5 Reasons To Book Family Portraits This Fall

Are you one of those families who only get to do portraits once a year either due to schedules, or simply because it's such a hassle getting everyone coordinated?  Or maybe you are one of the lucky folk who get to schedule family photos a few times throughout the year, so you always have updated portraits that match the season displayed in every room of your home...in either case, fall is the best time to schedule your family portraits in my humble opinion.   I have listed 5 simple reasons why you need to book your family portraits now~they're very obvious, yes, but sometimes, we just need reminded!


Reason 1. The weather is MUCH nicer for location sessions.  Honestly, family portraits turn out much better when done outside on location.  I don't prefer family portraits in the studio only because they have to be very posed and 'stiff'...the candid 'capturing your family in the natural' is not possible in a limited space, nor do they look 'natural' when shot under artificial studio lighting.  With that being said, the weather is perfect for location portraits!  It isn't too cold yet, but the dead, humid heat of summer is finally gone~!
We missed our session last fall, and opted to them in June...during the hottest heat wave we've seen in a while...our photos were gorgeous beyond words, but Chris, and the girls were miserable from the heat! Needless to say, we have another session set for this fall!

Reason 2.  As with everyone, the holiday season is the busiest time for you and also your photographer.   Booking in the fall allows plenty of time to purchase Christmas gifts and have them delivered.  Pretty obvious, but, (myself included), we get so busy and distracted by all of the seasonal events and commitments, that a lot of us don't even think about portraits until it's too late.  If you are planning on doing Christmas cards with your portraits, then you need to book as soon as  you can!  Most photographers have a 3-4 week turnaround time, even if you're only receiving a disc with digital images, so give yourself plenty of time to order your cards after your photo session as well.  This will be so much less stressful than booking last minute, and praying you receive your products~keep in mind that we, as photographers, cannot control the delivery systems and the holiday season creates a ton of unplanned delays.

Reason 3.  Booking fall portraits makes gorgeous Christmas gifts!  If you haven't heard of a gallery wrap, boy are you missing out!   They are very high end, and also affordable for any budget.  I have several around our home and will have them displayed all around the studio once we get moved in~! Gallery wraps make excellent photo gifts for anyone (even yourself) and are my favorite way to  display photos.  Remember, 8x10 is NOT wall size...if you want your images displayed on your walls, you must go with 11x14 or larger; otherwise, your image will be swallowed up by wall space...or you'll keep hanging 8x10's until your wall looks too cluttered and unflattering.
Aside from gallery wraps, stand outs, and gift albums are also great options for the grands~can you imagine their faces as they open a folding album full of photos of their sweet grand-babies??  Trust me, it's priceless!!
Photo products and gallery wraps are available at www.hwgphotography.com to purchase after your session (or if you've ever done a session with me).  If you want to see photos of the photo products available, email me at haley@hwgphotography.com.

Reason 4.  Wardrobe is the most important responsibility of the client!  The clothes you choose for a session will determine what style or 'feel' you get from your photos...plain old solids won't POP as much as bold colors and coordinating patterns.  And this isn't something that can be thrown together in a week~you will need lots of time to choose a wardrobe AND coordinate with your photographer what props to use.  The less prep-time you give your photographer *if any at all*, the less your photos are going to be what you want.  They'll still be high quality and beautiful, no doubt, but you want your photos to be the ones on  Facebook that your friends look at and say, "I want our session to be like THAT...it's gorgeous!"  I recently did a wardrobe consult with an upcoming client and after buying her families' outfits, and seeing them together, she said, "This is definitely different, but I'm gonna love it!!"  Isn't that what family portraits are all about???  Breaking away from your everyday routine, and doing something so bold and out of the ordinary, that you never want to quit looking at your images??  (And don't ever think you can't take good photographs....because you CAN!  My job is to help prepare you for your session, make you feel beautiful and pose you in flattering ways during your session, and show you how beautiful you are in your final images; trust me, you will be blown away what you see~WITHOUT over editing Photoshop!!)

Reason 5.   Before long, the scenery begins to die away.  You want to book before the scenery looks 'dead'...during the fall, the leaves are changing and the greenery is still very bold in your photos.  The sun has that gorgeous 'golden' look to it and there is also more diversity in your session. We are able to shoot a 'fall' look with leaves, trees, pumpkins, etc...and if you wear sweater, scarf, or other accessory, you can remove it and shoot in a different location allowing you keep your photos on display during the warmer months of spring/summer~!  If you wait too long, the leaves and other colorful wildlife begins to die out leaving bare trees and gloomy photos.

So...have you booked your family photo session yet?  If not, what are you waiting for!!  I am running a fall session right now and beginning December 1st, I am offering a special Christmas discount on portraits!  Email me at haley@hwgphotography.com or call me~706-867-5311 and let's plan your perfect fall session~!

Visit my website: www.hwgphotography.com
Follow HWG Photography on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/HWGPhotography07

Coordinating The Perfect Wardrobe For Your Portrait Session

In my many years of being a photographer, I have not booked one shoot where the client knew exactly what they were going to wear before booking with me.  Choosing the perfect wardrobe can be more of a challenge than we realize, especially with family portraits because there are more people and personalities to coordinate.  As I have been preparing for our own family photos,  I am really getting a first hand look at how complicated and tricky the process can be regardless of how many clients I've coached on the subject in the past!

The first thing you need to decide on is a color scheme.  What colors are "in" during the season you are booking your session?  You don't want to wear summer colors for fall portraits!  You can also choose a color scheme based on your personal style or the personalities of the people being photographed.  Look around your home and at your everyday wardrobe.  What colors and styles are you naturally attracted to?  I have a very bright and bold style and my home very much reflects that in the decorations I have in every room;  even my antiques are refurbished with modern, bold prints and colors!  We as a family tend to wear very bright colors and wild patterns on a daily basis so I want us to wear bright and bold colors with fun, wild patterns in our family shoot~our photos should reflect our fun and outgoing personalities!

The next thing to consider is the location of the shoot.  What will the setting be?  Urban?  Natural?  Studio?  This is the key in choosing your wardrobe; it needs to coincide with where you are shooting, (i.e. don't wear a button up shirt and tie to a location shoot at the beach where the dress should be casual).
If you are shooting in the studio, your photographer will usually coordinate studio set up options with you before hand to give you a better idea on what to wear, but locations are a free-for-all and specifics are usually left up to the client to decide.  I always suggest my clients each wear colors/patterns that coordinate, but are not too 'matchy'.  I also suggest that they experiment with different patterns; mix and match to see what goes together without clashing, and find patterns that compliment each other without overpowering the person wearing them, (except for the more formal shoots, as this would be too casual, which is why location is important).

Choose a main accessory or focal piece.  This is something you coordinate the entire wardrobe around.  It can be an article of clothing, an accessory, piece of jewelry...anything that you want to build your outfits from.  I usually wear the main piece in our photos because I like to find something eye catching and different which is usually too feminine for Chris to wear!  A unique scarf, or belt, or even a hair piece that doesn't take attention away from us are great examples, (I don't think Chris would be for wearing a nice decorative hair accessory!)  Once I have my piece selected, I go from there.  For me, it's fun to find similar accessories for my two girls to wear as well.
Layers are also important; even for those hot summer shoots!  An unbuttoned, plaid shirt over a solid casual tee can act as two different 'looks' during  your session.  Layers give variety to any photo shoot while extending your wardrobe; they also make changing clothes much easier.
Be careful not to show too much skin; try to avoid tank tops, short skirts, or low necklines.  Exposed skin makes you look bigger, and you also will risk drawing attention away from your face.  Your photos should reflect who you are as a family, and also as individuals.  The focus should be directed to your faces, and expressions; the clothes you're wearing should accent your features, not over power them.

I hope this blog gives you a little more insight into choosing a wardrobe for your upcoming shoot~without the stress and anxiety that comes with it!  If you have any questions, or would like for me to help you coordinate your wardrobe for photos, email me at haley@hwgphotogrpahy.com!

Be sure you subscribe to my blog for more exciting posts from HWG Photography!