Tag Archives: #familyphotographer

Changes in Professional Photography for Family Portraits

Back in the 70’s and 80’s, almost every professional family photo was taken indoors. Popular portrait studios like Olan Mills and JC Penney had a corner on the market. There were many individually owned brick and mortar photo studios too. At that time, the photographer had to have an understanding of lighting and posing in order to be successful. Many photographers had their own darkroom for film processing. Retouching was possible, but it was a process! Most of the time, the photographer would send his/her film to a professional lab for retouching specifics. It was a lengthy process but the results could be absolutely stunning when it was done correctly.

We opened Innovative Images in 1992. We did all of the things detailed above, but we were young and open to change. We started using Photoshop from the very beginning and it was definitely rogue. We remember the very first time we saw a digital camera at a professional conference. It was incredibly expensive and the results were VERY POOR. We knew the digital technology wasn’t up to our standards, but we watched as things progressed rather rapidly. We ended up buying our first digital camera a few years later and used it specifically for business headshots because the images were not good unless they were very small. In 1998, we rented a very expensive digital camera to use for a family portrait session of a high profile celebrity. The client ended up ordering beautiful, large wall portraits from indoor images we created and our journey into digital photography was off and running.

Never could we have imagined the introduction of the cell phone camera. This invention allowed everyone to have a digital camera on them all the time. Many people decided they no longer needed professional photographers or printed photos. Family photos shifted to almost exclusively outdoor settings and the lines of what constituted a professional photographer became blurred. Today, digital cameras are everywhere and many “pros” actually use a cell phone during their sessions. Believe us when we say that there is a difference in the output of digital cameras but mostly the difference in high quality work is still the result of a high degree of understanding in lighting, posing, and retouching.

Our goal is to provide a true professional experience and unbelievable results. We are always learning and growing within the profession and we hope to continue creating gorgeous, meaningful family photography no matter what changes in the world of photography occur. While we love outdoor family portrait sessions, we do offer indoor sessions and the results can be stunning and dramatic when done right. In fact, there seems to be a resurgence of good, quality indoor photography reminiscent of what was produced 50 years ago but better. In addition, clients are loving beautifully done printed, tangible portraits instead of bunch of digital images that get lost and unappreciated. More on that in a future blog post!

What to Wear in a Family Portrait

In the old days, photographers might have told a family to wear something like all white and denim or all black. Easy, YES, but good, NO! Seriously, how many families go around looking like clones? We want your family portrait to be a natural look but there are things to consider. Here are some do’s and don’ts!

*DO these things:

1.Come up with a plan for the portrait session. Do not allow each person to just show up in their favorite clothing. Color harmony and mood is important.

2. Wear colors that would look like a great accent in your home. In other words, if you decorate in gray and blue, don’t wear colors such as red, hot pink, burgundy, etc. Stick with neutral tones that will blend with your home’s decor.

3. Wear clothes that somewhat match each personality yet blend with the family. Solid colors mixed with very small prints containing the solid color choice and jackets, vests, etc. are usually a nice look.

4. Wear layers, jewelry, etc. to highlight each person’s unique style.

5. Women should wear a little make up! You can look sick and pale with nothing to highlight your face! I know you want to look natural, but a little makeup is a great thing.

6. Wear a variety of textures.

7. Wear colors that go with the natural background of the season. (Ex: Do not wear springlike colors in a fall landscape)

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*DON’T do these things:

1. Wear bold patterns ESPECIALLY bold stripes!

2. Wear WHITE especially if you’re the only one! You’ll be too bright and overpowering.

3. Wear short sleeves if you are even a pound overweight. Trust me on this one. We can help the situation in the retouching process but help me by not doing it and help yourself because your arms will look bigger than you think.

Wear socks that will show such as little white athletic socks!

Wear a mix of light and dark colors. Choose either light or either dark or all neutrals on top. PLEASE AVOID SHIRTS LIKE NAVY AND WHITE STRIPES, ETC. This is an absolute killer.

Use this chart to help you come up with a color scheme!

This family did a beautiful job of mixing textures (sweaters, lace, quilted vests, jacket, etc.) In addition, they look perfect in the fall background. There are at least 3 people in off white which is good because if there were only 1, that person would have been the focus of the group. Everyone has on a NEUTRAL color scheme that is similar to option 6 above. They go together but each has their own look! What a gorgeous family portrait!

The Family Photographer

I have been doing this family’s photos for 20+ years. Baby photos, children’s photos, family photos, senior photos and anything in between. I am their FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER. Having a photographer document your life, your love, and your legacy is important. The images created for this family tell their story and have engrained memories for all. I know each family member’s personality and this helps me successfully create images they will treasure. Just as a family chooses other professionals like doctors, dentists, etc., a family photographer should be considered. This is the generation that takes lots of photos- and that is great, however documenting milestones and family portraits should be left to the professional so that the images will become a tangible part of their history. Otherwise precious memories will literally get lost in the “clouds.”

Family photo on location in Fairview

Family photo on location in Fairview