Four Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Portrait Session | Dallas Portrait Photographer
Tip One: Choose outfits you love and feel confident and comfortable in! Clients usually like to have one more casual outfit and then one outfit that is dressier! This will give your shoot two totally different “looks”. I suggest saving your favorite outfit for the second half of the session. When choosing your outfits, I recommend keeping in mind the word “complement” rather than “match.” Consider selecting softer, lighter tones and avoiding ultra-bright, bold colors (neon colors can reflect color onto the skin!).
Tip Two: Plan around sunset & be on time! Oh, do I love natural light! I begin all outdoor portrait sessions two hours before the scheduled sunset when the light is the dreamiest and we can avoid harsh shadows and bright sun patches. Since we’ll schedule our session during the best light of the day, it’s super important to be on time! We’re only able to shoot when natural light is still in the sky, so we’ll want to take advantage of every minute we have together before the sun goes down.
Tip Three: Choose a location you love! The location of your session is up to you! From natural locations to urban spots to studio spaces, you have so many options! For most of my sessions, outdoor, open-air environments are a good fit. I love shooting in wide-open natural spaces because the light is divine, especially during golden hour. Studio spaces give us the option of shooting during any time of year and in any weather, and they always give a timeless feel! I also LOVE it when couples pick a location that is special or sentimental to them in some way! If you can’t think of anywhere specific that you would like to shoot, you can find my favorites at samikathryn.com/session-locations
Tip Four: Go pro for your hair & makeup. Professional hair and makeup is on the top of most of my clients’ checklists because it looks amazing on camera and removes the stress of getting ready on your own. This is the time to treat yourself! Whether it’s lash extensions or blown-out hair, professional hair and makeup will give you an extra boost of confidence in front of the camera, and it always photographs like a dream. Plus, it’ll hold up better to wind & humidity than if you did it yourself.
