Our Blog

Clothing helps you express your personality and we want you to bring some of your favorite things. Consider this your guide to help in making your senior session fun and your senior portraits exceptional!  When it comes to picking out your outfit, we have a few guidelines to keep in mind. As you can see below, bold stripes, plaids, checks, prints and strappy tops are visually confusing and are a distraction from your face.  Bright colors, such as the bright yellow in this example as well as red and orange can overwhelm the face and ruin a portrait.

In addition, bare shoulders, camis or tops with “spaghetti straps” often make the subject look heavier and bare arms call attention to themselves and will overpower the face. So if you have a favorite strapless or sleeveless top – that’s okay, just bring a jacket! It’s a simple solution that can make the world of difference in your portrait.

So now that we’ve talked about all sorts of things to stay away from, what do we recommend? The goal of any fine portrait is to direct the viewer’s eye to the subjects face. All other elements should be secondary. We recommend solid muted tones when selecting outfits for your senior session.  Also, girls being photographed in full length should wear long skirts, pants, or dark stockings with shorter skirts or dresses in order to keep the eye from being directed toward the legs and away from the face. You don’t want your outfit to be fighting for attention against the sparkle in your eyes.  Having flattering simple outfit creates that timeless portrait to hang on your wall for years to come.

Simple Pre-Session Checklist and things to Consider:

• Iron: Iron your clothing and bring in on hangers. Clothing wrinkles will show in your portraits.
• Hair: Don’t try a new hairstyle just for the session; have it cut about a week before your appointment.
• Skin Problems: don’t worry if you develop a skin problem. Our finished portraits are fully retouched to eliminate blemishes and soften hard lines.
• Tattoos: Visible tattoos are part of you, so it’s entirely up to you if you want a tattoo to show.
• Facial Scars: If you have a visible scar, please let us know whether you want to have it retouched or softened.
• Polish: Chipped finger and toenail polish will show! 
• Glasses: We can remove normal glare on glasses, but tinted lenses cannot be lightened – even with artwork. If your glasses are tinted or exceptionally thick, they can distort the way the camera photographs the eye. If you have any questions regarding your glasses or extra retouching charges for unusual lenses, please contact us.
•  Tanning: Removing tan or sunburn lines will incur additional retouching charges.
• For Girls: Makeup can affect the way your portrait looks. Fresh, natural makeup as well as “evening” makeup photographs well. Call if you have questions, we’re here for you!
• For Guys: Retouching or removing facial hair is never a good idea. Often facial areas cannot be retouched attractively. So make sure your beard (or lack there of) is exactly the way you want to appear in the photograph

•  Posted by: Angela Povlich • Communications Director