A Successful Portrait

If your family is getting together soon it may be just the right time to create that family portrait that you have always wanted. With our creative attention to detail, technical skills and ability to make you feel relaxed we can capture the spirit of your family in a beautiful custom portrait that you can enjoy all year round.

We pride ourselves in the ability to create portraits that are unique to each family and are as individual as the subjects we photograph. Each portrait takes careful planning and what you wear to the session is very important in the creation of a memorable portrait. Below are some wardrobe suggestions that will both enhance and bring unity to your portrait.

  • Avoid patterns, very simple garments always photograph best
  • V-necks can be flattering, but they must not be exaggerated in style. Avoid very wide or particularly deep V-neck garments and shirts that completely hide the neck.
  • Long sleeves can be a good idea as bare arms can sometimes draw attention and overpower the face.
  • If feet are to show in the portrait, remember to coordinate your shoes with your outfit.
  • Men should have their hair cut about one week before the portrait session. Women should come with their hair styled the way they like it or we can have a hair and makeup artist on set.

Skin Tone Considerations

Whether working with light or dark complexions, the objective always is for the face to dominate the portrait. Accordingly, skin highlights must be the lightest, brightest, most intense areas of the portrait. So it is best that you wear darker tone shirts so that the skin tone will appear brighter than everything else.

Clothing For Small Groups

Couples or small groups should choose simple garments within the same tonal ranges and avoid patterns, keeping in mind how the clothing and background selection will affect the stylistic intention of the portrait.

Clothing For Families

In a family group, proper clothing coordination is critical. When decorating a home, a major concern is to coordinate the colors and tones of the walls, carpets, drapes, and furniture. Similar coordination is necessary when selecting clothing for a group portrait. Choose clothing in the same tonal ranges so that no single member of the family stands out because the clothing is too light , bright or a busy pattern as compared to the rest of the group. Light-colored clothing is appropriate against a white or pastel background.

Clothing For Individuals

The goal of any fine portrait is to direct the viewer’s eye to the face(s) in the portrait. All other elements should be secondary. For individuals, simple long-sleeved garments in medium to dark tones of brown, rust, burgundy, green, black or blue are pleasing choices when photographed against a medium or dark background.

  • Because darker clothing is slimming, it often is a good choice for full-length or three-quarter-length portraits in which a medium to dark background is used.
  • Bold stripes, plaids, checks, and prints are visually confusing and do not photograph well.
  • Bright colors, such as red and orange, will overwhelm the face and ruin a portrait.
  • Bare shoulders or tops with “spaghetti straps” can sometimes make the subject look heavier and take the eye away from the face.

Careful clothing selection makes the difference between a portrait that appears to be unrelated individuals and one in which every member of the family “belongs” to the group. The properly coordinated wardrobe choice will unify the family and make for a truly memorable portrait.

Designing your portrait for Impact

The placement of portraits in relation to the room’s furnishings is critical when their purpose is to create a dramatic decorative focal point. Whether the artwork is the central component of a room concept or an isolated accessory, all of the elements of design—color, style, composition, and size—must work together to complete the decorative statement.

Selecting A Style

The decorative intent of the room in which you plan to display portraiture will set the design tone for the portrait and help in your selection of clothing and setting.

Achieving Color Harmony

The portrait’s overall color theme should blend with or complement the room’s color palette. Carefully chosen clothing and background elements can add richness to the room’s color scheme.

Determining Size

An appropriately sized portrait is one that dominates the space in which it is hung, but does not appear to crowd that space. When planning an individual portrait or a collection of images to be hung together, be sure to establish whether the space lends itself better to a vertical or horizontal composition.

Choosing The Framing

Truly the “finishing touch” of portraiture, framing must be both complementary to the image—so as not to distract the viewer’s attention from the subject matter—and an appropriate accent for the room’s furnishings.

Designing With Creativity

Today’s portrait photographers possess a wealth of artistic techniques that range from softening edges and adding text to creating photographic watercolors and color-tinted images. With each new technique comes a new opportunity for decorative creativity
Set up your free consultation so that we can explore and plan the creative possibilities for your portrait sitting. Once your artwork is on display it should be both a tasteful reflection of your decorating style and a tribute to your loved ones!

Preserve your family memories today!

Call our studio today at (732)797-0377 for more information about how you can set up your portrait sitting.