Little Ones

Lately (ok all the time) I just love taking photos of little kids and showing their personality.  Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the posed photography, but I absolutely LOVE lifestyle photos, showing candid personalities and just their cuteness!  So, here's a couple of my favorites.

What to do before a photo shoot

What do I wear?

Families:

Try to choose a color scheme.  Two to Three colors that go well with each other as well as personalities in your family.  Then dress each family member in different colors within that color scheme.  Let me explain, let's choose blue, yellow and grey as the color scheme.  Dad could wear a grey sweater with or without a blue shirt and some nice jeans.  Mom could wear a grey skirt with a yellow top or a yellow dress with some blue heels.  Kids could wear a little of each of the colors with jeans.  You get the idea!If this isn't you though, there is always the classic black shirt with khakis, black shirt and jeans, navy blue shirts with khakis, or light grey and light blue with classic jeans.  Stay away from logos; however, stripes (as long as not too busy) are ok! There’s lots of options, so if you’re stuck, just ask. I suggest not a lot of white, unless your family has dark hair or tanner skin.  White tends to wash faces out.

Portraits or Headshots:

I suggest not white unless you're wanting a dark dark background.  White tends to wash out color in the face.  Wearing colors that match your eyes, or contrast your hair color complete a nice photograph.

Seniors:

Anything works!  Big bright bold colors.  Sports attire. Letterman’s jackets.  Formal dresses.  School jackets.  Anything that shows your personality!  Props are fine too - like point shoes, instruments or footballs.  I do like to suggest that you bring a variety of clothes, formal and relaxed.  At least one solid colored shirt is a good idea as well.  Layers of clothing add texture and depth to your portraits.
Babies:

Nakie bodies are always a must of course.  Plain diapers are cute for newborn shots.  Solid colored onesies.  Little girls can wear puffy stuff.  Little boys you could dress up in a tie or nice shirts. Cuddly blankets and cute hats or headbands.  Make sure to rub lotion on your sweet little person before the shoot as well just to help their skin look its best.  Also bring something that can get the baby's attention or something they love to play with.

Toddlers and kids:

Avoid clothes that are too big.  If you are going to buy a new outfit just for the shoot, don't buy a "grow into" outfit.  For girls: tutus, skirts, colorful tights, vests, hats, dresses, colorful hair accessories always make it fun.  For boys: untucked button ups, jeans, layers, beanies, cowboy boots!  Stay away from big logos though.  Feel free to bring an outfit or two - something fun and spunky and something a little more classic.

Maternity:

Tight, form-fitting clothes will accentuate your curves, so don’t be afraid to wear them. Avoid heavy patterns, florals, plaids and checks.  Stick to solids and simple prints.  Bring props such as the ultrasound, baby shoes, ribbons (color of gender), blocks or letters that spell the gender, name of the baby, or just baby – but if you don’t have anything, don’t worry about it.

*Make sure to bring baby wipes for noses for the little ones

Always wear and bring chapstick!  Chapped lips look terrible in photos.

What do I expect?

Depending on the package you choose, your session will run anywhere from 1/2 hour to 2 hours.  This time will be spent walking, talking, and taking pictures at various different spots.  We will do a variety of photo takings to include family (if that's the session you picked) as well as single shots for your session.

The best time of day for lighting is generally in the late afternoon and early evening.  If this doesn’t fit your schedule, early morning is best also.  But let’s be honest, I can make anytime work!

You may bring outfit changes, for any session (even if there is a limit) – the reason for the limit is time sensitive; just know that the more outfits means the more time spent changing.

When taking photos for your newborn, I encourage the parents to make sure the baby has been fed and has NOT slept prior to the pictures.  This ensures your newborn will be nice and sleepy, which makes for a great photo session for your newborn.  Toddlers on the other hand, make sure they have slept and that they're well fed – bring snacks if needed!

After your session, I will let you know the time frame for editing your pictures and approximately when they will be ready.  A high resolution CD of all edited images will also be available for you to pick up or to have mailed.  From this CD you can upload pictures to blogs, facebook, email, etc.  I do ask that you give credit to Whitney Owen Photography for any photos that are on the web.

Payment needs to be made in full on or before the day of your photo session.  I accept cash or check.

What can I do?

Don’t tell your family you are doing a photo session!!  It just adds more stress, especially to the kids.  Just tell them you are going to go and hang out with your friend Whitney!  Don’t stress about clothing, or making everyone look perfect - color schemes are nice, but definitely not required, especially if it means keeping the kids happy.  If you feel like trying to bribe your kids into smiling, go for it.  Bring treats to our session, or favorite toys.  Do make sure that everyone has had good sleep (except for new born babies!), is well fed, and has gone to the bathroom!

Keep in mind that my style of photography is fun and relaxed, so you should come to your session feeling the same way.  This way you can get the best shots.

Also, families with smaller children need to remember 2 things: 

1. We will do “posed” shots in the beginning, but kids tend to get squirmy.  So a majority of our shots will be more free form and fun.
2. Look at the camera!  Often times parents will try to make their kids smile, and then forget to look at the camera themselves.  So remember to keep your face visible as you make your kids laugh.

Always, always remember to have fun and smile!