General Advice
- Hair – If you’re getting a hair cut for your shoot, do so about two weeks beforehand, just in case it goes wrong – you just never know. For men, a fresh cut a couple of days before the shoot is fine.
- Hair accessories- If you're shooting outdoors, be ready to put your hair up and make it look nice in case of a windy day. Bring bobby pins, hair clips, headbands or any other favorite accessories.
- Sun burns and tan lines – If your shoot is booked for Saturday, don’t go to the beach on Friday. If you plan to tan before your shoot, do so at least a week beforehand and don’t get burned. Be mindful of clothing tan lines, sunglass tan lines, hat tan lines, etc.
- Ironing – If you iron, iron the night before and then hang the clothes for your shoot. If you’re wearing something that wrinkles easily, don’t wear it in the car on the way to the shoot – just change at the location.
Maternity
- Gather your props to bring along – ultrasound printout, baby shoes or stuffed animals. Things that have a sentimental meaning to you and your family. While we have lots of props we can provide for you sometimes Grandma's hand knitted blanket looks better.
- Wear whatever you feel comfortable and pretty in – long, flowy skirts, especially solids are nice, and strapless bras that coordinate with them. Tube dresses are great for showing off your shape. Bring a pair of regular jeans, not the belly panel ones. A button-up shirt also makes it easy to transition into showing your belly.
- Do bring your significant other or children! -They’ll make a great prop for your photos, and greatly expand on the number of different photos you can make during your shoot. They should bring outfits that coordinate with what you’ll be wearing.
Newborns and Babies
- Book your shoot around your baby’s feeding and nap times - work with the natural rhythm of your baby. The perfect time to shoot is right when the baby would be laying down for a nap. If your baby normally falls asleep after a feeding, wait to feed the baby till just before your shoot and keep a bottle handy if they fuss. If your baby will take one a pacifier also works great. Your photographer can time the shoot so you don't see the pacifier in the photo!
- Dress up paper diapers. - Cloth diapers are classy and stylish, but if you don’t use them, bring bloomers or decorative diaper covers, solids preferred.
- Nothing is the best wardrobe for a newborn – no outfit fits a
newborn well, and they often look swallowed in clothes. Accessories are
good, though – little hats, dainty headbands, boys in crocheted hats,
etc. Bring sentimental items like the quilt that Grandma made for the
baby, a baby blanket from your own childhood – they’re great for the
youngster to lay on.
If you want to try an outfit keep it simple. a onesie or t-shirt is best.
Children
- Clean, clean, clean – clean nails, clean hair, wipe away eye boogers, clean feet, wipe snotty noses, fresh-scrub teeth. Check for temporary tattoos and stickers. The cleaner the kid, the better their photos will turn out.
- Well rested - If your child is still of napping age, make sure they nap before the shoot.
- Treats - given a stage and being the center of attention, it’s like our kids know exactly when to act their worst. Some cereal, smarties or other candy that won’t stain teeth can help a short photo shoot go by smoothly. Just be careful not to go to far with sugar treats as a hyper child doesn't photograph well.
- Avoid colorful drinks or lollypops - within 24 hours of your shoot, don’t let them eat or drink anything that will stain their face, teeth or mouths.
- Wardrobe – For girls, you can’t go wrong with cute dresses, rompers, and dainty hats or headbands. For boys, jeans and polos or a button-up shirt, or a T-shirt with a button-up over it can be very cute, as well as overalls on the right age. For young toddlers and babies overalls can ride up when they are sitting down, making it look like they don't have a neck. For siblings, the children don’t have to match perfectly, just coordinate. A photo can look awkward if one person is wearing dark tones and another light. If one child is wearing a bright pink dress pick something bright for their sibling.
- Bring Extra - Extra hair elastics and headbands, or even extra socks. You never know.
- Its about fun - Don't stress out! Children need calm relaxing environments to bring out their best. If you tense up they will tense up or worse act out. While you may have great expectations of what you think will be beautiful photos you can't force your child to comply. Let them be themselves and everything will work out.
- When they are done the shoot is done - Try not to force a tired child to keep going. Things will only get worse before they get better and tear streaked checks and red puffy eyes don't make great photos. Remember the photo shoot needs to be fun to keep they cooperative. Let your photographer try a new toy or pose to regain their attention. You can always try a failed pose again once your child is back to being happy.
Families and Large Groups
- Coordinate. Colours - Everyone doesn't have to match but things will look awkward if most of the family or group is wearing light colours and one person is wearing black. They will stick out like a sore thumb.
- Plan ahead - Decide on a background colour before you decide on your outfits. If you know you want to have a black background wearing black outfits can cause people to blend in and disappear into the background. Same with white on white. Sometimes this can work out as a great photo but most times it can be a disaster.
- Plan to arrive one time - There is always one in a group who is ten minuets behind everyone else. If you know who this person is sometimes it helps to give them a earlier time. That way if they do show up late they will actually be on time
- Give yourselves a cushion of time - before your shoot to make sure children are ready and newborns are fed and changed. You don't want to be sitting in a shoot and one or two kids have to use the washroom if you can avoid it.
- Remove Clutter - Remember to take your cell phone or car keys out of your back pocket and check to be sure children aren't wearing unwanted bracelets or temporary tattoos.
- Work with children not against them - Small children have small windows of opportunity before things are no longer fun. If you have small children in your party, plan to have photos which include them done first. Communicate with your photographer what photos are the most important to you so they can make sure your photo shoot goes smoothly.