Tag Archives: McKinney photographer

College Choice Mini Sessions

Deciding upon a college destination is a huge decision! The choice made will shape an adult’s life in many ways. We wish all of you who are in the process of deciding great wisdom!

Once a high school senior decides where he/she will attend college, a mini photo session may be the perfect way to celebrate and document the decision. Seniors LOVE putting their photo wearing college spirit wear on the back of their high school announcement. Our custom designed high school graduation announcements are stunners!

We offer a 30 minute, add on senior mini session for $50. (photos not included) These sessions are designed for those who did senior pics with us previously and wish to add on either college choice photos, graduation robe and hat photos or prom dress/suit photos. Give us a call @ 972-335-3686 to arrange yours today.

If you did not do senior photos with us, but wish to do a basic senior photo session with 3 clothing changes, 1- 1/2 hours, we can incorporate your college choice photos into the session. (Session fee is $100.and does not include photos. Book HERE

Skin Tone and Color Selection for Headshots

Are you contemplating what color(s) you should wear for your headshot session? You are not alone! One of the most time-consuming parts of preparing to be photographed is deciding on the outfit you want to be wear. Below, we have outlined how to get started with the most important part: choosing your colors.

First of all, check with your company to make sure they don’t require a certain color. It is wise to select something that will look great with your company logo. For instance, if your company is red and navy, a poor choice for your clothing is pink because it will clash. In addition, you may want to identify which skin tone category you fall into — warm, neutral, or cool.

First, take this quiz!

Then, do the vein test! Check the veins around your wrist & palm:

If they appear greenish, you have warm tones
If they appear blue or purplish, you have cool tones
If they appear colorless or match the skin, you have neutral tones

Also, you can determine your skin tone by recalling the way your skin reacts to the sun:

If you tan easily, you have warm tones
If you are able to tan or burn, you have neutral tones
If you burn easily, you have cool tones

Complementary Colors for Warm Skin Tones

Orange, Honey, Amber, Gold, Olive, Turquoise, Cream

Avoid vibrant tones like Deep Red and Indigo. Some of these colors are quite harsh for headshot photography (bright orange) but could look great under a jacket as a camisole for women or in a tie for men. Do not confuse the turquoise for royal blue!

Complementary Colors for Neutral Skin Tones

Light and soft colors like Rose, Jade, Gray, Sky Blue

Avoid Neons, Yellows, and Reds.

I see the above color choices as a secondary color selection under a jacket, etc. Gray is ALWAYS a better choice that white as the secondary selection. AVOID WHITE no matter what your skin tone is!

Complementary Colors for Cool Skin Tones

Emerald, Ocean Blue, Purple, Lavender, Cherry Red

Avoid Orange and Yellow. Who would want those colors anyway in a professional headshot?

Hudson

Hudson is a 2024 Senior at McKinney Boyd. He is a two sport athlete, playing both basketball and baseball for the Broncos. The highlight of his high school years have been reaching the playoffs in both sports.

Hudson has unbelievable blue eyes that absolutely shine in his photos. He is very tall and you might be surprised to know that he wears a size 16 shoe!

We love photographing Hudson and have no doubt that his future is very bright.

John, Senior 2021

John is a McKinney Boyd senior who is strikingly handsome, athletic, a bit shy and funny. He has a sister, Lindsey, and a brother, Austin. In addition, he has a fat black cat named Gus.

After high school John plans to play college baseball while furthering his education. John is inspired by major leaguer Mike Trout. His favorite movie is, of course, Moneyball.

John’s favorite quote is, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

We hope the remaining months of John’s senior year are amazing and that the spring baseball season turns out awesome!

How to Prepare for an ENJOYABLE Family Portrait Session

People tend to get apprehensive, anxious, even panicked when they decide to schedule a family portrait session. Sadly, many people chose not to document their lives, and milestones, because of the stress they feel it will bring. This is a decision that they will undoubtedly regret, when the kids have grown, and the time has passed.

We are here to tell you that planning, preparing, and the entire portrait experience can actually be enjoyable, and a whole lot of fun. We’ve been in this industry for 25 years now, here are 5 simple tips to take family portraits from stressful to successful!

1. Keep it SIMPLE : Clothing should be simple, no bold patterns or bright colors. Medium tones, such as shades of gray, blue, or beige are great choices. You can add accessories, such as hats, scarves, jackets, or, necklaces to make the wardrobe more unique.

2. Consider your home Decor: Your family portrait is a piece of artwork that you will proudly display in your home. Clothing choices that compliment your style, and color palette are ideal. Will you be hanging this portrait in a room that is formal with ornate decorations? Or will this portrait lovingly adorn the walls of your intimate living room that is very casual? Answering these questions will help you decide how to dress for your portrait.

3. No Coaching: Refrain from trying to prepare the kids with specific instructions for the portrait session. Our experience has taught us that kids who received, ‘smile coaching’ from loving parents prior to the session, don’t do as well as those who just show up, and go with the flow.

4. Give Yourself TIME: Allow plenty of time to prepare on theday of the session. Unnecessary stress prior to the session affects the entire mood of the family, and in turn, the feel of the portrait.

5. Unplug: Leave cell phones and tablets in the car. Sessions are only one hour. It is a great time to connect, reflect, and be present with your family.

Family Portraits can be an exciting, and fun experience. Step back and consider how precious capturing this moment, forever in time, truly is. Choose to make it enjoyable for yourself, and your family. Set the intention when you book to fully enjoy the process of documenting your legacy. That’s a choice you certainly won’t regret.

Maternity Session

Had such a great time capturing these photos in a field near Frisco. So cool that this week I met the Miller’s newborn baby girl, Sanaa Elise, and did portraits of her. She joins big brother Cameron to complete the family. The Miller’s ordered a really cool framed collage of these images and it turned out AMAZING! Next we are going to do a gorgeous, custom album mixing some of the maternity and newborn photos. Can’t wait to see the finished products!

Frisco Photographer Photographs Kendall

We recently photographed Kendall for her senior photos. She was lots of fun and the results were stunning. She isn’t a “country” girl, so we decided to do part of the shoot near downtown Dallas. Kendall has a great smile but can pull off the more serious poses too. Her favorite activity in her spare time is watching Netflix. She has a chocolate lab named Cocoa Bean, a whippet named Jasper and a german shepherd named Charlie. Her favorite season is FALL and a place she would love to visit is Spain.

Hallie

In the spotlight today is Plano West senior, Hallie. Hallie is a member of our model team. Her senior session was done in June before things really heated up.

Hallie’s Mom, Sondra, and I are from the same small Oklahoma town – Duncan, OK. I have done several kids from Duncan through the years and it is always a honor for me to get to work with people from my hometown.

Get to know Hallie –

Favorite thing to do in her spare time is SING. Her favorite musical artist is John Mayer. She loves the bible verse, “Come to me, all those who are weary, and I will give you rest. ” Matthew 11:28

What a great kid with a bright future and so photogenic! Here are just a few of the images from her session.

Alona & Patrick’s Wedding

What a fun night! The weather was phenomenal and the wedding was gorgeous. Alona and Patrick are so in love and happy! There were so many gorgeous photos of this incredible night. Here are few to share…..

Black and White/Innovative Images/Kurt Nelson

One thing that will never go out of style is an exceptional black and white portrait. Properly lit and composed, it can be very dynamic. I use a different lighting style when creating black and white portraits that yields dramatic results. Call me to schedule your black and white family/individual or children’s portrait shoot in MARCH and the session will be only $20 during normal business hours.