Today we are talking about time of day and wardrobe and why they are so important for your photo session. At the end of the day I want you to love your photos for years to come and the guidelines below are here to help us achieve that!
1. Time of Day – Outdoor Session
Don’t be surprised if when you book a session with me, I suggest an earlier (or later) time than you’d want for an outdoor session. During the summer, this is due to it being a cooler part of the day, but more importantly the light is more ideal. Trust me, you’ll be happy with the end result if you don’t have harsh shadows on, or sweat dripping down your face. The lower the sun is in the sky, the softer the light is. And finding a spot where the sun is behind you, offers even light for you. I’ll never have the sun shining right into your eyes. Because who wants that anyway?!
2. Time of Day – Indoor Session
If we are doing an indoor lifestyle or newborn session, I often ask you what time of day you get the best light in the rooms of your home where we will shoot. Typically I suggest mid to late morning. We don’t necessarily want direct sunlight shining through the windows. Once the sun has gotten high enough in the sky not to shine directly in, it is high enough that it is still providing lots of bright, diffused light in your home; this is ideal. Since I primarily use natural light for my sessions, I ask you to turn off all lamps and overhead lights and open up the shades in the rooms we will be using. This allows us to soak up as much of the natural light as possible.
3. Wardrobe
My welcome guide includes some style boards to help give you some wardrobe ideas and I also send links to my Pinterest boards with other outfit ideas for the time of year. What is most important is that you are comfortable and that you are wearing something that will bring you joy when you look at your images in years to come. I suggest incorporating some light colors because what you wear can bounce light. So a light shirt can bounce light back up on your face. Conversely a neon green shirt could bounce green light onto your face, which might not be ideal. In the spring and summer neutrals like khaki, grays, whites and pinks, blues, greens and yellows always photograph well. Patterns can be great too, though preferably on one, maybe two (if it is a 4 person family) so that it doesn’t get distracting. There is no need for everyone to match, but colors that go well together will photograph well too! This could also be the perfect opportunity to rent a fun dress from Rent the Runway just to take it up a notch!
4. Bonus – What to do when the room appears too dark
Sometimes a room might seem super dark when we are taking a photo, but you’d be amazed at what post-editing can do! It is always preferable to have enough natural light, so the first step is to open up any doors or windows that might bring in more natural light. However, when there just isn’t quite enough light, I have a few in-camera tricks. This involves increasing ISO and opening up the aperture with as low of a shutter speed without blurring the image. A higher ISO can cause more graininess in an image, but many prefer this “moodier” look. It sets the tone and often especially looks good in black and white. In post-processing, increasing exposure and reducing shadows are two ways to brighten an image. Check out the before and afters on the below indoor photo:
I hope you learned something today, friends! Let me know below what you thought!
©Katherine Jianas Photography
Lifestyle newborn, motherhood, family, children, senior & personal branding photographer serving the Atlanta area. For more information, please click here to contact me or email me directly at Katherine.Jianas@gmail.com.
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