What to Expect and Frequently Asked Questions
What to Wear - Outfit Planning & Other Considerations
When planning your outfits for your photo shoot, consider your surroundings, timing of the year, and the colors you look the best in. *indicates an affiliate link.
Color Reflects! Choose a color you want reflected up on to your face. Typically, warm tones will make your complexion look warmer whereas cool tones (such as blue and white) will make your complexion look cooler.
Family Outfits: Once you've selected your color theme, I suggest finding mom's outfit first. No offense to the rest of the family, but we all know that once mom finds something great, it's easier to find cutesy kid clothes to match and husbands can usually find solid or patterned shirts that work. One person can wear a solid shirt featuring the main color and someone else can wear a striped shirt and then a third person can wear a pattern. Tie another person in with a scarf or cardigan that matches the theme color.
Fall Family Minis: Look towards jewel tones: forest green, maroon/merlot, burgundy, tans, beige, plum, and mustard or variations thereof to start your outfit planning.
Spring Family Minis: This is your time for lighter, fun tones like pastels, cream, beige, kelly green. Here is my 2024 Outfit Idea List*:
Christmas Minis: Tones that pop such as red, royal blue, cream, gold, scarlet, and kelly green will show up the best against the dark background.
Check out this Pinterest board that highlights some of my favorite color combinations and how to style your whole family with them: https://www.pinterest.com/kelseajphoto/what-to-wear-for-family-photos/
Colors to Avoid: I ask my clients to steer clear of black, white, and horizontal stripes. Staying away from black is hard, and I get that. However, it blends your body into your surroundings and makes it difficult to differentiate your features. A good way to make black work is wearing it as your main shirt and then wearing a scarf or cardigan over it consistent with the photo shoot theme color. Don't be afraid to use black, just know that there is a good way to do it!
I say no white because it absorbs all of the colors around it, similar to black, though, it can be dressed up and done right.
Other things to avoid are large clothing items that are bright colors. If you have little ones coming along with you to your photo shoot, their faces will reflect the colors of your clothing. If you are wearing a bright yellow dress, when I stand your children next to you, their faces will look yellow in the photos. Another reason that neutrals are the way to go!
Other Considerations: What are you going to do with these photos? Do you have visions of a beautiful canvas in your living room? Keep the colors of your home in mind when choosing your outfits. If your home is Joanna Gaines-style neutral and rustic, you should go with beiges, greens and cream colors. If you have a green and brown sitting room you want your photos to be featured in, plan your outfits to match that setting.
GLASSES & Transition Lenses: Please be aware that I cannot create eyeballs in photoshop if someone arrives with darkened transition lenses. Similarly, if someone has glasses that are not anti-glare, it is likely that the sky will brightly reflect in those lenses making their eyes difficult to see in the photo. I understand that some of these situations are simply unavoidable, but consider yourself forewarned as to how photos with glasses may look.
When Do I Get My Photos and How Many Will I Get?
Mini Sessions: The turnaround time for mini sessions is also one month from the date of the shoot, but I often get them done sooner. If your session is October 10th, you should expect to receive your images by November 10th. If you need your photos sooner than that, you will have an expedited processing option to add on for an additional $40. Even if you just want one photo early, please understand the expedited processing fee will apply. For Christmas mini sessions, I try to turn them around in 5 to 7 days because I know that many families are trying to use them for their holiday cards.
Mini Sessions: No less than 15 high res, digital images will be delivered.
Family, Maternity, Newborn, and Studio Full Sessions: For a full session (one hour) you will receive your images by one month from the date of your photo shoot. This means that if you have your session on September 20th, you can expect your gallery to be delivered on October 20th. If you need your photos sooner than that, you will have an expedited processing option to add on for an additional $40. Even if you just want one photo early, please understand the expedited processing fee will apply.