Photoshoot Tips

Tips


BE ON TIME: We typically plan your start time based on sunset time. If you are late, it cuts into the sunlight we have available! No one wants dark photos, so arriving on time will ensure we have gorgeous light to work with for your whole shoot! :) 


BRINGING THE DOG: I adore ALL the cute pups, so naturally, I LOVE it when you bring them along! The best way to include them is to have someone else bring your dog during the last 15 minutes of your session, or choose a session location that is less than 5 minutes away from your home. Contact me so we can work out the details!


CLEAN THE RING (for engagement & weddings): Your ring will be a focal point of your photos, and I'd love to grab a few up close shots of just your ring while you change outfits! Cleaning it will ensure it's nice and sparkly for photos!


EMPTY YOUR POCKETS: Especially for guys, make sure you don't have anything in your pockets! I am more than happy to store phones and keys in my bag, or ladies, you can bring along a little purse to keep everything in. 


RELAX! You don’t have to be a pro at this! I’m going to help you along the way and it’s going to be a blast! I don't expect anything from you. Enjoy this time together and make a date out of it! Plan dinner afterwards and celebrate!!


GET YOUR NAILS DONE: Make sure your nails are freshly painted, or spoil yourself with a trip to the salon! Chipped nails will be noticeable in your photos. Neutral colors and pastels photograph beautifully and will match any outfit!


BRING COMFY SHOES: If you're wearing heels, bring a pair of flip flops or comfortable shoes to walk from spot to spot. Your feet will thank me later!

Picking Outfits


HOW MANY OUTFITS? Most often, my couples like to have one casual, everyday outfit (think: date night) and then one outfit that is dressier! This will give your shoot two totally different “looks.” I recommend beginning with the dressy outfit first!


PROFESSIONAL HAIR & MAKEUP: Ladies, I highly recommend doing your hair and makeup trial right before your engagement session! This will not only ease the stress of you having to do it yourself, but you'll get to see how the hair and makeup you want for your big day will actually LOOK in photos. It also gives you a way to use the trial for your session! Win, win!


CHOOSING COLORS: When choosing colors for your outfits, I recommend selecting lighter tones and more muted shades. By avoiding ultra-bright, bold colors, it will help bring all the attention to your faces and let the eye focus on the way you feel about each other. Soft pinks, muted blues, and light neutrals like heather gray, creams, leather brown and white all work wonderfully.


SKIP CASUAL CLOTHES: I know flip flops and graphics tees are *perfect* for everyday wear, but especially for the guys, long pants and closed toe shoes look most masculine and photograph wonderfully! Trust me, it's just for one hour... then you can go back to your most comfortable attire. Instead...


DRESS IT UP: Have you ever wanted to rock a sequin dress, or a long flowy maxi dress? Maybe you've dreamed of wearing a floral crown, or wearing a tulle skirt. THIS is your chance! Ladies, especially for your dressy outfit, I typically recommend a long, flowy A line dress that cinches at the waist. This is typically most flattering on most body types! For the guys, opt for a suit or nice pants and a suit jacket with a button down for your fancy outfit. 


FLATTER YOUR FEATURES: Ladies, keep in mind which features you want to flatter and which features you want to hide when picking outfits! For example, if you want to hide your arms, choose a top with sleeves and skip the spaghetti straps. If you want to minimize your bust, choose a dress with a higher neckline and skip the strapless dress. If you opt for a low cut dress, it will minimize the amount of angles I can shoot! 


SKIP THE SPRAY TAN: Even though it seems counter intuitive, I highly recommend skipping a spray tan altogether, even if it's a few days out from your session. Spray tans tend to photograph more orange than they appear and will make you appear more orange than tan!


Picking a Photo Location

When picking a location, make sure to find something that has the "look" you are going for! Look up the different locations or ask me to send you some examples of photos taken at that location! Here is a list I've compiled of some of my favorite locations for photo sessions! I love these spots in particular because I'm able to provide photos that are super consistent with what you see on my website and blog, and also provide a huge variety in backgrounds for you! If a location you're considering is not on this list, feel free to reach out to ask about it - chances are I've never photographed there, or if I have, it's one I can't provide a good variety of spots at! Of course, I always encourage you to pick locations that have meaning to you as well. If there's a spot that is especially meaningful and would love to incorporate it, let's chat!!


Here is a list of some of my FAVE San Diego locations:

  • Balboa Park
  • Presidio Park
  • Old Town
  • Star Park Coronado Neighborhoods
  • Marian Bear Park
  • Mission Trails (Santee)
  • Ramona Grasslands (travel fee)
  • Lake Cuyamaca // Mt. Laguna (travel fee)
  • Scripps Pier
  • Honeysprings (Jamul)
  • Sweetwater Bridge (Rancho San Diego)
  • Downtown rooftop
  • Summers Past (limited availability and photography fee)
  • Flinn Springs (parking fee)

Online Gallery


DOWNLOADING YOUR GALLERY

When downloading your photos, I recommend downloading the ENTIRE gallery all at once, so you immediately have a copy of all your images! After downloading your gallery, be sure to save it to multiple places. You can also download individual images as you want them! 


ACCESSING YOUR PHOTOS ON YOUR PHONE

The online gallery system that I use is mobile friendly! To access, just go to your phone’s web browser and navigate to your gallery’s webpage link. It work seamlessly and just like it would on a computer! As of this time, you cannot download your photos from your phone to your photos, but please DO NOT screenshot photos as it makes the photos lose their quality.


ORDERING PRINTS

You are more than welcome to print images on your own on high quality print labs or on simpler labs such as Shutterfly. However, I would warn you to avoid Walmart, Target and Costco. I cannot promise that your colors will print true-to-life if you choose to print at those stores! Make sure to de-select "enhance auto colors" on these websites and sites like Shutterfly.


GALLERY EXPIRATION

Your gallery is guaranteed to remain open for six months after your session date. Therefore, I highly recommend backing up your images in more than one place, on multiple devices, flash drives, hard drives, and even in online cloud storage systems like Dropbox or iCloud. You can't have enough copies!


SHARING YOUR IMAGES

You are completely free to share your images wherever you would like! Whether it's on social media, printing them for your home, or sending to your friends, share away! I want you to treat your images like they're yours. Just keep in mind not to add filters or re-edit them in any way (cropping is totally okay!) Watermarking is not necessary, but a photo credit is always appreciated! Feel free to share your gallery link with your friends and family!


Love this information? Check out Photography Educator Stephanie Kase at:https://stephaniekase.com/resources