Successful Sessions Start with Planning...

Scheduling your Session

• Choose a time that is best for you and your child's schedule. The best results come when children are rested and happy.
• If your child is sick on portrait day, reschedule. You'll be glad you did.
• If your child has a bump or scratch on their face on portrait day, you don't necessarily need to reschedule. Retouching services are available.
• If your child is sleeping when the photographer arrives. Please do not wake them. It takes some time for the photographer to set up their equipment. Often times, a baby that is awakened from a nap is not happy about it.

Clothing

• Clothing should be chosen to enhance the portrait. We want to draw attention to the face, rather than what the person is wearing.
• Try to avoid large prints or logos. Solid colors work best.
• When more than one person is in your portrait, try to coordinate clothing. Clothing with the same hue or the same look work best. (For example, denim jeans and white shirts on a family with the baby in a denim jumper dress with a while shirt underneath.)
• Dress all the way to footwear. Make sure you dress to your feet too! For children, it is not always necessary to buy coordinating shoes. Bare feet are cute too.
• A great tip for adults... dark clothing gives the appearance of being smaller while light colored clothing gives the appearance of being larger.
• Also for adults, and formal children's portraits, long sleeved shirts work better than short sleeves.

Props

• Marchand Studio does not supply props and we rarely encourage them.
• Props often distract the viewers attention from the person in the portrait.
• Props, when used properly, should be personal and enhance your portrait. If your child has a special toy or a small stuffed bear, we'd be happy to include it in the image.