One of the first things to think about when planning a portrait session is your hair. There are a few rules of thumb that will help guarantee a pleasing portrait.

MEN:

• Be clean shaven, or have your facial hair neatly trimmed.
• Have your hair cut at least one week before the portrait session.
• Avoid new styles; plan on a hairstyle that is comfortable to you.

WOMEN:

• Plan the portrait for a time when you are comfortable with the length and style of your hair
• Avoid trying new styles just before a portrait; plan on a hairstyle that is comfortable to you.
• Unless doing glamour portraits, avoid overly fancy styles and up-dos. The portrait should be a good representation of how you usually look.

 

Another consideration is for people who may wish to wear glasses in the portrait. If you wear both contacts and glasses alternately, you should decide which look you would prefer in the portrait. However, if you regularly wear glasses you should plan on wearing them for the portrait. This will allow the photo to be a true representation of how you look. Unfortunately, wearing glasses in portraits can cause a number of problems, such as reflections of light on the lenses, distracting lines (in bifocals and trifocals), distortion of the eyes, and other such problems.

There are a few options for people who wish to wear glasses in their portraits. One is to borrow a similar pair of frames (without lenses) from your optician. If they don't have a similar match, another option would be to have the lenses removed for the portrait. Of course, if you show up for your session with lenses in your glasses, then your photographer will do everything he/she can to minimize the problems presented by the lenses.

In keeping with the goal of the face being the focus of the portrait, jewelry should be kept to a minimum. Jewelry easily catches and reflects the light and in a portrait this will immediately detract from the face (or faces). This is also true with clothing that may have highly reflective buttons or other elements that will catch the light. The best rule is to keep it simple.

 

 

Here are a few final tips to keep in mind:

• If your feet will be in the portrait, make sure that shoes and socks are not going to be distracting elements in the portrait.
• Bring an extra change of clothes to the session, so you can show your different sides. (Discuss this with the photographer ahead of time.)
• Women should avoid heavy make-up.
• Schedule the session for the time of day when you feel you look your best.
• Bring a few essential items to have on hand during the session, if needed: comb, brush, hairspray, hair clips, make-up, mirror, safety pins, etc.
• Plan on arriving at least 15 minutes early to your session. This will allow time to make last minute adjustments to your hair and clothing, as well as give you time to relax before the session begins.

 

And now, here is the most important thing to remember when having portraits taken: RELAX AND HAVE FUN!! Remember, you want these portraits to capture your true personality, so let it out! No one likes to get their photos back and see how tense and uncomfortable they look. So, let your hair down (figuratively speaking!) and enjoy yourself! Then you will have a portrait that truly reflects who you are!