CLOTHING

Try to bring clothes in mostly solid colors, as they look best and hold up over time.

Bring a variety of Colors and Styles. Don’t bring 5 blue outfits, just because it is your favourite color. Spice it up a little!

Try to avoid bringing clothing with wording on it. A couple of pieces of clothing with wording on it, if it represents who you are, are ok. Clothing with your school logo on it is great!

Vary the formality of your clothes. Bring some formal clothing (suits and button-up long sleeved formal shirts), some casual clothing (jeans and t-shirts), and some stylin’ “in” clothes (the latest “in” clothes for guys that are dressier than jeans and t-shirts, such as cargo pants and nicer shirts). Bring some clothes you know your parents like, and clothes that you like but your parents don’t! (To give you the best variety in your photos, you have to give us a variety of clothing!)

Make sure you wear underwear that won’t show over the waist of your pants! It may be “in style,” but you don’t want to remember the underwear you wore that day 20 years from now.

Be sure to bring dark t-shirts to wear under dark shirts, and white t-shirts to wear under light shirts.

Bring matching shoes to go with each outfit. Boots, sneakers, dress shoes, sandals, etc. We shoot you from head to toe, so don’t bring old tennis shoes to go with your suit!

Plan each outfit out from head to toe! Think about layers (jackets, coats, hats, hoodies, etc). Some shots will be close up, and some will be full length. Try to come up with as much variety with each outfit as possible (e.g. wear a leather jacket with a cool short-sleeved top underneath, for shots both with and without the jacket).

Try to avoid sleeveless tops, as they do not flatter your arms in the photographs. Most people do not like to see their upper arms or shoulders in their photographs, as the sleeveless tops make your arms look larger and fatter. Cap sleeves, ¾ sleeves, and long sleeves work best.

Bring sweaters, jackets, turtlenecks, long-sleeved shirts, hoodies, etc. No one will know it was 100 degrees outside when you had these photos taken in studio, and it gives you some variety. Plus, these types of clothing can be very flattering and can help hide some of your flaws, putting the attention on your face.

Bring double the outfits than each style session recommends. Your session allows for 2 to 3 outfits. Bring 4 to 5 outfits for the session. Shannon has a good eye for style, and will help you pick out the most flattering outfit your each session style. (Note: for the senior styles recommending formal outfits, bring whatever formal outfits you own. We can go with a formal suit, or nice slacks and a button-up shirt, or a stylish long-sleeved shirt with pants.)

Group your outfits together ON HANGARS. Make sure the formal clothes are IRONED. Do NOT bring clothes in a suitcase. They’ll be ruined, and you won’t have time to steam or iron out the wrinkles. The wrinkles WILL show up in the photo. We recommend putting your accessories (belts, rings, socks, etc.) in plastic bags and hanging them on the hangar with your outfit, so you can easily find all your pieces and change into your outfits quickly.

There are time limits to each senior style session. If you change fast, you get more outfits and variety in each session. If you spend all day in the dressing room, you get much less.

Make sure you are clean-shaven for your session! We do not re-touch stubble. (And be careful with that pre-session shave; take your time to avoid cuts. If you cut yourself, let us know, and we’ll be sure to remove them from your photos.)

The best thing you can do to make your skin look its best is to get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and wash your skin with the appropriate cleansers in the week before your session.

Get a manicure and pedicure before your session, if possible. Both your hands and your bare feet will be showing in the photos, so make them look their best, too. (Not just girls get these. We don’t want your hands and feet looking totally gross in your session.)

Don’t worry if you have a break-out the day of the session! Every photo you purchase is retouched, including removing blemishes!

Don’t change your hairstyle or cut your hair just before your session. A slight trim and normal styling by your hair stylist if fine around a week before your session. Just remember that we want you to look like yourself, only enhanced, not someone you’re not on an everyday basis.

Bring hair spray, mousse, hair gel, or whatever you use to control those flyaway hairs!

If you wear glasses, we recommend you go to your local eyeglass store and either have them take the glass out of your frames for the session, or ask to borrow a pair of frames in a similar style to yours for the session. We want to be able to see your beautiful eyes, and nothing is worse than glasses glare!

If you choose to leave the glass in your frames for the session, we will have to charge you extra to digitally remove the glare from your glasses. Removing minor skin imperfections is included with your session, but removing reflections and glares in your glasses is not. We want you to look your best, so plan ahead for this important experience!

Tips for Guys