Children — How can my child look his or her best?
Please resist the urge to tell your child to smile or be on his best behavior. Simply tell them
"we are having our portrait taken and it will be fun. You only need to follow Alison's
directions."
- Choose classic styles! 5 years from now you don't want your photograph
to look dated. Choose clothes that look timeless.
- Choose solid colors or subtle prints! Busy patterns and big stripes
draw attention to their body instead of their beautiful face.
- Shall I choose light or dark colors? What if I have 2 or more being
photographed? If your child is thin, pastels and white is fine. If you
want them to look thinner, darker colors are best. For groups, you want
everyone to stand out equally in the portrait, so we recommend everyone
wear medium to dark tones or everyone wear pastels. Different textures
in the tops look best. If you have pastel tops, wear khaki or light
bottoms. For medium to dark tops, wear dark bottoms. Clients usually
choose clothing colors that go in the room where their portrait will
hang. Choose colors that blend (not clash) with colors in your home.
Some popular color combinations are:
- Greens and blues
- Greens, blues and burgundy
- Light blue, pink, white and khaki
- All white
- For black and white sessions medium to dark solid colors are best
- Wear open collars and long sleeves! Seeing the neck helps bring attention
up to the face and long sleeves are best unless your children are very
young.
- Should they wear their glasses? If they wear glasses, there are several
alternatives:
- Take out the lenses and wear just the empty frames so they look
like themselves
- Borrow an empty pair of frames from your eye doctor
- Have the anti–reflection put on their glasses
- Bring accessories that have meaning to you. Many people like to personalize
their photographs. You can create a story telling theme about your children.
You can bring items from home that reflect your family history, hobbies
or professions. See the following list:
- Antique toys, stuffed animals, books, blankets, dolls, tea cups,
jewelry box, toy box, sports equipment, wagons, bikes, rocking chair,
family scrap book, stools, special keepsakes or collectibles
- Fresh flowers
- Accessories: hats, jacket, briefcase, gloves, pen, jewelry
- Family pets
- For newborns: bassinets, blankets, quilts, comforters, pillows,
cloth diaper to catch drools
- Doctor's appointments should have been at least 2 weeks ago. Young
children sometimes associate the studio with doctor's offices and shots.
Give your child 2 weeks to forget the doctor experience and recover
from the shots. Also, make sure they are well fed or bring snacks
and refrain from feeding your child sugar on your appointment day.
- The hair has to look great! Make sure the length is good. Avoid long
bangs that shade the eyes. Use hair spray or gel to keep it in place.
- Would you like to tell a story? (Bath time, bedtime, beach theme, sports
theme, fishing theme. Professions: train engineer, musician, sailor, western,
pirate, pilot, biker, gardener, hiker, fireman, police, construction worker,
chef, doctor, business man, military)
- Shoes for young children? We often sit little ones down on the floor or ground.
The bottoms of the shoes are then prominent. We suggest bare feet if we are
photographing outdoors, bring flip flops so they can walk on the pathways without
hurting their feet. Older children should wear shoes indoor or outdoors in a
brown or dark tone.
- 3 months-1 1/2 year olds. One-piece outfits are the best, there is less fussing
with the clothes and we can concentrate on the smiles.
- How long will the photography session take?
- One Child 15-30 minutes
- Two Children 30-40 minutes
- Three Children 40-60 minutes
- Where do I change my child? We have a changing room at the studio with air conditioning,
mirrors, closet and bathroom. If your children are young, change them here at the studio.
- How do I find Wild Rock Canyon Ranch? We will forward you a link to our secret map.
- How long is the drive to Wild Rock Canyon Ranch? From PQ 30 minutes. From RB 20 minutes.
From Poway 15 minutes. From Ramona 15 minutes. From Scripps 30 minutes (probably 20 on the
Scripps Poway Parkway). Plan to arrive at least 5 minutes before your session time.
- When will I see the images? In two weeks, your slide show presentation will be ready.
We don't make paper proofs. Instead, you see your gorgeous images enlarged on the wall.
Before you leave the photography session, we will schedule your next appointment for the
slide show. You will also get a detailed price sheet so you can think about how many
wallets and gifts for relatives you will want.
- Who should come to the slide show? You of course, mom, dad or both. Normal time is
2 hours to go through the choosing process. Young children will be bored. We require a
50% deposit.
- What if I need to cancel or reschedule? Due to our advance bookings, with a 14–day
notice or more your session fee is 100% refunded.
Less than 14 days, the session fee is non-refundable. There are always exceptions for
illness.
- Last minute checklist for in the car:
- Map
- All clothes and accessories (clean and ironed); Props
- Snacks and drinks
- Your schedule for two weeks ahead to plan the slide show presentation.
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