THE PORTRAIT SESSION

ST YLE GUIDE
for a stress-free experience
 THE PORTRAIT SESSION

ST YLE GUIDE
table of contents
3 WHAT EVERY CLIENT NEEDS TO KNOW
5 HOW TO CHOOSE A DATE & TIME
7 STYLING YOUR SESSION
9 SELECTING THE RIGHT LOCATION
11 DESTINATION SESSIONS
13 STYLE TIPS: FOR HER
19 CHOOSING COLORS
23 FLATTERING YOUR FEATURES
25 ACCESSORIZING
27 HAIR & MAKEUP
29 FASHION TIPS: FOR HIM
33 LAYERED LOOKS
35 IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
36 HOW TO PREP THE GUYS
37 PREPPING YOUR FAMILY
39 COORDINATING THE CREW
41 MIXING IT UP
42 PREPPING YOUR LITTLE ONES
44 ONE FINAL NOTE
45 PORTRAIT SESSION CHECKLIST
 WHAT EVERY

CLIENT
needs to
KNOW

W E ARE S O EXCITE D FOR YOUR P ORTR AIT

s e ssion ! Whe t he r we’re c aptur ing your swe et fam i ly,
or c elebrat ing a sp e ci a l moment in your life, li ke a
g radu at ion , bir t hd ay, annivers ar y or ne w b aby, we’re
s o honore d to help you cre ate memor ies you’ l l cher ish
for a life t ime. We’ve cre ate d t his guide to help you get
t he most out of your photos, and by t he t ime you’ve re a d
t h roug h t h is magazine, you'l l have a l l your quest ions
ans we re d and fe el more t han re a dy and prep are d for
you r s e ssion . T he n we’ l l t a ke c are of t he rest! Your
on ly j ob is to b e yours elf, l aug h a lot and let us cre ate
photos you’ l l love fore ver. We c an’t wait to get you in
f ront of our c ame ras!
 choosing time & date
W E’ R E NAT U R AL L IGHT SPE CIALIST S BE CAUSE WE BE LIEV E THAT
natu r a l l i g ht , f rom t he sun and its ref le c t ions, cre ates photog raphs t hat fe el
f re sh , t i mel e ss and t r ue st to you. We b eg in a l l p or t rait s essions t wo hours b efore
t he s che du l e d su ns e t du r ing “t he golden hour,” w hen t he lig ht is t he dre am i est .
Us e a su ns e t c a lc u l ator on line to deter m ine t he s che du le d suns et for t he d ate and
l o c at i on you’d li ke to do your s ession. Then, just subt ra c t t wo hours to f ig u re
out you r st ar t t ime. R e me mb e r, t he sun s ets much e arlier dur ing t he col der
mont hs of t he ye ar and mu ch l ater dur ing t he w ar mer mont hs, s o ma ke su re
to fa c tor t hat in w he n cho osing your p or t rait s ession d ate, esp e ci a l ly if you’re
t a k i ng of f work or have e ve n ing pl ans af ter w ard. To get t he most out of you r
s e ss i on , pl e as e pl an a bu f fe r w he n gett ing re a dy s o you c an ar r ive a fe w m inutes
e arly to your s e ssion and b e re ady to st ar t on t ime. We’re on ly able to sho ot w hen
natu r a l l i g ht is st i l l in t he sky, s o we’ l l w ant to t a ke a dv ant age of e ver y m inute
we have toge t he r b e fore t he su n go es dow n. If you’re we ar ing t wo out f its, s ave
you r favor ite one for t he s e c ond ha lf, and if you’re we ar ing one, ar r ive in t hat .

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE | 5

QUICK TIP: Our weekends fill up fast and far in advance, as does our fall season.You
can get a Fast Pass to the front of the line by scheduling mid-week or off-season.
 ST YLING
your session

WAN T YOU R PHOTOS TO LO OK MORE E DITORIA L? BRING

a litt le e x t ra s ome t h ing w it h you! Fresh f lowers br ing an ext ra
“wow” f ac tor to just ab out e ver y t hing , esp e ci a l ly w hen t he y ’re
att ache d to s ome t h ing els e, li ke a bic ycle b asket, t re e sw ing ,
te nt , pic n ic b aske t , b a l lo ons or c ar bump er. Whet her you want to
i nc or p orate l arge r ite ms li ke cl assic c ars or bi kes, or sma l ler ones
l i ke bl an ke t s or hat s , e ven pl anning for just one ext ra st y le d item
c ou ld b e a f u n way to ma ke your s ession more unique.
 SELECTING THE RIGHT

LO CATION
T H E LO C ATION OF YOUR PORTR A IT SE SSION IS UP TO
you ! L i ke you s e e t h rou g hout t his guide, most of our clients cho os e
to showc as e t he natu ra l b e aut y of our home st ate. For most of our
s e ss i ons, outdo or, op e n - air e nv ironments are a lw ay s our f irst choice.
We l ove sho ot ing in w ide - op en natura l sp a ces b e c aus e t he lig ht is
d iv i ne, e sp e c i a l ly dur ing golden hour. There are g re at opt ions a l l
arou nd t he st ate, s o e ve n if you've ne ver s e en us photog raph in a
sp e c i f i c sp ot b e fore, we’re a lway s up for explor ing a ne w sp ot toget her!

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE |

 9
 think outside the box
T H I S I S THE TIME TO THINK
out s i d e t he b ox ! We e nc ou rage you
to br ai nstor m un ique lo c at ions t hat
you m i g ht have sp e c i a l ac c e ss to t hat
mo st p e ople don’t . For e x ample, may b e
you, or s ome one in you r p ers ona l
or profe ss iona l ne t work, c an s e c ure
p e r m iss i on to a lo c at ion t hat wou ld
ot he r w is e b e of f - limit s , li ke a b e aut if u l
pr iv ate e st ate, c ou nt r y club or res or t.
May b e it’s a f ami ly ranch , ups c a le hotel
or e ve n a b o at , air pl ane hangar or a
ro of top v i e w. T he sky is lite ra l ly t he
l i m it ! Sp e nd a fe w minute s t hin k ing
ab out it and che ck ing around. You’ l l
b e sur pr is e d w it h w hat you come up
w it h. Plus, if s omet hing s e ems out of
re a ch, just rememb er : you ne ver k now
unt i l you ask! O ur clients have s e c u re d
p er m ission to s ome prett y amaz i ng
pl a ces in t he p ast. If you get stuck or
ne e d inspirat ion, che ck out our bl o g
and ke ep browsing t hroug h t his g u i de.
We have s ome g re at go-to lo c at i ons
around tow n t hat we c an a lw ay s hit ,
to o. Just let us k now w hich t y p e of
s ession you’d love and we’ l l go f rom
t here! E asy. Pe asy.
AMY & JORDAN | 10
 TRAVEL
DESTINATION
PORTRAIT SESSION
YOU R PORT R A I T SE S SION
i nclude s t r avel t i me a ny where i n t he
Pho en i x Me t ro a re a . I f you’ d l i ke to
go s ome where out side t he c it y, we’re
up for t he advent u re! T he t r avel fe e
for t wo -hou r d r ive s to plac e s l i ke
S e dona , Tuc s on a nd F la gst a f f i s
$ 49 9. T he Gr a nd C a nyon i s $9 9 9.
We love t r avel i ng a nd a re ac t u a l ly
on t he road qu ite a bit . We’ve
done d i f ferent t y pe s of s e s sions
f rom coa st to coa st , e ver y where
TRAVEL
i n bet we en, a nd e ven i n Eu rope ,
too, s o i f we’re a l re ady goi ng to be
i n or ne a r a n a re a you’ve a lway s
d re a med of doi ng you r photos , a nd
we c a n coord i nate ou r schedu le s ,
let ’s s et it up. We’ d love to ma ke
it work ! I f you’ d l i ke u s to me et
you i n a de st i nat ion out side of
A r i z ona for you r por t r a it s e s sion
where we don’t a l re ady have pla ns
to v i sit , ju st let u s k now a nd
we c a n get you a c u stom quote.
 style tips

FOR HER
because you always want to remember this
 DON’T BE AFRAID TO

DRESS IT UP
HAVE YOU THOU GHT AB OUT
ro ck i ng a romant ic gow n , tu l le
sk i r t or f lowe r c row n but just
ne ve r had an o c c asion for it?
T h is is you r chanc e to do it up!
R e me mb e r : T he re is no such t hing
as “to o dre ss e d up” w he n it comes
to you r p or t rait s e ssion , s o don’t
b e af r ai d to have s ome f un ! If you
don’t want to a dd a ne w p er manent
pie ce to your col le c t ion, a lot of
our clients love R ent t he Runw ay
for t heir s ession b e c aus e it’s such
an af ford able w ay to fe el li ke a
m i l lion bucks. O t her clients love
hav ing a g re at exc us e to br ing a
ne w p er manent pie ce (or t wo!)
into t heir clos et!

There’s no such thing as too dressed up.

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE | 15

 say yes
TO THE DRESS
Dress e s and sk ir t s lo ok most stunning b e c aus e t he y re a l ly f l atter
e ve r y fe ma le b o dy, e sp e ci a l ly on c amera — w hich is prob ably
w hy t he re d c ar p e t is a lway s f u l l of s o many dress es and not
ve r y many p ant suit s! We re com mend avoiding p ants and shor ts
for your s e ssion , and s ay ing yes to a dress or t wo inste a d.

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE |

 17
L ong , f u l l -l e ngt h , f low y dre ss e s and sk ir ts lo ok ama zing on c amera b e c aus e t he y
br ing e x t r a move me nt to t he photo s. E sp e ci a l ly w hen juxt ap os e d w it h nature, l i ke
t he d e s e r t , fore st , pl ains or b e ach . C onsider s of ter fabr ics li ke chif fon or tu l le w hi ch
a l low for b e aut if u l move me nt in t he images.

Whe n c ons i d e r ing t he le ngt h of you r dress es or sk ir ts, it’s a ls o a go o d ide a to fa c tor i n
w he t he r or not t he re w i l l b e litt le ones in your photos. If you have sma l ler chi l dren ,
we’ l l l i kely have you sitt ing or c rouching on t he g round to intera c t up-clos e w it h
t hem . Cute, shor te r c o ckt ai l- le ngt h dress es photog raph b e aut if u l ly, but if you have
litt l e one s i n your photos , a f lo or- lengt h dress or sk ir t, or p erhaps a c ute m idi-sk i r t ,
w i l l ma ke mov ing arou nd w it h your k ids much e asier, and lo ok p er fe c t on c amer a,
to o.

If you’re an e x p e c t ing mot he r, we a lway s re com mend f lo or-lengt h gow ns or max i

d re ss e s . T he s e dre ss e s c re ate t he b est si l houettes to f l atter your f igure and re a l ly
h ig h l i g ht you r bu mp. A lot of our e x p e c t ing mot hers love to incor p orate f lower crow ns
or he a dpi e c e s as wel l.

AMY & JORDAN | 18

 one or two? it ’s up to you!
YOU C AN BRING ONE OUTFIT SET OR T WO!
Mo st of ou r clie nt s w ho cho os e t wo out f its w i l l br ing one “wow”
d re ss , and t he n anot he r slig ht ly more c asu a l dress t hat has a “d ate
n i g ht” fe el. But if you want to br ing t wo “wow ” dress es and forgo t he
more c asu a l dre ss a ltoge t her, g ive yours elf p er m ission to do it! The
c ame ra love s r u nway- e s que app arel and s o do we!

R e me mb e r, t hou g h , you don’t have to br ing t wo lo oks if it’s to o

st re ss f u l to c o ordinate or i f you’d rat her just st ick to one fabu lous
l o ok . One out f it t hat you love w i l l b e s o much b etter t han one out f it
you l ove and anot he r you’re not ver y excite d ab out. And if you st ick
w it h one out f it s e t , you won’t have to sp end any of your t ime chang ing
ha l f w ay t h roug h , s o we’ l l b e able to sne a k in a fe w more photos! S o,
one or t wo? It’s re a l ly up to you!
AMY & JORDAN | 20
 choosing colors
WHEN CHO OSING C OLORS FOR YOUR OUTFIT S, WE REC OMMEND
s el e c t i ng s of te r, lig hte r tones and more mute d sha des. By avoiding
u lt r a -br ig ht , b old c olors, it w i l l help br ing a l l t he attent ion to your
fa c e s and le t t he e ye fo c us on t he way you fe el ab out e a ch ot her.
T he c ame ra love s shade s of s of t pin k and mute d blues, m ixe d w it h
s oph ist ic ate d lig ht ne ut ra ls li ke he at her g ray, cre ams, le at her brow n
and w h ite. T hat s of te r c olor p a lette f its b e aut if u l ly into a lmost a l l
natu r a l outdo or e nv iron me nts, and esp e ci a l ly complements t he des er t.
 flattering your features

I N OUR EXPERIENC E, EVERY WOMAN, RE GA RDLE SS OF HE R

shap e has an are a of he r b o dy t hat she’s s elf-cons cious ab out, s o
re c og n i z ing w hat are a t hat is in a dv ance is ke y. C ho osing f l atter ing
s i l hou e tte s and c olors t hat complement your natura l fe atures is t he
b e st w ay to e nsure you’ l l love t he way you lo ok in your photos.

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE |

 23
THREE-QUARTER LENGTH SLEEVES
c re ate an awe s ome slimming e f fe c t on
all ar ms , s o b e on t he lo okout for an
opt i on w it h a longe r le ngt h sle e ve.
You c ou ld a ls o br ing a c ute j a cket,
bl a ze r or c ardigan a long , to o. Sk inny
st r ap s or st raple ss dre ss e s have t he
opposite e f fe c t on ar ms on c amera ,
s o we re c omme nd avoiding t hos e
w he ne ve r p ossible if you r go a l is a s et
of sl i m mer- lo ok ing ar ms .
HE E LS E LONGATE WOME N’S L EGS
ma k ing t hem lo ok fabu lous. C lo s e d-
to es he els in p ar t ic u l ar lo ok g re at on
c amera b e c aus e t he y c ar r y out t he
line of your leg a l l t he way dow n to
your to e. If your to es are show i ng
in a p e ep-to e he el, you m ig ht want
to s che du le a p e dic ure b efore you r
s ession s o you don’t reg ret lett i ng
your fe et show. Thes e litt le t r i ck s
ma ke a l l t he dif ference!

QUICK TIP

Bring a pair of easy-to-kick-off flats to wear when moving from

place to place in between photos. Your feet will thank you later!

AMY & JORDAN | 24

 make a
STATEMENT
PA R I NG AN AC C ES S ORY OR T WO WITH YOUR OUTFIT CA N RE ALLY HE LP
br i ng s ome e x t ra dime ns ion to your images, and b e a nice t ie-in w hen you’re
c o ord i nat i ng w it h a g roup. Big st atement ne ck l a ces br ing a lot of p op to t he
photo s , w hi le t he s ma l le r, delic ate ones are not b e as not ice able on c amera .

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE |

 25
B elt s , br a c el e t s and e ar r ings br ing g re at v isu a l interest, s o cho os e one or t wo t hat
d on’t c omp e te for atte nt ion . Fre sh f lora ls in a crow n c an b e a re a l ly romant ic tou ch
for you or your g irls as wel l.

A lt hou g h it mig ht s e e m c ounte r- i ntuit ive, we re com mend t hat you do  not  get a
spr ay t an b e fore you r s e ssion , e ve n a fe w d ay s pr ior, b e c aus e it tends to photog r aph
or ange e ve n w he n it’s applie d subt ly and by a professiona l. Your a c tu a l sk in tone
w i l l photo g r aph t he most b e aut if u l ly and natura l ly.

AMY & JORDAN | 26

ENGAGEMENT STYLE GUIDE | 5
 GO PRO

HAIR & MAKEUP

PROFES SIONAL HAIR A ND MA KE UP IS ON THE TOP OF
most of ou r clie nt s’ che ck lists b e c aus e it lo oks ama zing on
c ame ra and re move s t he st ress of gett ing re a dy on your ow n.
Th is is t he t ime to t re at yours elf ! Whet her it’s l ash extensions
or blow n - out hair, professiona l hair and ma keup w i l l g ive
you an e x t ra b o ost of conf idence in f ront of t he c amera , and
it a lways photog raphs li ke a dre am . If you’re work ing w it h a
ma ke up ar t ist , have her apply your ma keup in natura l lig ht, if
p ossible, s o t hat it lo oks f resh and not to o he av y. Plus, t hat’s
t he t yp e of lig ht we’ l l b e sho ot ing in, s o it’ l l g ive you t he b est
ex p e c t at ion of how it w i l l t ransl ate on c amera . Most of our
clie nt s fe el li ke t he ir professiona l ma keup is “to o much” at
f irst , sinc e it’s more t han you wou ld we ar on a nor ma l d ay,
or t hat t he y' re f a ls e l ashes lo ok to o big , s o if you fe el t hat
w ay at t he b e g in n ing , don’t wor r y ! G o o d ma keup ar t ists k now
how to ge t it a l l just r ig ht for t he c amera — and our clients
a lways love t he f ina l resu lt. If you ne e d a re com mend at ion
for hair and ma ke up, we work w it h t he b est in t he business
and have a go- to te am! The y ’re swe et as pie, t a lente d as he ck,
unb elie vable profe ssiona ls and wonder f u l p e ople. You’ l l LOV E
t he m! Just le t us k now and we’ l l s end you t heir infor mat ion.
We k now t he y’ l l t a ke go o d c are of you!
AMY & JORDAN | 28
 fashion tips

FOR HIM
because dapper and debonair never go out of style
PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE |
 31
 FOR HIM

THE BEST FIT

LONG , FIT T ED PAN T S A ND CLOSE D-TOE D SHOE S A RE
t he most s oph ist ic ate d and mas c u line lo oks for men. The y draw
atte nt ion away f rom h is legs and fe et and pl a ce it w here you
w ant it : on h is hands ome fa ce. S o, for your s ession, it’s b est to
l e ave t he shor t s, s and a ls and j e ans at home, to o, as wel l as any
p ant s t hat are lo os e or b ag g y. Fitte d dress p ants or f itte d colore d
p ant s work b e st on c amera . S olid sha des of g ray or nav y are a
st rong c omple me nt to most women’s out f its, w here as pinst r ip es
or pl aid p atte r ns te nd to dist ra c t t he e ye. We a ls o re com mend
st ay ing away f rom g raphics and logos.

MIX IT UP
Ma ny of ou r g uy s love to m i x a su it coat , bla z er or spor t coat w it h a
d i f ferent pa nt color. It add s some ex t ra v isua l i nterest , a nd brea k up
t he color tones. We’re big fa ns of t h is f resh ta ke on a t i meless cla ssic.

FOR HIM
 layered looks
NE XT TIME YOU WA LK BY
a store li ke J. Cre w, you’ l l
not ice t he ma le manne qu i ns
and mo dels are a lways
we ar ing s e vera l l ayers at
once. L ayers on men l o ok
g re at on c amera , s o e ven
w hen it’s hot outside, t r ust
us w hen we s ay t hat it’s
wor t h an hour or t wo of
dis com for t for photos t hat
w i l l l ast you b ot h a lifet i me.
Adding anot her l ayer w i l l
br ing ext ra dimens i on
and v isu a l interest to you r
photos. Bl a zers, vests and
co ats up t he le vel of any
lo ok. If t he temp eratu re
p er m its, he cou ld e ven
consider a dding a v-ne ck
swe ater w it h a p op of c ol or
f rom a long-sle e ve d col l are d
shir t and t ie under ne at h.
D on’t b e af raid to get a l itt l e
cre at ive w it h l ayers!

AMY & JORDAN | 34

 IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS
BROW N L EAT HER DRES S SHOE S C OMPLE ME NT ALMOST EV E RY lo ok ,
w he t he r he’s we ar ing a f u l l suit or a bl a zer and colore d p ants. Ties, b owt i es ,
p o cke t s qu are s , c olore d s o cks, b elts, t ie clips, susp enders, vests and w atches
are shar p c omple me nt s to any out f it for men and b oy s a li ke. If you br i ng
t wo out f it s to t he s e ssion , you c an st ar t w it h a t ra dit iona l ne ckt ie and b elt ,
t he n s w itch to susp e nde rs and a b ow t ie for your s e cond lo ok. If t wo lo ok s
are to o st re ssf u l, no proble m ! One w i l l do t he t r ick! You c an st i l l m ix and
match a c c e ss or ie s to c omplement b ot h of her dress es w it hout doing a f u l l
change dur ing t he s e ssion . S o, eit her way, it's a w in.

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE | 35

 HOW TO

PREP
YOUR
MAN
MO ST MEN AREN’ T OVERLY E XCITE D TO TAKE PHOTOS FOR T WO
hou rs , b e c aus e t he y don’t have an exp e c t at ion of w hat’s to come and w hy
it’s s o imp or t ant to you. Ta ke f if te en m inutes to e duc ate and emp ower you r
g uy. Tel l h im w hy you chos e us and our st y le of photog raphy. Show h i m
you r t h re e f avor ite s e ss ions t hat we’ve done, expl ain w hy you love t hem
and e xpre ss to h im how mu ch it me ans to you. Tr ust us, once he k nows it’s
i mp or t ant , he’ l l lig ht up t he c amera for you! The most com mon t hing we
he ar f rom guys b e fore photo s essions is t his: b e c aus e of a b a d exp er ience i n
t he p ast , t he y don’t li ke t a k ing photos or don’t t hin k t he y ’ l l b e go o d at it .
By t he t ime we’re done, t houg h, t he y c an’t b elie ve how fast it went and just
how mu ch f un t he y had!

AMY & JORDAN | 36

ENGAGEMENT STYLE GUIDE |
 39
 prepping your

FAMILY
because they won’t be little forever

AMY & JORDAN | 40

 coordinating THE CREW
As you’re c o ordinat ing your out f it w it h your fam i ly, ke ep in m ind t hat you r
out f it s w i l l lo ok t he most c ohesive on c amera w hen t he color p a lette and
w ard rob e pie c e s c o ordinate, but don’t a c tu a l ly “match.” In fa c t, we re com mend
t hat you avoid t h in k ing ab out “matching ,” and inste a d t hin k ab out w hat “f its”
toge t he r. Th is w i l l c re ate more v isu a l interest, and a l low e a ch p ers ona lit y to
sh i ne t h roug h .

T he go a l for c o ordinat ing a f ami ly is to v isu a l ly bre a k up t he colors and sha des
s o t hat you’re not a l l we ar ing t he s ame color on top and b ottom . The more we
c an m i x t hat up, t he b e tte r. We encourage you to t hin k ab out pl anning e a ch
out f it w it h “dominant c olors” and “a ccent colors” in m ind. A dom inant col or
is t he c ol or t hat you s e e t he most in an out f it, w hi le an a ccent has a sma l l er
pi e c e of v isu a l re a l e st ate. Whe n you’re pl anning e a ch fam i ly memb er’s out f it ,
i f you c an aim for e ach p e rs on to have a dif ferent dom inant color, and t hen t i e
i n and v ar y t he ac c e nt c olors , it’s going to lo ok g re at a l l toget her.

For e x ample, if you’re we ar ing a blush dress, s of t blue e ar r ings and nude he els
( blush b e i ng you r dominant c olor), t hen he cou ld we ar a nav y co at w it h a w hite
button -d ow n and g ray p ant s , p ai re d w it h brow n le at her sho es and may b e e ven
a blush p o cke t s qu are ( ma k ing nav y his dom inant color). Your d aug hter cou l d
we ar a s of t blue top w it h a w h ite tu l le sk ir t (ma k ing a s of t blue her dom inant
c ol or ) w h i le your s on we ars lig ht b eige p ants w it h nav y susp enders and a
w h ite button dow n ( ma k ing w h ite his dom inant color). Now e a ch p ers on has
t he i r ow n dominant c olor w h i le st i l l incor p orat ing a fe w touches of t he ot he rs
t hat w i l l pu l l a l l t he lo oks toge t her. This w i l l bre a k up t he color v isu a l ly and
h i g h l i g ht e ach p e rs ona lit y. Most of our moms cho os e t heir dress f irst, and
t he n bu i l d t he re st of t he f ami ly’s out f its b as e d around t hat.

R e me mb e r, we re c omme nd s ele c t ing t hos e s of ter, lig hter tones and avoiding
t hos e u lt ra- br ig ht , b old c olors . The c amera loves sha des of s of t pin k and
mute d blu es, mixe d w it h s oph ist ic ate d lig ht neut ra ls li ke he at her g ray, cre ams ,
l e at he r brow n and w h ite. Fe el f re e to var y t he sha des of t he colors, to o.That
s of te r c ol or p a le tte f it s b e aut if u l ly into a natura l env ironment, and c an e asi ly
b e p ai re d in s o many dif fe re nt way s.

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE | 39

AMY & JORDAN | 24
 mixing up the pieces
If you have mu lt iple ch i ldren, don’t fe el li ke you ne e d to put t hem a l l in
t he s ame t yp e of out f it . For example, one of your d aug hters cou ld we ar
a d re ss and f l at s, w h i le t he ot her we ars a sk ir t and b o ots. One of your
s ons cou ld we ar a b owt ie, w hi le t he ot her one we ars susp enders. Mixing
up t he wardrob e pie c e s w i l l br ing a g re at v isu a l interest to t he photos.
 PREPPING YOUR LITTLE ONES
B e fore you r s e ssion , p ack a b ag w it h
s na ck s , w ate r and any s ma l l obj e c ts
( l i ke toy s or lol lip ops) t hat m ig ht
help us get t he ir atte nt ion w hen it’s
t i me for t he m to lo ok at t he c amera .
If t he y are old e nou g h to unde rst and
you, it’s a go o d ide a to pre p are t hem
for w hat’s to c ome b e fore t he s ession
st ar t s . E x pl ain how much t he photos
me an to you s o t he y k now to b e on
t he i r b e st b ehav ior. A lot of f am i lies
d is c uss and pick s ome t h ing f un in
a dv anc e as a t re at af te r t he s ession
if t he y ’re go o d listeners, li ke an i ce
cre am cone, for example. It a ls o helps
if t heir b el lies are f u l l and t he y ’ve has
s ome go o d rest b eforehand. Once you r
prep are t hem phy sic a l ly and ment a l ly,
t hen fe el f re e to g ive t hem (and you ! )
g ra ce! The y ’re litt le, and we k now t hat
s ome d ay s don’t a lway s go as pl anne d.
We’ve s e en it a l l and w i l l ma ke su re
to get you g re at photos, regard less of
t heir mo o ds. O ur go a l is to ma ke t his
as f un and st ress-f re e as it p oss ibly
c an b e for you and your fam i ly !
AMY & JORDAN | 42
 PHOTO DELIVERY TIMELINE

1 WEEK 2 WEEKS 30 DAYS

s oc ial media sneak blog post w ith online galler y w ith
peek w ith one of s ome highlights of all of your f inal,
our favor ite photos our time together retouched, high-
res olution images

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE |

 43
 one final note
W E K NOW WE JU ST G AVE YOU A LOT TO THINK AB OUT. WE CRE ATED
t h is g u i d e to help ma ke you r p or t rait s ession exp er ience s omet hing you’ l l lo ok
b a ck fond ly on for ye ars and ye ars to come. At t he end of t he d ay, t houg h, t he
l o c at i on you cho os e and t he out f its you s ele c t won’t matter ne arly as much as
t he me mor ie s you ma ke toge t he r. Your f uture memor ies are t he most imp or t ant
t h i ng to us , and we want your s e ssion to b e a t ime for you to just b e yours elves
and e nj oy it . Have f u n toge t he r. L aug h a lot. And we’ l l t a ke c are of t he rest!

AMY & JORDAN | 44



PORTRAIT SESSION
CHECKLIST

SET DATE, TIME AND LOCATION WITH A&J

REVIEW GUIDE FOR STYLE TIPS

SCHEDULE HAIR AND MAKEUP APPOINTMENTS

CHOOSE YOUR OUTFITS

PACK A BAG WITH:

Flats or flip-flops for walking between photo

spots

Second outfit (if you’re doing two)

Touch-up makeup

Water bottle (for warmer sessions)

Coat or cover-up (for colder sessions)

Snacks for little ones

If you have a toddler or younger, small eye

catching toys (or lollipops) to hold their attention

PORTRAIT STYLE GUIDE | 45

 we can’t wait to
SEE YOU SO ON
A&J