It’s happening!

You have a portrait photography session booked for one of the most important moments of your life; possibly your engagement or senior photographs The perfect shot is going to be sent out to everyone and it must be perfect. There’s no room for error when it comes to capturing a moment such as this. But then you think back to all the bad portrait shots you’ve seen online and swore it would never happen to you.

All too common mistakes in portrait photography that I see as a San Antonio Portrait Photographer is that people get so caught up in the environment, they forget the little things that make the shot incredible. The perfect backdrop can only do so much if the people in the photo don’t look their best. Here are just a few tips that are simple enough to follow that better your chances at having the right shot taken, the first time.

1. Choose your colors carefully. Red makes your face red. It adds unnecessary red into the whole environment of the shot. If your skin has naturally rosy tones, maybe skip the red and wear blue. What’s your background going to be? Avoid wearing the same color as the background. Try and be sure the colors you pick to wear are the most complimentary.
2. Stay away from patterns. Patterns may be great and all but they can easily clash with things in the background or any other person in the shot with you, if they wear a pattern too. There’s always the rule of stripes that vertical lines are slimming and horizontal lines are widening but unless you know you are shooting against a solid background, maybe avoid stripes too.
3. Less is more when it comes to makeup and accessories. Unless this is a shoot for your rock band, less it always more. This session is to be a moment, frozen in time, you want to look as natural as you can. Dress yourself up, absolutely, but don’t detract from the star of the shot, you! Reflect your lifestyle with taste. Some thoughts on clothing decisions.
4. Relax. Yes, it’s unnerving, having your photo taken and it makes even the more confident of us squirm at times. But you’ll like the result a lot more if you relax and enjoy the process. You’re in the hands of a professional so go with it. Their job, my job, is to make you look good. Here are a few ideas for relaxed posing from my Pinterest Board.

These are just a few ideas to help your portrait photography session go smoothly. If you ever have any questions, I’m always around to help you make the right choices so that your shots come out being photos you’re proud to share and when you look back, you’ll remember how much fun you had.