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Session Guidebook

Session Guidebook

A FAQ Portrait Session Article

About the Session

These sessions are really just about celebrating your love and life together

It’s a chance to capture a tiny biography. I’m all about embracing individuality, showcasing creativity, and illustrating the love you share. My sessions are laid back with a bit of quirk and the result is warm photos to share who you are with the ones you love. Aside from having photos of the two of you, this session is when we really get to know each other. Just you, me, and the camera.

We’ll learn a lot about each other’s personalities so the next time we’re in front of the camera together, it’ll just feel like coming home again; it’s really amazing how much I learn about how people interact with each other just hanging out for a few hours taking photos.

After the session, I’m always open to any feedback you may have in case we need to change anything up the next time we’re out shooting together! Some people prefer less kissing photos, sometimes portrait sessions lead people to finding their “good side,” whatever the case may be!

An in home session
An in home session

When to book

Choosing a date for your session

We can schedule our session together on Mondays through Thursdays and, ideally, we’ll be shooting in the evening or early morning. The best light is right at sunrise & two hours before sunset.

As early as a sunrise session sounds (and totally is), I promise, the light is perfect. Sometimes there’s an early morning fog, and if it’s a mid-summer session, it’s a perfect way to beat the heat. 

While it’s not always possible to schedule on a week day morning or evening, the sidewalks are always a little more cleared out, parks are usually emptier, and we can schedule further out in advanced if you’re willing to plan for a weekday!

Engagement Sessions: 

For engagement sessions, when we book might be dependent on what you intend to use the photos for! Save the Dates are pre-invitations usually sent out at least 4 months before the wedding. Since the average edit time for engagements is 4-6 weeks, I recommend scheduling your session at least five months out from your wedding day for Save the Date purposes.

If your plans is to order a guest book or an engagement album to display at the wedding, I recommend scheduling the session at least two months before the wedding; this will include the 4-6 weeks for me to deliver the images and still give you enough time to design and print with a consumer level book printer, if you choose to do so!

If these photos are just a chance for us to get to know each other, for you to get some pre-wedding day practice in, or a chance to get photos done in a non-wedding get up,  then you get to choose anytime of the year that works best for you! If you wanted to incorporate ice cream cones, that would work best on warmer spring or summer days, while bundled plaid layers are best in autumn, and beach and campfire sessions are perfect for warm summer nights.

Choosing Your Location

The location of your photos will help to define the mood of the pictures.

As a photographer, I’m always down to help my clients find a location, especially for those who are traveling in and don’t know the area, but time and time again I’ve been shown that my clients are honestly SO awesome at this. If you’re on the hunt for a spot for your own photographs and feeling a little lost, I have some general guidelines I’ve found helpful and I wanted to share the 9 tips to keep in mind when looking for your engagement session location.

View 9 tips for picking a session location
Choosing Your Location
Bed and Breakfast
Sugarloaf Mountain, MD
Gunpowder Falls, MD
Farmland in MD
Gunpowder Falls, MD
Rawlings Conservatory, Baltimore MD
Art Museum, DC
Frederick, MD
Eastern Shore, MD
Unique Air BNB Location
01 / 11
Choosing Your LocationBed and Breakfast
Choosing Your LocationSugarloaf Mountain, MD
Choosing Your LocationGunpowder Falls, MD
Choosing Your LocationFarmland in MD
Choosing Your LocationGunpowder Falls, MD
Choosing Your LocationRawlings Conservatory, Baltimore MD
Choosing Your LocationArt Museum, DC
Choosing Your LocationFrederick, MD
Choosing Your LocationEastern Shore, MD
Choosing Your LocationUnique Air BNB Location
Choosing Your Location

What to Wear

  • Like the location, your outfits should also be a reflection of you.

    You’ll want to keep the location in mind when you’re planning your session wardrobe.

    I’ve put together an inspiration board to help show some items that work well in photos here:

    http://pinterest.com/nessak/client-inspiration/

    I’ve included a few additional tips and color and pattern combinations on individual pins on the Pinboard that I felt work really well, too!

  • Primary colors play a huge part in my photography.

    A touch of red, yellow, or blue can make any ensemble pop and help you stand out from the background. Even adding a pair of red or yellow shoes, tights, or a bright blue tie will transform your outfits. If you’re generally comfortable in black or navy, maybe a green or burgundy would be more in your comfort zone, but colors always make for lovely photos, amen.

    Take this as your excuse to buy that dress from Reformation you’ve been eyeing and to break out the shoes you look amazing in and just had to buy. And if your shoes are a little more daring, bring along a pair of flats so you can walk around with ease.

  • Include some accessories

    A simple necklace, wide rimmed hat, bright socks, a pop-of-color belt, a scarf, a set of bracelets, or add some layers that make your look just a little more editorial.

    A great, fitted button up shirt is great, but I think it looks a little more refined to mix casual button down shirts with blazers or t shirts with dressier shoes. Think chambray shirts, some suspenders or a tie, and maybe roll up button down sleeves for part of the session for something a little more editorial. I generally recommend leaving baseball hats at home!

    Complement your accessories to each other; it’s a perfect way to bring your outfits together. Think about colors that go well together (I’ll mention primary colors again, because come on! They always look amazing in photos), but please try to avoid matching. Dress as though you are attending the same event; if one of you is dressed for a date at a coffee shop or if you’re planning to go barefoot in a field, match each other accordingly.

  • Some things you might want to avoid

    Avoid baggy button down shirts, light denim, polos, tennis shoes and sneakers, and logo shirts. There are always exceptions to the rules, but one rule I must insist on – if your shirt has more tattoos than you do, please leave it at home. Also, try to avoid any clothing that may show unintentionally visible bra straps, tags, or semi-transparent clothing that could reveal undergarments that could show up in photos, if it makes you uncomfortable.

    During the session, plan on only carrying the bare minimum – if you can, leave purses, bags, cell phones, etc. in your car or I can carry them for you.

Choose an activity you both enjoy
Choose an activity you both enjoy
Remember - confidence is everything in photographs
but let's be real, sometimes having your photos taken is scary and weird so I'll be guiding you as much as necessary to make each pose look relaxed and feel comfortable

What you choose to wear should be something you feel comfortable in, something that compliments your physical features, your individuality, something you can move in, and something that makes you feel amazing.

I also recommend scheduling the make up trials on the same day as the shoot – sometimes this alone will help you feel more ready to be photographed. My favorite looks are always a bold lip, simple eye make up with dark lashes, so feel free to give your lashes, brows, and eye make up a little extra attention before the session.

I don’t have a preference on this and I tend to not do ring shots at sessions, but here’s a reminder to consider your nails before the session if you’re wearing open toed shoes or prefer having your nails done! For some people, doing that little bit extra that will make you feel confident, and, (sorry for repetition, but) confidence is king.

Lastly, rules were meant to be broken. I wear mismatched socks, mix god awful patterns, wear socks with sandal shoes, and secretly love when my boyfriend and I are wearing nearly matching outfits because that’s who I am and I get it. You should trust your personal style and I know I’ll love what you choose, however! I do encourage bringing along an extra outfit or two for each of you in case one gets dirty, if we have time to change during the session, or if you’d just like a second opinion before we start the session!

If you have any questions as you’re planning for your session, please don’t hesitate to ask!

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This article was written to give a few tips to help plan for our session together, but it’s in no way a rule book. It’s just a few pointers to help guide you if you’re wanting a bit of advice or feeling lost. When it gets right down to it, this is YOUR session. Make it personal, make it about you, and let’s have some fun and make some art together. I look forward to photographing you soon!