TIMEThe time I need to make a portrait varies a bit and depends on the circumstances such as the ages of the children. In any case, I am never in a hurry and take the time to make the most beautiful and pure and recognizable photos. By keeping calm, I usually manage to let a child be themselves as much as possible during the photo shoot, which sometimes means that I sing (sorry ;-) ), imitate all the animal sounds I know, chat about school, sports, music or other things that a child likes. In any case, I try to sense what makes a child happy and in this way relax during the photo shoot.
BLACK BACKGROUND
For a portrait session against a black background, it is nice to wear clothes in calm colours. Black is the most popular choice and is an excellent choice. You can vary a bit by choosing a knit in the form of a sweater or cardigan or a blouse with a nice collar or some lace details. This gives the photos a bit more depth. A turtleneck is also very nice, but make sure that there is no neck visible, so that the clothes really disappear against the background and the head seems to "float" a bit more. Another dark colour, e.g. grey/dark blue/dark red is also beautiful or e.g. a denim blouse for a bit more contrast with the background. You can also choose natural earthy colours, this also looks very nice against a black background. Think of natural, brown tones, warm ochre tones and terra/rust brown tones.
My experience is that plain clothing is the most beautiful, definitely without prints and large images or texts on the front. A subtle print can also be very beautiful, think of a stripe, dot, panther print or other nice print. A simple basic shirt or bare upper body is also really nice!
WHITE BACKGROUND
With the white background, natural light shades are very nice, e.g. white, cream, beige, brown, light blue or other grayed light shades. Woolly fabrics, knitted sweaters and vests are also always very nice. Also look at clothes with a nice collar, a blouse, vest, (collar) sweater or e.g. a top with lace can give that little bit extra to the end result.
Coordinate the clothing of family members.
GENERAL TIPS
Make sure the nails are neat. No leftover nail polish or dirty nails. Also check if your children have any stick-on tattoos or the like because this can be very distracting in the photos. Do not wear flashy jewelry, especially not around your neck or wrists.
During the report it is advisable to keep an eye on your children and make sure they don't have a runny nose or something. I try to pay attention to this myself of course but sometimes I don't see it from a distance.
If you have doubts about the clothing or would like to have both black and white portraits made, a change of clothing can always be done. You can also send me some photos via the app so that we can look together in advance at what is most beautiful.
Do NOT choose clothing with images or texts on shirts and neon shades because that will never look good in the photo. Even if the text or image is quite small, this can be annoying afterwards and this photoshopping is a lot of work and I have to charge for it because of the time that goes into this.
AGE
The age of the children and/or whether the children are willing to participate in the shoot will of course determine what is possible.
In principle, portraits are possible from the age at which a child can sit independently, preferably without support because then they can also sit upright.
SICK OR UNFIT?
If you (child) are not fit on the day of the shoot or have a rash on the face, please contact us so we can see if the shoot can be rescheduled. It would be a shame if the photos are not satisfactory because you see that your child is not himself that day.
TIME
In terms of time, when the weather is nicer and the days are longer (around April/May), I like to take pictures at the beginning of the evening. Between 7:00 PM and 8:30 PM the light is really beautiful and this gives such a nice extra to the photos. Highly recommended! Sometimes this time is not suitable for a family due to the ages of the children or work, then it can of course also be planned during the day or on a Saturday.
An outdoor report is recommended during any season, of course we live in the Netherlands and the weather can be bad on the day we have agreed on, but then rescheduling is no problem. Together we will simply set a new date.
For more information, please call, app or email me at 0622535203 or via cora@beersphotography.nl If you would like to schedule an appointment, click on the button below and fill in the form and I will contact you as soon as possible.
