Ins & Outs
I know what you're thinking, anatomy of a portrait session? That seems a little weird, well I am here to tell you it's not! From start to finish, there is a lot that goes into one specific session, no matter what it is.
Let me just break it down for you. First, you have to pick what type of portrait session you want. I offer all portraits, but specialize in a few! Then you get to pick which photographer to go with; hopefully that is me! They will have you choose a session package, I offer 4 types of session packages for a majority of my portrait sessions. Then you have to decide should I buy prints or go with just digitals ( I offer both). Then comes, when should I do this? You will have to pick a date that works for everyone involved and location(s). This next step is when most start to panic, well what about clothing? What am I going to wear?!? Picking a location and outfits are hard decisions! I always tell my clients to stray from heavy, distracting, & bight colored prints as it takes away from all of your lovely faces! Have a color palette in mind. It might be helpful to create a mood board or Pinterest board. Choose complimentary colors with some light prints! Try to stray away from any graphics, logos, or illustrations. Locations are basically the same as well, pick an area that is pleasing to the eye, maybe one that has some sentimental value to you. Try and stray from areas that are full of random things.
Then comes the day of your session! Your nerves are up and you are worried about posing and the way the images are going to look afterwards. However, our jobs as photographers are to make you feel at ease and comfortable enough to just be yourself during the session! I like to give my clients prompts and let them figure out what that means to them. These make for some of the best images, and no matter how hard we try, the session is never perfect! There always seems to be at least one thing we didn't account for or that just went horribly wrong. That is okay though, we are always on our feet with quick thinking and just roll with it! You never know how one little change may make the whole session.
After the session is over, you play the waiting game until you are able to see your photos! Let me tell you, that is always the worse part for me as client, I am so impatient! I just want to peer over the photographer's shoulder and see what they see. Yes, I know I have to wait like everyone else. But let me tell ya, You WILL be glad you waited for the photographer to do their magic! The client does all the work and we just sprinkle a little pixie dust here and there!
And a couple of weeks later (all depending on processing time & how busy they are) you get an email & FINALLY you are able to look at your images and you will be so ecstatic with the outcome! This is the part, that as a photographer I live and breathe for! I LOVE seeing and hearing the reactions to what I have created for my clients.
Some may think that we hold all the power, but we really don't. We are there to capture what is already inside our clients. The way we edit and use our creativity is the way we see what is already standing in front of us.
