WHAT STYLE OF CLOTHES SHOULD I WEAR?
The main thing is that you should feel comfortable in whatever you are wearing because if you don't, this will show in your expression. We want you to feel relaxed and really enjoy your photo session. However, there a few guidelines which if followed, will make a huge difference to the success of your photographs. First, consider the style you want. If this is sitting on the floor and an informal, relaxed style, then your clothes should reflect this so jeans or casual trousers and shirts are great. For something more formal, smart clothes should be worn. One golden rule - do not mix casual and formal styles of clothing within the same portrait as it looks completely wrong.
HOW DO I MAKE SURE EVERYONE LOOKS GOOD IN MY FAMILY PORTRAIT?
For a family portrait, or any portrait which has more than one person in it, it's vital that each member of the family co-ordinates with everyone else. This doesn't mean that you should be clones of eachother; rather that you should all dress to compliment one another. A good idea is to lay the clothes everyone has chosen out on a bed and be brutally honest about whether they all look good together. Does anything scream out "Look at me!!!" If so, replace it with something which doesn't and see the advice above. It can be difficult with teenagers and young adults because they are usually very fashion conscious but it's best if they don't wear anything too high fashion. Most people want to enjoy their family portrait for years to come so it's important that it doesn't date too quickly, that no single person dominates the image because of what they are wearing and that all members of the family look great together.
WHAT ABOUT COLOURS?
Again, often the style of the portrait will have some bearing on your choice of colours. For a casual style portrait, blue denim jeans look great teamed with brightly coloured shirts as long as everyone is in bright colours. Some colours are very dominant and are best avoided unless everyone is wearing the same colour, for example, red. Casual trousers in neutral colours and pastels work well too. White should be avoided. For low key portraits taken against a black background, dark coloured clothes and long sleeved tops are best.
IS THERE ANYTHING WE SHOULD AVOID?
It's best to avoid stripes, anything very high fashion unless for a fashion shoot, logos which can quickly date your portrait, short sleeves in portraits with black or dark backgrounds, very low cut necklines on ladies, very short skirts if you will be sitting on the floor, shoes and socks on babies and small children as bare feet look so much better, very bold patterns or colours which will dominate everything else in the portrait and bib and brace style outfits or dungarees on babies as the bib part can obscure their face.
I'M SELF CONSCIOUS ABOUT BEING PHOTOGRAPHED, CAN YOU STILL MAKE ME LOOK GOOD?
Most people have exactly the same hang ups about being photographed. We are very relaxed and friendly and we have a great rapport with our clients. Our aim is to make your session a lot of fun, to encourage you, reassure you and make you feel fantastic.
DO YOU OFFER WEEKEND AND EVENING APPOINTMENTS?
Of course we do. We offer appointments to suit you but if you do need a weekend or an evening, please book your session well in advance as available Saturdays and Sundays are limited particularly during wedding season and they get booked up very quickly.
HOW MUCH DOES A SESSION COST?
Our session fee is just £30 which includes our time with you in the studio, all image editing and a separate appointment with you around two weeks later for you to view your images in private and select your favourites. We will be happy to help you as much as you need to ensure that what you choose is perfect for you without any high pressure selling.
