What should I wear?

I didn't realize quite how big a question this was until I tried doing portraits of my own kids for Valentine's day. I had about five different options laid out on the floor, and none seemed to work. Finally, I borrowed a scarf and a sweater from a friend and it all came together in a vibrant, crazy, perfect sort of way.

Of course, I'd been asked this question by clients before. And my answer was always: "try to coordinate without being too matchy-matchy." But after realizing that this is easier said than done, I thought I'd put a few more ideas out there.

1. Pick a palette. I love clothing that's bright and vibrant. Colors that are rich and intense look beautiful in photographs—for example, burgundy, eggplant, teal, rust, or olive.

2. Black and white do not tend to photograph well. That said, sometimes white can create a wonderful innocent and timeless look. Just shun the matching white button down shirts in favor of a sundress and flip-flops and a breezy scarf (Spring and Summer) or a chunky hat and textured sweater (Fall and Winter). Even then, I love a pop of color here and there: a necklace, shoes, a flower in someone's hair, are all fun ideas. 


3. You can use a unifying color with neutrals like charcoal gray, tan, chocolate brown, or olive, for a really nice, natural but fun look. Think of bringing the color into jewelry or hair accessories, a scarf, shoes, or a little girl's dress.

4. Use patterns, textures, and layers to add visual interest. Textured fabrics such as denim, cable knits, linen, and corduroy all photograph well. Layers add depth to photos. Clothing doesn't have to be solid colors; patterns look especially great on kids (floral dresses, plaid shirts) and can add variety to the photo.

5. Don't forget your feet. Shoes can really finish off the outfit. I especially love boots and flip flops, but anything that adds personality can be fun. Of course most photos will be focused on your faces...just be sure one person's feet don't detract from the image by being totally out of line with the rest of your family's look. (For example, everyone in dress shoes and one person in really ratty tennis shoes).

Above all, try to find clothes you love. If you and your family feel good in what you are wearing, it will be that much easier to relax and let your personalities shine through to be caught by the camera.

Tips for Printing

In this day and age, it seems outdated not to offer digital files to photo clients. I know not every photographer agrees with this, but the convenience and flexibility digital files offer, to me, makes it a no-brainer.

That said, there are risks. No one wants their photos displayed above a mantelpiece with heads chopped half off and skin a striking orange.

So here are a few tips for printing that should help keep your lovely photos looking the way they are meant to look.

1. Use a good lab. I recommend www.mpix.com, which is a good mix of professional quality and reasonable prices.

2. Crop judiciously. Most labs, when you place items in your shopping cart, give you the opportunity to adjust cropping. Don’t let them decide for you. Remember – the photos come out of my camera sized perfectly for 4x6 print. An 8x10 print, for example, is much shorter (closer to a square shape) and you could end up with the dreaded forehead-crop if you are not careful.

3. Trust my editing. When you order from a lab, sometimes they will offer to “auto correct” photos for you. Since I have already fully prepared your files, any auto correction that the lab offers should be turned off.

4. Don’t print from Facebook. These files are intended as sneak peeks only. They are low resolution and will not print out nearly as well as the files you receive from me later. By all means, share them online, post them to your web site, email them to your sister-in-law—but don't print them. 

5. Don't be shy. If you are planning to print in black and white, are unsure about cropping images, or have any other special requests, don't hesitate to ask. For example, when I convert images to black and white, I never simply click "convert to grayscale" as the lab would do. By modifying the levels in the image, you can maintain detail and depth that would normally be lost. If you know you want specific changes made, check with me to see if I can help prepare the file(s).

6. Speak up. If you get your enlargement or canvas print or photo book back from the lab and it doesn’t look right to you, call them! Usually they will do everything in their power to make it right, or take it back for a refund.