California Engagement, Family, and Senior Photo Shoot Tips

5 TIPS FOR YOU PHOTO SHOOT

1.) Choose your location

One of the coolest parts of a lifestyle photo shoot is choosing a location! Some ideas include where you got engaged or a mini date revolving around an activity like a picnic or miniature golfing, or places you like to hang out on the weekend. The Central Valley of California has many hidden gems like: Knight's Ferry, CSU Stanislaus (voted the most beautiful of the CSU campuses), rivers, wineries, UOP, the foothills, Yosemite, and we are always ready for a short trip to the beach or San Francisco.

2.) Buy a new Outfit!

No one needs a reason to go shopping but this is a perfect one. We love it when our couples wear outfits that really express their personality. To get some cute outfit ideas, check out some of your favorite fashion magazines or catalogs. We highly recommend anything from Anthropologie because they have such a cool individual look, vintage clothing is also a fun idea.. We photograph people from head to toe, so don’t forget to accessorize from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet. Things that don’t photograph well: small checker patterns in 1-2 colors, spaghetti straps, large graphic and logo tees, matching t-shirts in the same color. Good outfits are something you’re comfortable in and that express your personality! On the day of your shoot, bring a couple of outfit options and we can help you choose what will look best for pictures.

3.) Plan on allowing 60-90 minutes for the shoot

A typical lifestyle photo session lasts an hour, which might seem like a long time… but we’ll be shooting pretty much nonstop. Time will fly by fast! We can definitely add extra time to your shoot if you’re planning to do multiple locations and multiple outfit changes.

4.) Bring your props to make it personal

Depending on the location of our shoot, you want to make sure and bring things that will keep you fresh and happy. These things include snacks, drinks, extra makeup, a change of clothes for an outfit swap (even if you’re planning on only shooting in one outfit), and a handful of smiles. You also want to bring some personal props like lanterns, candles, luggage, vintage chairs, feathers, cameras, candy, bubble blowers, books, guitars, etc. If you want to use balloons, get them in a number that is important to you. (the number of months you've been together, the anniversary of your first date)

5.) Relax and have fun!

The best way to get great pictures is to be prepared to have fun-we will do everything possible to make this a great experience and want you to feel comfortable enough to suggest your ideas (we are always happy to work with your vision), reject ideas that you feel awkward about, and trust us to have your best interests in mind.

If you need help thinking of ideas for your shoot please feel free to contact us and we'll set up a consultation!