How to Prepare for a Photo Session - Topeka's Best Family Portrait Photographers

Select outfits that will make for a timeless portrait. Choose practical clothing items, and keep the location and time of year in mind.  Select clothing items and accessories that are not too distracting or that you will have to adjust often during the session (think long necklaces or ruffled tops on a windy day). 

Keep in mind the weather, wind speed, and humidity/chance of rain.  If you have littles, bring them some snacks to help give them incentives during the session.  This can help us to get kids to cooperate and make or break a session.  If it is windy, wear your hair up.  Trimming your bangs/hair slightly to keep them out of your eyes is a great idea, too! Use product like mousse, gel, pomade, and hairspray to tame your mane!

  

Pick shoes that will be easy to walk in at the location of the session.  For example, high heels are not recommended for sunflower shoots, but would look great in an urban/downtown setting.  Bring an extra jacket or cardigan to throw on in case of inclement wear.  Again, use hairspray to control flyaways and bring an extra comb for last minute touch ups. 

If you have tan lines - please cover them with your outfit, use some makeup or try a sunless tanner! You can find sunless tanners everywhere! We love using Tanned AF (found at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, or on Amazon). Apply it just to the untanned part, feather it to blend in with your surrounding skin using a foam brush or tanning mit, leave it on for 15-30 minutes, and rinse it off. The tanner needs about 8 hours to develop. Repeat if necessary but give it time to develop before you use more.

Choose coordinating colors, not matching. Then, lay out each family member’s outfit together while planning.  This will help you identify which colors work best for your session.  Add texture to your look by throwing in a few patterns but limit distracting patterns and large logos.  Also, consider your home decor and what kind of color schemes you already have.  You want your portraits to match your home.

Be sure to press your clothing items, or iron them to avoid wrinkles. Be mindful of undergarments, and try to pick outfits that cover bra straps. Tan lines can be difficult to remove so please even out your tan lines or pick clothing items that cover them. Remove all items from your pockets, hair ties on wrists, and sunglasses prior to your session. Avoid hats that might cause your hair to flatten.

Cake Smash Sessions:

For a cake smash we schedule them during the week and prefer to take them during daytime, after their nap.  We will start out with a few family pictures (individual portraits of the kids, you and your partner, etc), but the main focus will be on the one year photos. 

Please provide your own cake and any decorations or specific props you want.  Also, let us know what colors/themes you are using and be sure to send us a screenshot of any samples you have so we can make sure we have a backdrop or area ready.

Sometimes we get one-year-old’s that come in and they don’t necessarily like the cake smash because of the texture of the frosting on their hands. It’s not uncommon for them to cry or become upset and not want to eat the cake. 

Here are a few tips to make it go smoothly: 

1. Bring those toddler puffs or cheerios or any small snack that your baby likes for us to put on the backside of the cake if we have to. It’ll look like they are eating cake in the pics.

2. Bring a drink for them in a sippy cup. Cake makes them thirsty! 

3. At home give them mashed potatoes or a cupcake or something if you can to let them get used to the texture on their hands. 

4. Bring an outfit to put them in afterwards for the ride home, a towel or washcloth or baby wipes and a plastic bag for your cake-covered clothing.  We have a kitchenette with a sink to spray your baby off in.

 

To book your own session, please call Tommy or Holly at 785.793.2492 or 785.213.0812 or email tommy@thpetersonphoto.com