We like to take a casual and relaxed approach to our portraits. Even more formal portraits look best when the clients are relaxed and having fun. Here are some simple guidelines for achieving the best results from your session with Hawaiianpix.
Clothing
As in life, people are more comfortable in natural fabrics. Cottons and light weight apparel work best for portraits. When the client is comfortable, the pictures reflect their state of mind, producing the best results.
Cotton shirts, shorts, slacks or dresses that are well fitted. Not too tight or too loose.
Colors are very important, you DO NOT want your clothes to compete with you as the main subject.
- Neutrals like White, Black, Khaki, Grey and even some light pastels work best.
Blue Jeans not cutoffs, "distressed" or brand new, well worn, comfortable and able to be rolled up if you are at the beach. Dockers pants or shorts.
- Prints, Stripes and Floral print shirts even the nice ones are fine for business attire but do not work for family or couple portraits. They are too competitive with others in your portrait and are not recommended. Solids.. Solids... Solids. These work best with the Hawaiian Scenery in any location and present a clean bold front to your portrait. The key here is to tie everyone together. Everyone should be in a common thread color. A neutral. If you use a Blue, Green, Red or some other color, be sure that there are accents of the same hue in multiple people in a group shot. This will help to create a cohesive appearance for your group or even as a couple.
- Shoes should be appropriate for the setting, slippers ( filp flops ) are fine for the beach. You will likely be barefoot before the end of the session and shoes just don't work at the beach. Shoes however, are preferred in park or garden settings. Again everyone in a group needs to be on the same page. Don't mix slippers with formal shoes.
- Accessories, rings, necklaces, ear rings, nose rings and other piercings need to be appropriate for the setting.
PROPS & Being Beautiful
- Mirrors, brushes, combs, hairspray and hair accessories are encouraged. If you have long hair, bring something to tie your hair up with in case it gets windy. If it is up already, be prepared to let it down. Baseball caps and other hats are generally not a good idea, unless you are actually a baseball team.
- Sunglasses are fun if everyone has them. If you use Transition Style lenses in your prescription glasses, consider wearing contacts if you have them. If not, bring your case to keep your eyeglasses in while we shoot. Allow 10 minutes before shooting for the little red nose piece marks on your nose to disappear before the session.
- Beach gear, pails, shovels, blankets, umbrellas, etc. or Picnic gear if we are in a park or garden setting are just fine.
- Fresh cut flowers or leis work great to perpetuate the Hawaiian theme. Haku leis are a fantastic prop for women with long hair.
- Personal props, if you are into surfing and want a portrait in your surf wear, with your board, great. If you are into reading, sitting on the beach with a bottle of wine and a beach chair, great. Tell us how you would like to customize your portrait session and we will work with you on location and time of day needs for the best light to set the mood.
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