Hints and Tips for Great Senior Portriats!
Tips for High School Senior Portraits
Clothing and Preparation Tips!
For Trammel Creative Portraiture Seniors
These tips are to make sure your senior portraits are the best they can be.
EVERYONE READ THESE:
ARRIVE EARLY
If you show up late or not ready, you will have less time in the camera room. Arriving 10 minutes early is generally a good idea. Arrive too early and you
may end up waiting a bit.
CLOTHING
Most importantly... bring what you LOVE. If what you LOVE does not meet my "recommendations", that's not the end of the world. These portraits are about YOU.
In general, AVOID STRIPES AND PLAID. Solids photograph much better! Also bring a variety of color, don't bring 5 blue outfits even if it is your favorite color. Avoid clothing that has wording on it except for your own school logo. Vary the style, all one look (like tanks) gets boring. Vary the dress level,
bring some dressy, some medium and some casual. Remember, it is best to do one or two outfits that mom will like, then we can do the stuff YOU like.
Our new sessions let you do unlimited looks within your time period. This means if you change fast, you get more variety. Spend all day in the dressing room,
you get less time in front of the camera. Most people can get 4-5 looks per hour. More if you are quick and work easy. We suggest you bring double what you
think we will do so we have more to pick from.
Some shots are close up, others are full length. Plan outfits completely. It is hard to do a full length formal in your suit if all you brought was big old
tennis shoes.
Also remember, as a general rule, light clothes look better on lighter backgrounds and darker clothes look better on darker backgrounds. So if you prefer dark, bring dark, if you prefer some of both, bring some of both.
Group your outfits together ON HANGERS. It is amazing how many people come in with clothes stuffed in a plastic bag and wonder why they are wrinkled! Make
sure they are ironed. Although we have an iron for touch ups, we don't want to waste your time on ironing.
HAIR
Avoid changing your hairstyle or cutting your hair right before your session. Let it be natural. Quick easy hairstyle changes during your session are OK, but
make it quick or you loose camera time. Artificially bleached hair is often not best, in 10 years you might say "What was I thinking??" Bring your hair care
tools and products with you if need be. It IS ok to show up early in curlers if you need to.
Although Keith tries to help with hair, it is hard to know what your hair "is supposed to look like". So make sure you like the look or let the Keith know
your preferences. Hair style is ultimately YOUR responsibility.
JEWELRY
Best tip here, keep it simple. We want the attention on you. Big, shiny jewelry can distract from the real subject, YOU. If you have different jewelry for
different outfits, you might put each set of jewelry in a plastic baggie and hang it on the hanger with that outfit.
PROPS
BRING THEM!! Bring props that help define who you are. Some popular choices are: Sports equipment (soccer ball, football, hockey stick, hurdle, whatever),
sports uniforms, music instruments (from school tuba to rock guitar), activities (dance leotard and shoes, swimming, hobbies, you name it!), vehicles
(motorcycles can come in the studio, cars must go to the park, we suggest more than an hour session for car shots).
GLASSES
Most glasses glare! Some prescriptions more than others. Your best bet is to check with your optometrist. Most will "loan" you an empty set of frames similar
to yours for your photo session.
SUNBURN/TANNING
AVOID SUNBURN! Sunburn and peeling skin DO NOT photograph well!! Tan, yes, burn, no. If you are a winter or spring session and your tan has faded, you might
consider tanning. But don't overdue it so you look too fake-and-bake.
COMPLEXION
We retouch blemishes, so don't worry about minor breakouts. Don't stress about your skin... we can fix it!!
PETS
Pets are OK as long as they are house broken. It is a good idea to have someone bring a pet, then leave with them after. Or bring a pet carrier to contain
them while you are being photographed without them. Treats can be helpful to hold a dogs attention.
FRIENDS & PARENTS
Friends or parents are welcome. They can be a help. HOWEVER, if they distract you, it is best to have them wait in the gallery. You can have a couple of
shots with a boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend or sibling at no extra charge.
WEATHER FOR OUTDOOR PORTRAITS
Let's face it, we are at the mercy of mother nature. If it rains, no fretting will do anything about it, we simply have to reschedule your OUTDOOR SEGMENT.
We will go ahead and do your INDOOR SEGMENT. Don't worry about clouds, they actually HELP! But rain falling IS a problem. If the weather is questionable, simply call the studio.
TATTOOS, SCARS and BRACES
Just let the photographer know if you want tattoos to show or not. It is that easy. Scars are not automatically retouched, but can be removed or softened at
your request. Extensive work may have a slight extra charge. Braces? Don't worry. You could have the tops taken off for your photo session, or we can retouch them out by computer. But don't fight smiling, a braces smile is better than a dorky holding back a smile look.
