Goodall Photography - Tips to Prepare for Your Portrait Session

"WE MAKE YOU LOOK GOOD!"

goodall photography & design

Preparing for your Portrait Session: Use your imagination. What would make your portrait special? What does your family like to do together? Where are your hobbies and interests? Are there special places where your portrait would look best? Would you like indoors, outdoors, at home or at the lake? Portraits will tell your story forever so please think seriously about creating portraits that will reflect 'you'.

At Goodall Photography & Design, we want your portrait session to be a memorable experience, and for us to create beautiful portraits that you will cherish for a lifetime. In order to achieve this goal, we need your help. Please review the following tips that will help you make your portrait session as pleasant as possible:

HAIR

Have hair cuts at least one week before your session.
Resist the temptation to have a completely new cut or style as you may not be happy with the result and your portrait will be a permanent reminder of your disappointment.
Arrive early for final hair grooming .
Men should shave beforehand.

CLOTHING

Try to avoid clothing with busy patterns, stripes, pictures or logos, as these will attract more attention in the finished picture than the person wearing them.
Darker clothing is preferable to light clothing – but try to avoid black. White is also not a good idea, unless you are specifically interested in a high-key portrait (white clothing against white background).
For groups, pick theme colors and keep everyone in shades of that color so that no single member of the family stands out because his/her clothing is too light or bright as compared to the rest of the group.
Please avoid strong contrast in your outfits (for example, white sweaters with navy slacks).
Avoid wearing yellow or green as they can adversely affect skin color.
Teens and adults should wear long sleeves to cover elbows and long pants to cover knees. Skirts, if worn, should also cover the knees.

MAKE-UP

Your make-up will tend to be diluted by the lighting so please try to wear it a little stronger than you would normally.
Avoid glittery make-up.
Apply make-up to enhance your eyes and mouth. But don't be too heavy-handed.
Men should consider applying clear powder to their faces to reduce shine.

GLASSES

If you wear glasses and wish to have them on for the portrait, it would be helpful to have a pair of empty rims for the portrait session. Eye glass lenses not only catch light reflections, but can also deform the face line in some portraits.
You may want to consider some pictures with and some pictures without your glasses.

EXPRESSIONS

Expressions are the most important part of your portrait and we will work hard to give you a variety of expressions.
The soft, sensitive expressions are the best. We will take only a few big smiles.
Do not tell children to smile or say silly words.
Tell children they will play and have a good time. We will do the rest.
Relax and enjoy your session.

TIME

Make your portrait session appointment when you have no other appointments so you will not be rushed.
Allow at least one full hour.
Schedule children around their good times of day.
Please call if you need to change your appointment.

PPROPS

Personal items which show your hobbies and interests are great additions for your portrait session
For children, bring toys, lamps, cradles, balls, bats, gloves, skates, stuffed animals, and whatever else your children like
You simply cannot bring too many items. Let us help you pick and choose
If your props are too big, we will assist you. Please let us know.

For more tips, call or e-mail Fred Goodall at Goodall Photography & Design: (281) 217-0272 or fred@goodallphotography.com