always work well, but:
- Bold stripes, checks and prints are confusing.
- Bright colours, such as red or orange, will tend to overpower the face and ruin the portrait.
- Ladies should wear light, natural make-up, and unobtrusive jewellery
What do we do during the shoot? I hate having my picture taken!
Whatever you are comfortable with! If you feel awkward, the pictures won’t be great. My aim is to get you having fun and enjoying yourselves – fairly quickly you’ll forget that you hate having your picture taken, and you’ll love the pictures we get as a result. Whether we have you simply sitting on the floor, giving your children piggy backs or bouncing around on Space Hoppers is entirely dependent on what happens on the day!
I’m worried that my child will act up.
I know how hard it is to be the parent of a child who is about to be photographed. You want to do everything in your power to make the portrait session go as well as possible. But the harder you try, the worse things can get!
I suggest that you tell your young child that "we are going to the photographers to play." Don't tell him or her "to be good" or "to smile for photographer," as this often backfires. My goal is to record a natural expression, and my experience shows that the best way to do this is to see how the child reacts to the photographic situation, then plan my strategy for capturing the portrait. Often I will ask the child questions or give directions, not really expecting him or her to respond in any certain way. As hard as it might be on you, just let me work and don't "coach" the child - all this will do is disrupt the rapport I am trying to establish. This may take all of your will power, but it really is important if I am to get the most out of the portrait session for you and your child. As the session develops, I might ask you to help direct the child's attention or assist with coaching a certain expression. If so, I will try to be as specific as I can, so that you will know what to do. After many years of photographing babies and children, and with two children of my own, I have a pretty big "bag of tricks"...
The most important thing is for you to relax – if you’re wound up, your child will be too. If you’re ready to simply come and have some fun and enjoy yourselves, I guarantee we’ll get images you’ll love forever.
