Photography by Annalisa Aldana
What to Expect
from your session
AS SOON AS YOU MAKE THE DECISION TO BOOK YOUR SESSION, CONTACT ME.
We can discuss the specifics and talk about your vision for your session. This will allow me to get to know you and give me a better idea of what you are looking for. It is important to book as soon as possible to give yourself an adequate amount of time to prepare. Technically, the process is simple, but your lifestyle photos are going to last a lifetime, so it is only logical to take time to consider what you might want from your session.
Our session will range from one to three hours at our selection location and time. Upon arrival we will go over our schedule, address any last minute questions and then start the shoot. We will plan to experiment with many poses and spots within your chosen location.
After your session, I will begin the photo editing process, including setting up your online gallery. This process generally takes two to three weeks. Once your gallery is complete, I will contact you via email with your link and password. This email will also include our product pricing and ordering information.
Session Tips
Family Photos
When it comes to family picture day, a lot of stress is typically associated with days leading up to the session. We’re here to help you relax and be prepared all at the same time. Here are some tips:
Find the outfits you want everyone to wear a month in advance and set them aside somewhere safe. Then try them on a week ahead of time to ensure everything still fits comfortably and that you didn’t miss any stains or holes that you couldn’t see until they were being worn.
As soon as your family changes out of their photo attire, make sure it is clean and pressed to be ready for the big day. Set the clothes together (sorted by person) and place them somewhere free from harm and dirt. Be sure to tell everyone that these are picture clothes and not to be worn until picture day. This will help to be sure that no articles of clothing go missing. Don’t forget about shoes, jewelry, belts, and other accessories.
About three to four days prior to the session, start talking with your partner and kids about the session and what will happen and how they should behave. If you plan to use a bribe, now is a good time to set that in place. Continue to talk to your children daily to prepare them for the session.
Two days prior to the session, pack a bag of everything you will need on picture day – snacks, props, bribery, etc. and put it somewhere you can grab it and go. Be sure to include wipes in case things get messy, an extra hairbrush, and other “emergency” items, such as bobby pins and a backup lipstick.
On the day of the session, make sure everyone is well fed, but not overfed. We don’t want sick little tummies from overeating, but we don’t want anyone getting “hangry” either. Do not get your family dressed in their photo clothes until after they have eaten and brushed their teeth. This will prevent spills and other messy accidents.
If you have young children, avoid any colored drinks the day of the session until after we are finished. Also, get them to wear a bib or drop cloth if they drink anything on the way to the session to save their shirts from wet spots or stains.
Once you get to the session, try to relax. If you have set a bribe, please let me know so I can use that throughout the session if the children get restless. Trust your photographers - know that I will take care of things and will deliver amazing photos of your family.
Session Tips
Headshots
You want to look like the best version of yourself on your session day. After all, all these photos will be seen by your friends, family and coworkers. Here are a few tips and tricks where beauty and fashion are concerned.
Choose two to three outfits to wear during your session and lay them out so they are ready to go. Make sure they are clean and wrinkle-free.
Also, don’t forget to pack any accessories you’ll want for each outfit – jewelry, scarves, belts, etc. Bring matching socks/tights, and shoes for each outfit if one pair won’t go along with all of them.
Makeup reads differently on camera than it does in real life. We recommend hiring a professional makeup artist who knows just what to do. MUAs know which shimmery shadows will photograph weird and what colors to avoid for photos. Most importantly, they also help you look your best.
Get your hair cut about one to two weeks prior to your session. Don’t drastically change it from your normal style in case you don’t like it. Have the hair stylist show you some easy styles you can do during outfit changes to switch it up a bit.
For guys don’t forget to shave away any stubble from your face and neck prior to your session.
Think about all the details: nails, hair, teeth, skin. Use a whitening toothpaste in the weeks leading up to your session, really look after your skin and don’t pick (we do offer free blemish touch up, though), Get a manicure the day before or day of your session to ensure your nails look their best. Don’t forget that the color needs to match all of your outfits. For this reason, and to keep a clean appearance, we suggest going with the French manicure or just a clear coat of paint. If you’re wearing open toes, spring for the pedi, too.
Get a good night’s rest the night before so you can look well rested for your session.
Session Tips
Engagement Photos
When planning your engagement session, you want to get the timing just right and there are many factors to consider during this process. We’re here to help! Here’s a list of things you need to take into consideration when picking a session date:
If you are going to display your engagement photos at your wedding, and you are doing outside portraits, try to plan your engagement session in the season that you are having your wedding. This way, it matches your wedding décor.
Keep in mind that whenever you are planning your portraits is probably a busy season for photographers. Be sure to book early so you can get a good spot. You also need to remember that if you’re doing outdoor photos, you have to cater to the weather. Sometimes the weather is crazy and we have to reschedule. We’ve had clients have to reschedule four times before due to rain, etc. Be sure to book a backup date in case your first one gets rained out.
Remember that you and/or your fiancé may need to take some time off of work for the session. We may not have any availability when you’re available because, even though we try to be accommodating, we don’t shoot every day or may already be booked on your day off.
Book early enough to use your photos for Save the Date cards, etc. Don’t forget about editing, printing, and mailing times. Allow enough time for the whole process and still have them to your guests on time.
If you’re doing a slideshow at your wedding and want to use your engagement photos in it, don’t wait until a month before your wedding to take your engagement photos and then stress and worry as you try to hurry to get them back and into the presentation. You have to allow editing time in your schedule.
If you’re new to the portrait session game, chances are you may feel a little bit nervous about what to expect. That’s completely natural, so don’t think you’re strange for feeling that way. In fact, we hear from our clients all the time that they’re apprehensive to get their pictures taken for all sorts of reasons, ranging from being “unphotogenic” to feeling awkward in front of the camera and beyond. To help you feel a bit more at ease leading up to the day of your session — and during the actual shoot — we’ve given you some pro tips below.
Chat With US Before The Session
Sometimes simply talking through the process with your photographer can help you feel much more at ease. For starters, we’ll walk you through each step of the session-day process so that you know what to expect. Second, getting to know the person who’s going to be photographing you can help you feel much more relaxed and yourself on the day of.
Be Authentic to Yourself
Have you ever packed for a vacation and decided you were going to bring four different novels and a couple workout outfits even though you rarely read or workout? That same sort of mentality can occur when you’re prepping for a photo session as you try to reinvent who you are. Instead, relax and show up on session day as your authentic self. Wear clothes you feel beautiful and comfortable in — this is all about capturing the essence of pregnancy!
Go Ahead and Glam it Up
It’s a fine line between not being true to who you are and wanting to look amazing the day of your shoot. The key to feeling amazing and comfortable on your session day is to elevate the traits you really like about yourself. If you love flowing dresses, find one that you feel incredible in. If your hair is your favorite feature, go ahead and get a blowout or spend the few hours beforehand focusing on your hairdo. Do these things only if you feel like it will make you feel your best and not because you feel like you “should.”
Know That We’re Pros at This Stuff
One of the reasons why people experience post-photo stress is that they might not have had the best images taken. Because of the lens, selfies create a distorted image of your face. Also, lighting and angles seriously matter. We’re pros at this stuff. We know which poses to put you in that’ll make you look and feel amazing and we know how to position you against the light (and use extra light) to create a stunning portrait.
Session Tips
Maternity Photos
Session Tips
Newborn Photos
We’ve all seen those adorable photos of new little babies looking so peaceful and relaxed and not a care in the world. As new parents, we want similar photos of our children to send out to grandparents, make into screensavers, and blast out to our social media pages to show off our amazing baby. But then session day comes around and BAM! – your baby does not want anything to do with it.
You’re thinking, “Why won’t you stop crying? I’ve literally done everything I can think of, but you’re still not happy. Don’t you know I’m paying good money for this session? Sarah’s baby cooperated in her session, why can’t you just go to sleep and let us get some nice photos?!” If this is happening during your session, I want you to stop, breathe and remember one thing: all newborns cry. This is a natural, real emotion that all newborns have for most of their first few months of life. It’s not abnormal. There is nothing wrong with your child for doing it. It is nothing to be ashamed of. They aren’t doing it to embarrass you. And when you stress out about the fact that your baby is crying, that then makes things even worse because he or she knows you’re upset.
Don’t let the crying upset you. Embrace this moment in time. It won’t be long before you forget how her little forehead wrinkled up whenever she screamed, or how his toes would get all stretched out and tense when he was upset. Let us capture these little details. These crying photos can evoke real emotion and demonstrate the love you have for your child as you try to soothe him or her. Your child can look back at these photos once they’re all grown and remember the solace that they found in your arms. These tender moments are just as important, if not more so, than the sleeping, posed photos.
The point of booking a newborn session is to help you preserve the first memories of your child’s life. While posed photos are cute, you’re not going to look back and think, “Remember how cute she was whenever she would lounge around the house in frog-form?” because that didn’t happen. You’ll look back at these photos and remember all the nights you walked your baby around the house or rocked him in a chair and hummed lullabies to try to calm him down. Those times are very stressful, but they also help you form a bond and that’s what makes these photos treasured.
All that being said, if you have your heart set on those peaceful, posed photos, we can always take a break and try again and, if all else fails, reschedule.
Session Tips
Senior Portaits
Now that you’ve booked your session, we have a few tips for you to help you get ready for your close up. Follow these guidelines the weeks leading up to your session and we’ll take care of the rest!
Choose two to three outfits to wear during your session and lay them out so they are ready to go. Make sure they are clean and wrinkle-free.
Also, don’t forget to pack any accessories you’ll want for each outfit – jewelry, scarves, headbands, etc. Bring matching socks/tights, and shoes for each outfit if one pair won’t go along with all of them.
While you’re at it, if you plan on bringing any props – your ballet shoes, favorite book, softball gear, etc. – go ahead and lay that out as well. If you are going to bring your car to the session and want it to be in photos with you, be sure to wash it the night before/day of your session.
Get a good night’s rest the night before so you can look well rested for your session.
Get your hair cut about one to two weeks prior to your session. Don’t drastically change it from your normal style in case you don’t like it. Have the hair stylist show you some easy styles you can do during outfit changes to switch it up a bit.
Practice your makeup the week leading up to your session so you can get it just right the day of. We do offer professional makeup artist services with several of our packages. This is something we strongly suggest you look into for your session.
If you wake up two days prior to your session, or the morning of, and acne has appeared on your face – don’t pick at it and make it worse while trying to get rid of it. Apply some makeup over the area (not too heavy) and leave it at that. We offer basic retouching, which includes blemish removal; so don’t even worry about it.
Get a manicure the day before or day of your session to ensure your nails look their best. Don’t forget that the color needs to match all of your outfits. For this reason, and to keep a clean appearance, we suggest going with the French manicure or just a clear coat of paint.
Session Tips
Special Occasion
Are you having a baptism, first communion, 100th day of life celebration, 50th wedding anniversary, milestone birthdays, or a large family get together? All these special occasions are photo worthy and so can be full immersed in the occasion, let us capture all of it for you.
Often special occasions are a mixture of posed and candid photos, the event taking place and a collection of these special guests gathered around together. In the planning meeting for the photo session, ensure we know what photographs are most important and any special moments to not be missed.
Special occasions are filled with special people so communicate let us know who the stars are. Who’s big day is it and if there will be any special guests. Is an special great grandmother coming from far away and you really want a photo of her, or the moment that the child is being blessed by their priest, or a multi-generational photo that you don’t want to miss after the big ceremony. We will prioritize these shots so your special occasion's best moments are recorded.
Special occasions call for special outfits or objects and we want to document it. Whether it be a wedding photograph, a rosary, a special dress, shoes, or an important memento, ensure you discuss its importance with us beforehand and you bring it with you, keeping it in a safe place. We want to record all the details of your day. A little planning can go a long way and ensure we get these appropriate shots. If you want say the special outfit photographed in the child’s room or at specific location, we can tailor your package to include extra time to capture those extra shots that document the complete experience and emotions.
Discuss with your photographer the site and timing of your event. Is the special occasion outdoors, indoors, or a mixture. Is there a specific location you want to use as a backdrop? Don’t forget to communicate these small but significant details about the event. If and when possible, we do a site visit prior to the event to get a feel for lighting, discover the most creative angles and settings, and which landscape features help or hinder certain shots. We like to be fully prepared. Additionally, do you want photographs before or after the event or ceremony, let’s plan together the schedule so it can all run smoothly. You don’t want to be rushed and we want adequate time to do our job. If many people are involved things will move slower than expected.
Weather can cause plans to shift. If any part of your special occasion is outside, we will keep an eye on weather and be flexible. I will always remain flexible and advise as we go. Some conditions, such as cold days are fine and easy to proceed with some simple planning, but torrential rain and/or strong winds, can make for a tough photoshoot that will produce few good, but surely memorable photos. Having a backup plan or location out of the elements will ensure the fewest disruptions.