Fall 2018 - What to Wear and What to Expect
It's October! Fall is here!
I am so excited for this years location. I've been able to use to same amazing trail for several years and I wanted to try another location for this year. Kate went to work scouting different places near Fort Belvoir and found our location. A beautiful brick bridge on a trail and still close to Fort Belvoir! For the past few months, I've been able to shoot several sessions at what we are simply calling 'the bridge'.
Check out the amazing portraits from the bridge!
Wondering what to wear?
What should the kids wear?
This years "IN" colors: Muted Lavender, Deep tones of Hunter Green, Plum, and Maroon provide amazing accent colors.
Gold/Mustard/Camel - these 3 colors are similar, but only pick one if you want a color in a 'fall yellow'.
Navy, Muted Blue, and a Slate Grey Blue are easy colors to find for larger pieces like shirts or pants.
Neutral tones of Ivory, Tan/Khaki, and Chocolate Brown are great to tie things in...especially when selecting your shoes!
I went to a store (I bet you can guess which one) and walked around for an hour... I grabbed full outfits and shoes for the whole family with extra options. I also did a "what not to wear" and "don't mix patterns" segment.
Please take a peak at this video to see for yourself!
PORTRAITS FOR YOUR HOME Top priority aside from wanting to personally look great, is to make sure the portraits will look great hanging in your home! I stress this every single year.... but you're more likely to hang portraits that will look good within your home. Keep your home and fall colors in mind when you pick the colors you plan to shop for. This year I'm personally looking for a wall worthy family picture to hang in my dining room. I bought this amazing large wood frame and it's a dark walnut. My dining room colors consist of yellow, navy, dark brown, white, and deep reds. So to coordinate - here's a picture of what my family will be wearing. My oldest daughter will have a mustard yellow cardigan on hand just in case the weather is chilly, and everyone else should be good for different weather!
Both Kate and I love to help clients look their best for their sessions. Please email or Facebook message us a lay flat or video of your outfits. We will provide feedback and any suggestions we may have. Jeni also has a few things, especially for little girls, that if you're stuck on a piece you can borrow. We offer this free of charge because we want your session to feel complete. (Did you know some photographers charge $100 plus for this service!?)
Something else I want to mention is accessories. These are the icing on the outfit cake. Shoes, jewelry, hair bow size for little girls, and having something planed and on hand for a possible chilly day.
SHOES: Gym shoes, both on children and adults, are not fitting for portraits. I feel like that is basically all I need to say about that. So many times I've had perfectly dressed clients only to have to crop the portrait at the knee. And that is by the clients request after they see a final edited image and realize how bad the shoes looked at their session. A simple solution is to get an easy pair of slip on boat shoe, or kids can go barefoot!
JEWELRY: Simple is great. Big is great. BUT.... if you have a little one (typically 6 months to 2 years old) that you will be holding, please skip a necklace. It's hard for my funny, jumping, hooting, and hollering antics to grab the attention of a little one when that easy to grab right there necklace is so pretty, shiny...and tasty! Come on...you know they are going to eat it, haha!
HAIR BOWS: A current trend I've seen are some bigger bows. Sometimes they are a bit too big and they look overtaking of a little girls head and hair. Now I know it's super cute, but this is a trend that will go down soon, and a big bow will date your picture vs keeping it timeless. When in doubt size down- or ask Jeni. Also think of a hairstyle that we can do a couple pictures with a bow in and then take the bow out. (Thanks JoJo! If you have a little girl...you know who she is! lol)
CHILLY DAY: The end of October and very beginning of November are yo-yo weather days. Most days are gorgeous. But I've sweated at sessions and I've froze at sessions! Please have a planned sweater, cardigan, or dress jacket ready for use depending on your session days exact weather.
WHAT TO EXPECT
All the paperwork for your session is automated, so look for a few emails from Kate. All the automations are based on you having completed paperwork, so if your paperwork is not complete, the location email will not be sent. The emails will contain all of the parking and location information.
At your session please make sure to arrive early, it will take roughly 5 minutes to get out of the car and walk down the path to Jeni. So if your session time is at 4pm please plan on getting to the location at 3:50 or so to allow your self time to get to Jeni on time. Fall sessions are booked and there is not time for make ups if you are late.
The session is 10 minutes, Jeni works efficiently to capture your family in a few relaxed poses. Encourage listening ears during the session (bribes, we are talking bribes AFTER the session, not in between smiles. I will start with family, that is the main shot I am aiming to get. Then I will do the children together (if you have multiple), then individual children (so now the kids are done), then I will do mom and dad- since I only need a few shutter clicks since adults can look and smile (bribes can apply for husbands haha). If there is more time (everyone behaves) I will utilize your full 10 minutes, but my main goal is to get one wall worthy picture of each- family, children together, child (individuals), and parents.
Rain dates: I've held some time for rain dates. I will not be using these for extra sessions or 'something came up' session dates/times. I am completely booked with 50 fall sessions over 4 dates. Kate and I watch the weather like hawks when we are approaching session dates. We will make a call NO FURTHER than 48 hours in advance of your session. Please make sure you to check your email/text from us if the weather looks suspect.
Turn Around Time: With 50 fall sessions, plus normal milestone and newborn sessions, editing time can fall into the longer end of the 14-21 day window. I understand that you are looking to get your holiday cards printed and mailed out, but please be patient. Your Pixieset gallery will be emailed to you, so please make sure to keep an eye in your spam and promotions folder.
I am so excited to utilize the bridge for fall sessions! The colors are going to be just gorgeous there.
