Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Family Portrait TTPs

-BLUF is that the focus should be on your faces and not on your clothes! The background will be a darker color, thus lighter and louder colors will catch the eye and detract from your beautiful faces. 

-Create a unified look with all who will be in the photo. Since the Service member will be in uniform, they are the color palette you are coordinating with. For example, if you are wearing Army green Class A’s: neutral colors, browns, dark blues or black colors coordinate well. You do not need to match and be identical, but again coordinate well. 

-Solids over patterns. Avoid loud prints and bold colors. Solid darker colors also have a slimming effect. In general, neutral solids (off-white, gray, charcoal, tan, brown, etc.) are better for all skin-types and coordinate with virtually anything. And again, choose darker shades over lighter ones.

-Avoid trendy clothes, makeup and hairdos that will unnecessarily date the photo. Conservative is better. Less is more in the makeup department. For makeup choose flatter, matte makeup versus anything glossy, shiny or glittery.

-Be well rested and as unstressed out as possible. Coordinate your clothes, hair, and day beforehand. Don’t rush around to get last minute haircuts and items just to stress yourself out. Give yourself ample time and energy to look rested and happy in your photo. For those with small children and infants, this is trickier. You either got to think after the nap or before the nap. You’ll have to gauge what is best for your family. Hopefully no one will cry or throw a tantrum too soon before the photo as skin gets reds and splotchy. If it does happen, try to give yourself as much time as possible before you take the photo.

-Darker skin tones need to be mindful of the background. If your clothes are too light, your face will blend in more with the background. Solid darker neutral shades are a good choice.
-Avoid excessive necklaces, earrings and other distracting jewelry. A little is fine, but huge diamond earrings will definitely get some attention and can create lens flare.

-White is okay, but believe it or not, off-white, gray or beige is slightly better for this shoot. If the background were lighter or all white, then wearing white would be fine. But for a darker background, too much white will wash out the face. Think  of the color white like a spice. Too much and you will notice.

-And one last note...DRINK WATER! Drink about a glass five minutes before the shoot. It's amazing how a little thing like hydration can make your skin look more supple, less gaunt, eyes whiter and make you more photo friendly in general. 


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