WHERE DO THE HANDS GO?
When choosing your outfits, it's not just about the style, color, and fit. Choosing an outfit with functioning pockets, wearing a hat or scarf, holding a pair of sunglasses or an umbrella may be a lifesaver when posing. Other great hand occupiers are full skirts or pants, handbags, ties, umbrellas or a piece of jewelry big enough to grab onto. My most favorite solution? Bring a puppy! You will have plenty to do with your hands with a puppy. Be creative and think about what will you do with your hands!
LONG OR NATURAL LASH ENHANCEMENT?
Whether you wear lash extensions everyday or want to have new lashes applied the day of your session, keep in mind the curl of the lash. You do not need long or thick lashes to highlight your eyes. No matter your preference- long or short, it's the shape that makes a difference. Choose a shape that curls up. If your natural lash is super straight, try adding a "L+" or "D" lash extension to lift and open your eyes wider than they naturally are. If you have curly lashes, the "C" shape or curlier styles are for you.
Want to know more about lashes? Read this expert blog!
WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE SITTING DOWN?
Some items of clothing do not look good in all poses. When narrowing down your choices, try different ways to sit and stand. It's OK if the posing is limited in one of your outfits, but you want to avoid having all of your outfits have similar restrictions. Here are some limitations I have noticed in the past few years of clothing trends.
❖Cannot sit down , showing too much upper thigh. Too much material in some sweaters which looks lumpy at the midsection (if sitting). ❖Cannot lift arms without ruining the lay of the neckline or showing too much mid-drift.
WHAT TO WEAR / WHAT TO BRING / FAQs for SENIOR WOMEN
Remember, these are only ideas. Feel free to diverge from these suggestions. If you have questions on something in particular, send me a text with a photo of the outfit-or whatever you are questioning- and I will give you my thoughts- 817-888-4218. Please read down to the bottom of the page for information about included retouching versus extra charges for preventable retouching.
PETS?
Yes! You will need someone extra to watch and care for your pet while you’re being photographed. A leash, photogenic collar, and water (with portable water bowel) are required. Bribery snacks are recommended. Please note that some locations have fire ants, little sticker burrs, or even small shards of glass that do not bother people with shoes, but pets should be watched for any hazards that may harm them. In the hotter months, you may consider an additional person that can take your pet home after his or her photos are taken.
WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Highlight your best features! Bring many options- I can help narrow down your choices. Traditional styles will stand the test of time and keep your portraits looking fresh for years to come. Trendy clothes are great to show personality. No matter the trend, always choose colors that compliment your skin and eye color. Keep in mind which clothing styles look best for your body type. For example: If sleeveless tanks are “in” this season and you don’t like the look of your upper arms, then skip that trend. Avoid clothing that is too tight or clothing that pulls in an awkward direction. Simple silhouettes, holding closer to the body are more flattering for portraits.
SOMETHING TO HOLD
What to do with your hands? Pockets can help you feel comfortable in front of the camera. I highly recommend considering pockets on your pants, shorts, or hoodies.
SOMETHING CASUAL, DRESSY, TRENDY
What you wear everyday. Long sleeves or short sleeves, tees, jeans, torn jeans, shorts, hats, bring different colors that look good with your eye color. *Something different, trendy and fun. *Something dressy. Maybe you already have your prom dress, or a fantastic banquet dress from last year? *Choose anything that works well with your personality and body type.
IDENTITY CLOTHES
Sports, music, art, your latest Halloween costume....you get the idea. Bring your dance gear, a microphone and guitar, volleyball or other sports gear.
JEANS
Wear your favorite jeans. Dressy dark denim, chambray, acid or stone washed. Ripped or faded, a good pair of jeans is my ‘must have’ in my closet. They all photograph well.
TOPS
If you’re wearing a tank top or a shirt with bare shoulders, bra straps can be distracting. I know this is an accepted trend, but make sure you have discussed this with your parents and bring camis with a look of purposeful style. Spaghetti straps and sleeveless tops will draw attention to the arms, making it difficult to hide bra straps under your shirt (usually under the arm pits). Oversized, baby doll style and loose blouses and dresses can add to the size for your body in pictures. However, these styles can benefit from well placed belts and accessories that can enhance the form instead of hiding it.
DRESSES AND ROMPERS
Maxi, mini and everything in between looks great in pictures. Some dresses have limitations due to length, but I have never photographed a dress that could not be perfect with a particular angle, lens choice, pose, or crop. Wear what looks good on you! Please note. if you cannot sit down in your dress, shorts, romper, etc without concern for them hiking up too high, they may be too short for certain poses.
FORMALS
Sure! Why not?
SHOES
Bring them! Think about each outfit and the shoes that go with them. Bring boots, heels or wedges too. They can elongate legs, create a higher rear end and flatter your silhouette. Who wouldn’t want that? I also recommend one set of slide on, closed toe flats for walking to and from one photo background to another. In some of my locations, we may encounter a sticker burr or two -which is why I recommend closed toe shoes to family members attending the session.
TEXTURE
Texture can add depth to your images. Choose shirts with textures and dimension over smooth fabrics. For example, if you are choosing between a solid, smooth white sweater or a white sweater with cable knitting, the cable knit sweater adds more visual interest to the photo.
JEWELRY
Specialty items you might want to wear such as watches, glasses, and other tight-fitting items can leave indention marks on your skin and may take a long time to disappear. If you are not wearing a particular piece of jewelry in your portrait, please remove it at least an hour before your appointment.
Hand made friendship bracelets, ‘cause’ silicon bracelets are fine with me if they are fine with mom and dad. Please discuss these items of wear before your session. Fine watches, rings, necklaces, pins, and bracelets are always in good taste and should be coordinated or considered with each outfit you bring.
ASSESSORIES
Accessories add a lot of style and individuality to your photos. Consider these carefully and bring many options. Whether you bring hair accessories, clothing accessories, jewelry accessories or props, bring them with every outfit.
GLASSES AND TRANSITION GLASSES
Yes!- If you wear glasses all the time, you’ll probably want them in your portraits. Keep in mind, that light may glare and some reflection is to be expected. Even non-reflective lenses can show some reflection. If you choose to wear glasses in keep in mind that removing glass glare from your photographs is possible. I have been photographing glasses for over 2 decades, and I know where and how to avoid harsh glare, but it is not always a perfect outcome. No worries, I wear glasses myself and I have you covered!
NO- Tinted or transition lenses will darken under all forms of lighting and are not recommended. If you can remove the transition lenses prior to your photo session or have a different pair of glasses that do not have transitions, that is preferable. I cannot guarantee that your eyes will be seen in transition lenses and it is not something that I can successfully retouch the way I would like to.
FRIENDS
Platinum Sessions, we’d be happy to take a couple images with you and a friend and - or siblings & parents. We schedule this at the beginning or end of your session.
A WORD ABOUT KHAKI, WHITE, AND BLACK PANTS OR SHORTS
Khaki or light color pants tend to make most individuals appear larger...use light colors wisely. Alternatively, darker colors reduce your size.
RETOUCHING VERSUS PREVENTATION RETOUCHING
Retouching is included in the price of every portrait you purchase from Bratton Photography.
No additional charges apply for blemishes, fine lines (for us grown ups), background distractions, enhancements to sky or ground cover, or crazy wild stray hairs. Occasional bra slips, minor tan lines, minor marks in your spray tan, few wrinkles in a shirt, pulled threads, etc. Bruises, scratches and cuts are also part of the retouching that is included with your pictures.
In the heat of the moment, I might ignore many distracting areas of a photograph because my subject is ‘just perfect’ and the light is ‘right on’ at that moment. Retouching is just part of the final product that everyone assumes is possible. And for the most part, it is possible. If all reasonable preparations have been made, no additional retouching charges will be assessed. It is my honor to provide the best photos I can possibly produce!
Items that need retouching but could have been prevented with proper preparation will be quoted prior to completing the job. Retouching is $100 per hour, but charged in 15 minute increments. If retouching requires additional time and costs, you will be given a quote prior to the work being done. This will never be a surprise cost!
EXAMPLES
Highly visible bra straps that are not covered by clothing, front pose - approx. $25, Side pose- approx. $12.50 per image
Wrinkled, waded up, un-ironed or new folded shirts straight out of the package, complex patterns, approx. $25, Solids, approx. $8 per image
Eye brows that are severely neglected, approx. $6 per image.
Excessive sun burns, strong bathing suit lines, or damaged spray tans, approximate range $5 to $15 per image.