Client Closet
Welcome to your Portrait session guide!
Whether I am capturing your family photos or a special moment in your life like a graduation, birthday, new baby, wedding, or more. I am so glad I get to help you create those memories and have you cherish them for a lifetime.
Your only job is to BE YOU! Let me create photos that you will love forever.
What Should I wear?
The outfit can make or break a photo. When choosing colors to base your outfit around, I recommend choosing softer, lighter tones or medium/muted shades. For example, heather gray, creams, muted pinks, soft blues or greens, and you can never go wrong with a basic white. By avoiding ultra-bright or neon colors and busy patterns and logos, can ensure that the focus in the image is your face and your emotions. While I want you to show off your amazing outfits, you should show off that amazing smile first. The softer color palette fits perfectly in an natural outdoor setting, and it especially complements the Arizona desert.
FOR EVERYONE
A slim, comfortable fitted silhouette is best - when you wear baggy or super tight pieces they tend to be more distracting and uncomfortable.
Adding layers (vests, jackets, cardigans, and more) along with accessories, will add an extra detail that will spark interest to your photos.
Be sure to check to see if your clothes are not see-through in bright light (the camera can pick up on that even if you don't realize it).
Be conscious that when it is hot in the desert, you may see sweat, so consider clothing that won't show that.
While it is important to stay hydrated in the desert, chapped lips do show up on the camera, so you should lightly apply some chapstick before your session, and for my makeup lovers, some lip color is a good idea to have on hand to reapply during the session.
Glasses: Glasses that don't have the anti-glare coating on them, can be tough to eliminate when editing photos, although I will do my best. Also to keep in mind that transitions lenses will appear darker when shooting outside. I recommend taking your glasses off during the photo session, but we can try with your glasses on first and then see if you prefer them on or off.
For Women
Dresses and skirts are typically what almost every one of my clients like to wear. Wrap dresses or dresses or shirts with a tie-waist also help define your midsection and give you a nice silhouette. While taking photos, I make it my job to make you feel comfortable. In my experience, regardless of her shape, has an area of her body that she's self-conscious about, so recognizing what area that is and dressing accordingly is key ( the most frequent culprit that my clients tell me is: if you don't like your arms, you may want to avoid spaghetti straps, or sleeveless tops, or I would consider adding some variety by pairing a gorgeous dress with a cute cardigan, wrap, or jacket).
Tyler, What about hair and makeup? You want to look natural - like BE YOU! - but I always advise to wear a little more makeup than you normally would. Although it may feel strange, trust me - the best thing to emphasize when doing makeup is eyes and lips. Those two things complement each other very well and look great for photos. Whereas, your normal makeup may look washed out. For the hair, adding some extra volume looks really good in pictures.
For Men
When choosing an outfit I recommend gray, navy, tan, and white for men's outfits. Try avoiding pinstripes or plaid because it may be distracting to the eye. Graphics and logos may also be seen as a distraction. Long pants and darker jeans and close-toed shoes are always what I suggest. Be aware that baggy and cargo pant/shots, which can be distracting.
Guys keep in mind your beard. A clean shave or trimmed beard is good, or if you want a stubble look, make sure the timing is just right for that. When you think a little facial hair is good and you have not shaved lately... you might think it is not noticeable, but in reality, the camera picks up a lot of facial details, and a little facial hair is one of them.
For Children
I recommend looking over the same guidelines for men and women when planning children's outfits.
STAY FLEXIBLE
Kids can be unpredictable at times, so I find it best to follow the kids' needs. If they have a lot of energy before a shoot. I will let them run around and be silly before being still to capture the shots we need. I also like doing this because it captures some true emotions that might not have been captured when posed in a photo session setting. If they want to be held, we can certainly do that.
MAKE IT FUN
This one is an important one! I love interacting with the kids to get genuine smiles and emotions/reactions that you as parents love to see. This may mean me making silly noises, or you helping by playing peek-a-boo while I capture the photos. Making it fun also sets the tone for future photo sessions - like picture day at school. They leave having fun and they won't dread getting their pictures taken again.
DON'T FORGET THE BRIBES
When all else fails, bribes usually save the day. By bringing some sweet treats or small snacks for when kids are not wanting to do anything. Most families that I have worked with tend to plan ahead with the promise of a treat after the session - ice cream or something that the child is going to look forward to will help keep kids focused on their end goal!
SENIORS
For senior sessions, outfit changes are welcome and highly encouraged! Bring along your sports jersey, a prop or accessory that shows your interests or hobbies. Also consider bringing both casual and dressy outfits to change into. If you already have your cap and gown, it is nice to get some photos with them as well - and if you don't, most of the schools allow you to barrow one, or you can borrow from a previous graduate. And if you are heading to college next year, it can be fun and cool to do a "decision day" type of outfit to show everyone where you will be attending for college!
Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to brainstorm outfit ideas together!
Here is a weather alert...
My name is Tyler Garlej and I am your local news stations meteorologist... or at least I wish I was! Thanks to the beautiful weather in Arizona, we rarely have to work around any extreme conditions! You can be sure that I am keeping an eye on the forecast for any kind of weather that would impact our session, and I will be in touch if we need to reschedule or adjust. Assume everything is running as scheduled unless you hear otherwise from me!