Tom Kenfield Photography  262.914.1448

 

Don’t’ freak! Read on!

CLOTHING

When choosing your outfits make sure to bring something your mom loves even if you don’t.  After all, she’s probably the one footing the bill so let’s make mom happy!

Choose outfits that work with your style and personality. For a more formal portrait choose a solid sweater, dress or blouse.

The number one rule with your clothes…..make sure you don’t stuff them in a bag!!!! Photoshop does not have an iron tool and wrinkle removal is an extensive edit that incurs an additional charge. Make sure and HANG your clothes!!! It is super easy to put your outfits all together in a group of hangers that way you don’t have to fret about remembering what pants go with what top. And, no wrinkles! Make sure and iron your wrinkles out before you come because, unless you are willing to pay a ton of money for me to do it in photoshop, I won’t photograph anything with wrinkles. It makes you look sloppy!

As far as colors of clothing….choose colors you love. Solid colors work best. Anything with a graphic or bold pattern will be distracting and we won’t be able to pay attention to your beautiful smile! Avoid horizontal stripes if you can as they make you look heavier. Spaghetti straps are also something you should avoid. The skinny straps make you and your arms look much heavier. If you are a voluptuous young woman, tank tops are usually not a good idea.

MAKE SURE YOUR CLOTHES FIT!!! Check for muffin tops and gaps. Clothing that is too baggy will make you look heavier that you are. Skin tight clothing can make you look a little on the trampy side. Wear clothing that fits!

If you want to try a whiteout or blackout session you should bring a long sleeve plain top. White for whiteout and black for blackout.

Bring a variety of clothes. Dark jeans work well with pretty much any top but don’t forget your favorite ripped jeans, cute top, dress or cute jacket. Your photos are meant to be about you! I just want you to look the best you possibly can!

Don’t forget your prom dress! You paid enough for it, you should have pictures with it. We can take it outside and play around with some urban settings or just rock it with natural beauty!

If you are involved in sports and would like to have photographs with your equipment go ahead and bring it! Make sure to bring your jerseys as well. Please let me know via the pre-session questionnaire what props you will be bringing so I can plan accordingly.

SHOES and ACCESSORIES

Shoes and accessories can MAKE an outfit! Make sure your shoes are clean and in good repair. High heels are KILLER with senior portraits! Flip flops tend to look sloppy and overly casual but bring some if you want. Please try and avoid brand new white athletic shoes. They look like neon lights on your feet.

Hats and scarves can be a ton of fun in your session so feel free to bring them along.
Slipping your coordinating jewelry into individual Ziploc bags helps keep you organized during your session. Plus, you can slip the bag over the hanger your outfit is on!

UNDERGARMENTS

Yes, this is VERY important!

BRAS: Make sure you have your strapless bra if wearing a strapless top. The absolute best color in a bra is beige or nude. Boring yes, but it means your bra won’t show under your clothing at all! There is nothing worse than an adorable outfit with the wrong bra!

PANTIES: Beige again is best. Check all of your outfits with the undies you plan on wearing to make sure you don’t suffer from a visible panty line.

CAMI: Yes, having one is very helpful….it makes changing outfits outdoors a breeze. Also, camis can help make you feel less self-conscious in a low cut top.

HAIR
Don’t try a new hairstyle the day before your session! We do not want you to look back later and wonder why you changed your hairstyle the day before your session!

Make sure that if you color or highlight your hair that you’ve done so recently and you don’t have a visible outgrowth.

Usually having your hair cut and colored about a week before you session makes you look fresh but not TOO fresh.

Hair accessories such as barrettes and headbands are very trendy right now. Bringing a few of these items with you is a great idea and can really help change your look and give you more of a variety in your poses.

BODY HAIR

BROWS: Make sure and pluck your brows the morning of your session. If you normally wax try to do so about a week before your session. Any earlier and you run the risk of breakouts and redness. If you do wax, make sure and do a touch up pluck the morning of your session. A pair of well groomed brows can make or break a photo!

UPPER LIP and CHIN: Yes, it sucks but some folks have a little extra hair on the upper lip or chin. Waxing and plucking are great ways to take care of these stray hairs. Sometimes a facial bleach can be used to minimize the appearance of the upper lip shadow.

STRAY HAIRS: Pluck, pluck, pluck! Make sure no stray hairs are on your face or neck. Check your nose as well!

LEGS: Shave, wax or nair. If you wax, do so a day or so before your session to avoid redness.

ARMPITS: Shave or nair the morning of your session. If you wax, do so a day or so before your session to avoid redness.

HANDS AND FEET

HANDS: Your hands WILL show and will likely be very prominent in many of your photographs. Make sure your nails are neatly trimmed and polish is not chipped. You do not need to get acrylic nails for your session but neatly manicured nails will make your portraits lovlier. Any discount store will also have the temporary fake nails for around $5. Feel free to invest in a set….just bring your glue to your session! They really do look great for their price.

FEET: You will probably be showing your feet. Make sure your toes are trimmed nicely. A pedicure is a great treat for yourself but if you don’t want the expense have neatly polished or bare toes.

TEETH: Brush them! Floss them! Please avoid eating stuff that will get stuck in your teeth for the duration of your session. You do not need to whiten them as I can do that easily for you and it is part of your retouching. However, if you want to….go for it! If you have braces they can be digitally removed for a small charge ($5 an image).

MOISTURIZE and EXFOLIATE

You want dewy glowing skin. Take time to put moisturizer on the morning of your session. Make sure to pay special attention to your elbows and heels as these are notoriously dry spots. Dry flaky skin is miserable to retouch and you may be subject to an additional charge for an extensive retouch. Exfoliating the day prior to a session can make your skin flake free and fresh. Sugar scrubs with an oil are especially pleasant. Mix sugar and baby oil until you have the consistency of wet sand for an at home treat. Apply in the shower and enjoy! Just be careful, the oil makes the shower floor really slippery!

MAKEUP

Makeup is probably one of the most important things you need to do to prepare.

FOUNDATION: This is one of the most important things you need to do for your makeup. Make sure you apply it freshly before your session. If you don’t normally wear foundation, do so or try a tinted facial moisturizer. This serves to even out your skin tone and makes you look more polished. Set with a matte powder. This will help control shine as well. Make sure you do not have a line on your chin!

CONCEALER: Please don’t cake this on blemishes or under your eyes. It makes it much harder to remove these problem areas.

Blush is a great addition to a complete face. A little on the apples of your cheeks can make you look fresh and perky.

MASCARA: Mascara is oh so important. Your lashes frame your eyes and we want those frames to be as beautiful as possible. Try and avoid cakey, clumpy lashes. Waterproof mascara is a great option as some people have issues with eye watering during outdoor sessions. False lashes are also another great trick to plump your lashes and make your eyes sparkle!

EYESHADOW : Keep it subtle. We want to see you not your makeup. If you want to do a smoky eye for some photos, please bring makeup and apply it at your session.

LIPS: Lipgloss is a necessity. It makes your lips dewy and lovely. Lipstick can look heavier on teens so be cautious with your choices.
Bring your makeup with you to your session so you can do any touchups necessary and reapply gloss.

Even if you do not normally wear makeup please try a foundation or tinted moisturizer, mascara and lip gloss. It will add just the right amount of pop to your look!

TANNING

Take it easy there! You don’t want to look orange and scary. Less is more when it comes to tanning. Plus, it is REALLY bad for you! Try a spray on tan like a mystic tan or plan ahead and use a lotion with a built in gradual tanner.

Phew, you made it! Is your head swimming? I bet it is.   If you want to add hair and makeup to a session you can do that for a small fee and I will hire a makeup artist/hairdresser to come and prep you for your session!

So, relax, you are going to look beautiful, you are going to have fun and you are going to have the senior portraits of your dreams!!!