The LOOK!! Senior Portrait Tips...Part One: Ladies

Hey ladies!!  I'm so excited for Senior Portraits this year and wanted to give a few tips and tricks with your hair, make up, wardrobe, and more to help make your portraits fabulous!  This is an amazing time in your life and one that should be captured and looked back on with excitement and joy!  This is a great time to showcase who YOU are.  What your style is, what you are passionate about, what makes you YOU!  These are pictures you will (and your kids will) look at years down the road...what do you want them to say about you? 

I've put together some tips and pics to help you get the look you want.  I'm a photographer and I also am a presenter for a naturally-based cosmetics company called Younique.  So in this post I have included images that have Younique colors, as it's what I know and love and feel comfortable recommending to my awesome clients.  I've put together some helpful techniques and looks that photograph well.  Here are my tips to help you create a timeless, classic, beautiful series of portraits to enjoy for generations!


Hair

- Be you.  It's easy to get excited about jazzy hair styles, or fun trendy do's, but if it isn't the real you, it won't ring true.  Avoid dramatic style or color changes just before your pictures.
- Long hair: let the locks flow!  Tame it with some soft waves and a pomade to keep down fly-aways, but let that beautiful mane frame your face and add texture and movement to your images.  Bring a couple of clips, headbands, or rubber bands to easily pull part of it back for a slight style change to add variety to your images.
- Medium hair:  style it as you do every day, or if you want to spice it up a bit, curl it, give it some waves, or pull part of it back.  Just make sure it's a style you feel comfortable with and love!  Tame fly-aways with a light pomade, but don't over-do the hairspray!  You may not have super long locks, but the movement and texture of your hair softens your portraits and creates a classic, elegant look.
- Short hair:  Short hair has SO much personality!  Let it shine!!  Style it as you normally do, but bring a few bobby pins or headbands to give a little variety through your shoot!


Make up

- Keep your make up natural looking and classic.  Color is great, just make sure you are choosing colors that compliment your skin tones and enhance YOUR beauty! 
- Have a good foundation that matches your skin tone - look at it in natural light to determine if you have a good match.  Blend it past the jawline to avoid harsh make up lines.  Don't stress!  I take care of blemishes and lightly smooth the skin in post processing, so don't overdo the concealer or cake on the foundation. 
- Your eyes tell the story in your portraits.  Choose eye shadows that compliment and enhance your eye color and shape.  Go easy on the eyeliner - we want to notice your eyes, not the lines around them. 

- Fake lashes are a popular trend, but one that can be messy and a nuisance during a shoot, especially if you aren't experienced with them.  If you want an eyelash boost, Younique makes an awesome 3D Fiber Lash mascara that is a great alternative to using fake lashes and gives beautiful results that look natural and are much safer and easier to work with (goes on like mascara - no glues).

- When choosing your make up, think about the outfits you will be wearing - what will compliment your eyes and also look amazing with your outfit?  It all works together!

- Lips - conditioned lips are a must!  You don't want chapped, cracked, wrinkly lips, so make sure you are using a good lip gloss daily (not just day of!) to keep your lips looking great!  Choose a color that compliments your other make up choices and is YOU! 

What to Wear

- The most important thing when choosing your wardrobe is that you choose something that is YOU, you feel comfortable in, and you feel beautiful wearing!  It's easy to get caught up in trends, but make sure that it's an outfit you would normally wear, otherwise when you see your images, something will be off for you, and we don't want that. :-)

- Avoid colors in your clothing that reflect onto your skin such as neons.  If you aren't sure, go with the gemstones.  Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Topaz, etc - these colors always look great and compliment skin tones.

- Layers!  An outfit can be more than jeans and a shirt - add a jacket, a vest, a cardigan.  Creating layers gives texture and depth in your images...and just looks awesome!

- Finish it off - polish your look with a belt and add some fun with accessories such as colorful shoes, a flowy scarf, a cute hat, necklaces, earrings, sunglasses, etc.  There are lots of fun options to help show off your personality!

- Nails - don't forget your nails!  They don't have to be polished, but make sure they are clean and trimmed.  Use lotion on your hands before your shoot to help soften and smooth. :-)

Bring a Friend

Sometimes it's easier to relax in front of the camera when you have someone to joke around with and talk to.  So bring your best friend!  They can help calm the nerves and make you giggle which gives us a more natural smile and beautiful shots!


Have FUN

This is YOUR time!!  Enjoy it!!  Be you.  Not all portraits require a smile.  We all have a serious side and that's beautiful, too.  Show off your expressions.  ALL of them!  Laugh.  Smile.  Be serious.  Smile with your eyes.  Show us your style!  And have fun!!