I am an avid reader. I mean, I absolutely love books. Each morning I start the day walking my dog and listening to a business book on audible.com. Each night, before I go to sleep, I get lost in a good novel on my Kindle. And really, I have been this way since I was a small child. My favorite thing to do growing up with my Dad was go to Crown Book Store (remember than discount books store?). I would go through the books for literally hours. He would always give me a limit, like, you can buy three books and that is it. Somehow, I always talked him into five. I would take those home and dive in. My punishment if I didn’t finish a task, was to take my books away…..
One of my very favorite books when I was a child was “Where the Wild Things are”. I probably read it at least 100 times. So when Brittany asked me to do a styled session with her boys inspired by the book, I was all in. I think these type of sessions are perfect for kids of any age, because it help tell their story and define who they were at that period in their history. Also, looking back on those sessions, it helps your child know that you wanted to capture images that defined who they were in their development. It opens up dialog and great memories.
So here is our Where the Wild Things Are” session with these two gorgeous boys and seriously the red hair kills me! Enjoy!
Know Your Best Side. Most of us do not have perfectly symmetrical faces and we usually prefer one side over the other. If you don’t know which is your “good side,” take a few moments to look in the mirror. Look a little to the left, then to the right. Which side is your favorite? Need help deciding? Try taking a selfie, just remember to do it with your front facing camera, or you will have a flipped mirror image of your face.
Barbie Arm. If your girlfriends haven’t let you in on this trick it just might change your photo world. ;) To avoid your arms looking larger than life (an oh-so-common complaint), hold your hand on your hip and bend your elbow slightly toward the back. This creates a nice slimming effect which utilizes the white space between your body and arm.
Mind Your Assets. Push your assets to the back (ladies, that means booty and hips). The other leg (the one closest to the camera) should be slightly bent. You do this by putting your weight on the foot that is farthest from the camera and push your front hip away from the camera. This causes you to lean a little towards the camera so the eyes are the closest thing to the lens! It always looks lovely.
Lean In. If you lean forward a little bit (not too much), with shoulders back, it can define the chin, elongate the neck, highlight the eyes, and allows your hair to fall forward over your shoulders, creating a stunning feminine look.
Wait for it. To get a more authentic, natural smile, wait until just before snapping the picture. Holding a smile fatigues your facial muscles, so take breaks between shots. Even better, when it’s time to smile, if you can think of a favorite thing, something that naturally makes you happy, hold that thought while you show your pearly whites.
Hair. Try different hair styles ahead of time to determine which look best on you–the ones that really compliment your face and body: hair down, behind one shoulder, all forward, swept up, whichever it is play up your best look, by posing not only your face and body, but your hair as well.
Here are a few ways you can prepare for your best senior pictures portrait session: