In Preparation of Your Session
Looking your best for your individual portrait or family portrait
session is paramount. I have listed a few details that you should
consider prior to your session. I have
included more information about your photography session here [PDF
96kb].
What about my hair?
The ladies should have their hair styled the same day of the shoot.
You should attend to facial hair around your eyebrows and upper
lip about a week before the shoot because even if your facial
hair is covered with makeup you can still see the hair in close-ups.
But if we need to we can touch up the image later. A manicure
is a good idea if your hands will be photographed and please
remember to bring along some moisturizing cream.
Men should have your hair cut or styled about a week before the
session. Men should shave about 2 to 3 hours prior to the photography
session. Trim your moustache, goatee and sideburns. You will
be glad you did. Some men have a 5’clock shadow even after
they shave but I have a remedy for that. I’ll show you
when you arrive.
What about my makeup?
Get lots of sleep and drink plenty of water are the keys to great
looking skin. There are two objectives in using makeup, appearance
enhancement and character change.
Kevyn Aucoin has provided make-up
lessons that you will find beneficial and interesting.
Here are some suggestions that were given to me by a makeup artist.
Always start with a clean, freshly scrubbed face!
Wash, exfoliate, tone and moisturize your face before applying makeup.
Oil control is very important as the oil is shiny. If you can, use
oil free formulated products. Keep hair away from the face while
applying your make-up.
Concealer: Apply two shades of concealer lighter
than the skin colour to cover blemishes and dark spots. Apply the
concealer before the foundation application.
Foundation: Choose a thicker formulated foundation
rather than the sheer one that you use in daily make-up so that all
blemishes are covered easily. Blend foundation from chin to neck
so they are of the same colour.
Powder: Use just enough to create a matt finish look.
Remember no shine. Brush where the sun would naturally hit one's
face: across the nose and upper cheeks, forehead, and a hint on the
chin. When applying powder, use a lighter shade under the eyes to
help eliminate any shadows or dark circles that the concealer didn't
take care of.
Eyes: Highlight eyebrow bones using light shadow
to create lively eyes. Avoid eye shadow that shines as this can be
quite distracting. Apply your eyeliner with precision and use waterproof
mascara. The overall application needs to be just a bit more than
your daily makeup.
When you are using eye shadow in darker shades and as careful as you
are, it still seems to always end up under the eyes. Here are some
tips.
If you have already applied makeup to the under eye area, you can
apply an excess of loose matte powder under the eyes so any falling
eye shadow won't stick to the area and can be swept away afterwards
with a fan brush.
If the under eye area is already smudged, it is best to clean the
area and reapply concealer, foundation, and powder after you've finished
applying eye shadow to make sure that the area is completely clean
and fresh.
Lips: Apply your lip liner one or two shades darker
than your natural lip colour. Carefully outline just outside the
natural line of your lips. Using the lip liner under the lipstick
as a base makes the colour last longer. Now apply lipstick INSIDE
the lip line, using the same colour as the lip liner.
Before finishing your make-up always check to make sure the make-up
is symmetrical. Look at your face directly from the front in a well-lit
mirror. Remember that when you are applying makeup, a close-up perspective
is not very reliable. You always need to see the makeup overall to
make sure it is uniform on both sides of the face.
If you will be doing your own make-up please apply your make-up before
leaving home for the session to make the photo shoot move smoother.
You can always do touch ups at the studio.
Once your makeup is properly applied, it leads to greater confidence
while posing in front of the camera. Properly applied makeup enhances
attractive features, it does not create them.
What should I wear?
Sometimes it is neat to wear trendy attire but remember that wardrobe
can date quickly in your photographs. But if you are going for that
fashion or trendy look bring what you think will look fantastic.
Most of what you will need to bring will have already been discussed.
Be sure to bring a few different choices of attire. Avoid clothing
that contain patterns, bright colours, busy prints, or logos. These
characteristics will be distracting in the photograph and draw attention
away from your face. Your face is the most important aspect of your
photograph. Bring jackets or sweaters for a variety as well.
Two or more people in a photograph should be wearing similar clothing.
Depending upon your style you might wear white for the tops and blue
jeans or black tops and blue jeans. A good rule to follow is that
any top garment worn doesn’t conflict with any other person
in the group. I find that solid black or white, khaki and denim combinations
provide the most successful colours for group portraits.
Unless you're very thin please don’t wear sleeveless shirts,
sweaters, or blouses. It is rather difficult to focus attention on
your face if your bare arm is competing for attention in the photograph.
Should I bring a prop?
Sure why not. Depending on the style or look you are going for the
prop should compliment the look you are seeking. What about a hat,
a book, a scarf or a tool of your profession. Let your imagination
run with this.
Anything else I need to bring?
Be sure to bring your wardrobe changes with shoes, socks, belts, make-up
bag, brush, curling iron, and hair spray and whatever else you may
need to make you look the best you can be for the session.
Unless discussed earlier, please don’t wear large shiny objects
such as large jewelry items, large necklaces, large watches or anything
that will distract from you.
