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What to Wear

Perfect portraits require some planning. We’ll take care of capturing the right background, lighting, facial expressions and look, if you’ll take care of your clothing and accessories.  Here’s how to do it:

Choose a clothing color that flatters skin tones and sets the mood (black has a different mood than white).
Keep it simple. Bright colors, stripes, dots, and patterns don’t work well because they compete with the face(s) in the portrait.
Avoid styles that are trendy and will quickly look out of date.  For a group portrait, coordinate the clothing. Dress similarly (or identically) and choose solid colors and simple lines.  Don’t forget your feet! Everyone’s shoes and socks should match. Darker colors work best. No tennis shoes, please.  Avoid sleeveless or short sleeves unless your arms are one of your assets.  Choose slacks or skirts in a length that flatters your body type.  Don’t like those thighs? Don’t show them. Are your legs are your best attribute? Show them off.  Choose clothing that’s not too tight or too loose, otherwise there will be excess creases or folds that don’t photograph well.  You may be seated, standing, laying or leaning; make sure clothing will drape or hang well in all of these positions.

Clothing Changes
Some of our portrait sessions include clothing changes. Please check your price list for the session that best fits your change of clothing needs.  Bring your favorite clothes (anything from a t-shirt and cutoffs to formal attire and sports uniforms).
It’s a great idea to use more formal clothing for the inside studio, and casual clothing for portraits in our beautiful gardens.
If it’s a family portrait, be sure to bring formal and informal clothing changes and any special outfits for individual portraits.

Make it Personal
We suggest that you bring items that are an expression of you: sports equipment, crafts, books, uniforms, changes of clothing, and even the family pet. Personalizing your portraits will give them more meaning.

When Your Family is Coming from Hither and Yon
Please have everyone involved in your portrait review these tips so that you can decide what will work best for your group. As you are planning, remember there are different shades of the same color. If you decide on blue, you need to be very specific, otherwise you may end up with a range of colors from powder blue to midnight blue.

If You Wear Glasses
If possible, don’t wear them for your session. If you must wear them, try to get a set of empty frames so that there will be no glass glare. Photogray lenses will go dark outside and cannot be used for outdoor photography. There are no problems associated with contact lenses.

Grooming Tips
For Women
Wear your daytime make-up and apply powder and eye shadow sparingly. Use a shade of foundation one shade darker than your complexion and blend it just past the chin line and just slightly onto the neck area. Use a cover-up for blemishes or lines under the eyes. False eyelashes tend to cast shadows. Use mascara if you want your lashes to appear longer and fuller.

It’s not a good time to try a new hairstyle. Wear it the way you normally would, and try to minimize loose ends which tend to look too prominent in the light of the indoor studio. On the other hand, a light wind and a few loose hairs during an outdoor session looks very natural.

For Men
Shave within an hour or so of your session. Five o’clock shadow cannot be removed with simple retouching. If you have a blemish, use a cover-up to help hide the problem. If you’re getting a haircut before your session, try to schedule it a week in advance to give it time to grow just a bit. This is especially important in summer, when a short haircut may reveal un-tanned skin.

Birth Marks, Moles, Scars and Other Marks
You may want to discuss any facial or body marks with us prior to the session. Retouching can significantly remedy these marks.

Braces and Teeth
Braces can be removed from your images, but it’s expensive. Having your orthodontist temporarily remove the front braces may be less expensive. The newer clear braces present less of a problem. Alternatively, if you don’t want the braces to show, we suggest smaller smiles or no smiles.

With retouching, it’s also possible to brighten teeth. Please discuss the matter with your photographer prior to your session.

Please call or email us with any questions you may have. Ask away! We want to make your portraits as memorable as possible. To spark ideas for your upcoming session, visit our gallery pages to see what past clients have done.

Our gallery pages are filled with samples of what past clients have worn for their sessions.
Please feel free to browse our pages for ideas of what to wear for your upcoming portrait session!

4861 Royalton Rd.  North Royalton, OH 44133  Phone:  440-237-0008