Planning Your Portrait
Everyone takes snapshots of their family. We want to preserve the memories of good times together, vacations in exotic locations, and goofy things our kids do. We don’t put a lot of thought into these pictures. Just grab the camera, line everybody up, and snap away.
When it comes to investing in a professional portrait it pays to spend a little time planning. What you wear, where your portrait is made, and where you will display it in your home are all important.
Clothing should have timeless appeal. Choose a style that reflects your lifestyle, whether formal or casual. Having everyone wear the same solid color gives a cohesive look to your portrait, but coordinating colors can also work for a less formal portrait. In any case, you want your faces to be the most prominent element. Avoid stripes and busy patterns.
Choose a location for your portrait session that has some meaning to you. It could be a favorite park, your garden, or on your boat. If you can’t pick a favorite, the studio is always an option, too. Here in the northwest with so many great outdoor locations available most folks prefer to be photographed outside and that’s what I’m best known for.
Knowing ahead of time where you’re going to hang your portrait also helps during your session. Will a vertical or horizontal composition work best? How big will the portrait be? I want to make your family an appropriate size in the frame so you can enjoy the landscape as well.
I come to your home for a free in-home consultation before every family portrait session. We’ll discuss all of these, answer your questions, and even help you go through your closet to choose clothing if you’d like. We can even make contingency plans in case the weather doesn’t cooperate on the day of your outdoor portrait session.
See our family portrait web pages.
We’re booking sessions now for the spring and summer.