Kim is pregnant with her first baby and wanted to have some really fabulous images done to remember this special time in her life. She and her husband came in and she has this incredible look. Her eyes speak volumes! As with all my clients, I bring lighting and posing to the forefront to capture the best image possible and always work with the client’s personality to bring out their best. Kim is due very soon and I know she will have a beautiful baby!
So, this is like a real…
Yep, that’s what she said. “So, this is like a real studio?’ I practically finished her sentence for her. So many of my new clients are pleasantly surprised. They kind of blurt out the phrase and then get a little apologetic for it. No need. Many “photographers” are now only on location and can only go with the light and backgrounds that are available. Which can be quite nice. Or not. You just never know. But when there is a controlled environment, controlled lighting, backdrops, and especially here in Florida, controlled AIR CONDITIONING 🙂 , the portrait session can be much nicer. Relaxed and comfortable for my clients. Yes, if you have a particularly “hot” kid for instance, call me ahead and I will turn down the air. You know who you are. I have had clients ask this and have happily agreed. We can also heat up the room for naked little newborns, if need be. I love my new studio! I could do all this in the old one, but it’s always nice to have something NEW! Come take a look during our Open House on April 21, from 1:00 till 4:00. I would love to have you join us!
If you have one that is a little Bohemian…
I caught myself saying this during a phone call lately. Luckily the lady was my age and knew what I was talking about. The conversation was about clothing options for her family portrait. She had done the white shirts and jeans at our last session and wanted something different. So what I told her was this. Just stay in the same color family. Perhaps you want neutrals, cremes, taupe’s, etc. Stay with those color choices and dress everyone for their personality. Maybe you have one child who is more tailored and classic. She could be in a soft creme button down with chocolate pearls and bracelets. One child is a little Bohemian and she could go with a darker taupe and wear a fabulous chocolate scarf, around her neck or even her head! The third one is more country/western and wants to wear her dark brown leather cowboy boots and a sundress with a brown leather belt! You see how this can go together. Keep with one color family and use accents appropriately. Think about the room you are going to hang it in, lay all the clothes out in that room to see just how well they go together. The main colors of your walls and your furniture should be considered as well as the accent pillow colors and other accent items. If you are really stumped, check out the ads for furniture stores. Haverty’s or Herman Home in St. Petersburg are two to look at. Also, online clothing stores can spark ideas. Anthropologie is a great one, I love the clothing there. Or Land’s End. Two very different looks, but they both do color well, just in different ways. The one thing I try to stay away from always is the patterns. Patterns look good when you are moving around, but in a two dimensional portrait, they draw the viewer’s eye away from the face – which is the most important area of the entire portrait. If you really want a pattern, keep it small and keep it confined to one of the accent pieces, the scarf or jewelry if possible. That’s it for today. Check out the two images below to see about patterns. Which portrait is stronger? Cover up the patterned area of the portrait with your hand to see what I am talking about.
Contemporary Portraiture
Contemporary…fresh, clean, emotional… showing a subject’s personality in a simple and powerful way. That’s how I describe contemporary portraiture. Take a look at these images I took of two young ladies. Twins, identical, yet distinctly different in personality and behavior. The look in their eyes is fresh and clean and directs the viewer’s eye directly into theirs. Classic and timeless. I love these images of two twelve year old girls, just blossoming into their teen years. Let me know what you think!
Two boys and their Mums…
Dunedin is such a great place for an urban shoot. Lots of color, lots of interesting places. Just created images for these two clients with their boys in downtown Dunedin. Weather was perfect and the boys were terrific! ( But, all my clients are!) Take a look.
