Headshots Orange County: Is it time to update your personal brand with new portraits that truly represent to your clients who you are and what service you provide? We would love to work with you to create a custom session that lets your brand message shine. Check out our new style guide that walks you through everything you need to know to create amazing portraits that get you noticed.
Click an image below to enlarge the style guide:
Orange County Family Photographer: Tips and tricks for getting amazing images of your younger kids.
Top Questions Regarding Kids in a Photography Session:
If your child is at all shy, please be patient. We give them as much time as they (not you or I) need to warm up to me and my camera. It is very rare that even the most apprehensive child doesn’t become my buddy after 20-30 minutes. Eager to please, many parents urge their child(ren) on, and this rarely ever helps. Please allow us to create a bond with your child at their pace. Please give us a little space with your child so they do not feel as though they have to “perform” for you with us.
Please do not answer for your child when we ask him or her a question. We try to bond with them by getting them to talk to us. Often times, we will reach out to “test” your child(ren) to see how they will respond. Depending on their reaction (if they reach back to hold a hand/finger), we will know how to proceed. We like to take time to get to know your child and let them get used to us before we start shooting.
Please please please do not tell your child(ren) to “smile” or say “cheese”. That’s our job. Besides, “cheese” or “smile” is almost always a fake or forced smile. We will get your child(ren) to smile by other measures that create real smiles such as goofy faces, funny stories, talking up their interests, etc…you know, kid stuff!! We’re great at kid stuff (we’re kids at heart)!
We encourage any ideas or props in your session, so have fun with it and get creative! Many parents bring in 1-3 outfits and various accessories such as hats, scarves and jewelry. However, it’s important to keep in mind that changing multiple outfits on younger children usually changes their moods too. We recommend keeping it simple for the younger subjects. They grow up so fast!
Frequently Asked Questions
1) What should my child wear?
A little planning and clothing harmony helps create a better looking portrait. It is important to wear complimentary tones and colors, but matchy/matchy attire is not required. Neutral colors work great in almost all situations, and simple goes a long way. It’s best to avoid busy patterns and prominent logos or writing on clothing. Bright colors, hats, scarves and other accessories work great in the studio, in a field, in a historic district or in an urban shoot. In a group shot, remember all of the clothing should be complimentary. It’s important to remember that children do not like binding or uncomfortable clothing. Bare skin on newborns is classic and timeless. If there is a color/outfit that you LOVE your child in, bring it. We encourage you to bring several clothing and accessory options for a studio shoot. Ultimately, the photography should be about your child and/or your family and the clothing should compliment the shot!
2) How long will the session take?
We take all the time it will require to capture the best expressions and poses (children permitting). It’s important not to rush through a photography session. Most sessions last approximately 30-60 minutes. Some may take longer depending on the purpose/type of session, so it’s important that everyone participating is relaxed and enjoys themselves.
3) My child won’t smile, what should I do?
Let us handle getting your child to smile. We have been photographing children for years and we are very good at getting children to give us genuine smiles. The best way to get great smiles from children in your portraits is by playing games, singing songs, and talking about things they love. Keep in mind though, that some of the best and most favored photographs with many of our clients are the more serious, contemplative expressions of their children. If you notice, a great deal of the classic works by master artists from years ago to modern artists and photographers today capture amazing expressions that are not always smiles.
4) Should I be present during my child’s session?
For older children we usually create the best results when Mom and Dad are not around. For younger children and babies, it’s always best to have a parent present during the session. Both parents can be present, but only one is required.
5) Can we have our dog in the picture?
Pets are always welcome!
6) My child is very shy (or is very active). What should I do?
Nothing other than informing us of your child’s temperment on your Session Consultation Sheet. Your child is coming to a new place with people he/she doesn’t know with various equipment and lights. It can be overwhelming for some children. The best approach is to be patient. They will warm up to us/settle down at their own time and pace. It’s important not to make a big fuss about the photography session beforehand for children who become anxious about new situations. Kristin or Deseree always begin a child photography session by talking with the parents first. This sends the message to your child that you and Kristin are friends and helps convey safety to your child. Kristin will then turn to your child and ask them a question. Please let them answer. This is when one of us will offer our hand to see if your child is receptive. It’s important not to rush your child or urge him/her on. We love working with children and want to have you rest assured that we will create beautiful photographs that will last a lifetime!
Taking the time to prepare for your child’s photo shoot will not only make the experience enjoyable for you and your child, but will also help create an environment for amazing photographs for you to treasure forever.
If you are ready for a session with your little one, just email us the best time of day and we will get you on the schedule at kristin@blueskysstudio.com.
I think I am slightly obsessed with transformation! I love watching television shows with my family about all types of transformation. Our new favorite is The Deed on CNBC. Not only does Sidney Torres transform old beautiful houses in New Orleans into fabulous new home, but he also helps transform the people who need his help by teaching them to become better real estate developers. My obsession doesn’t stop with real estate, although I do love anything on home design, I also love shows that transform food or even transform people. Another favorite is, The Profit, because I love how Marcus Lemonis transforms business people and helps them become profitable.
For me, March has been transformation month! My wonderful husband volunteered to help transform my Laguna Beach studio into the studio of my dreams. He converted my loft space, which was primarily being used to dump old studio props, into a full on shooting wardrobe space that my clients will be able to use to create the photography session of their dreams. He also utilized the space to build a work station for our fine art printing. It looks amazing and I am so excited to have it fully functional.
He didn’t stop at the loft. We have all new lighting, a new professional hair and makeup station, several new gallery walls and he fixed all of the Ikea furniture that I put together to make it now fully functional (I have to admit, the drawers didn’t work on anything). The cherry on the cake was definitely the new blue roll up door and front door, perfect not only because it is blue, but also because we can now use it as a new shooting area.
March is also transformation month, because we are doing our Mother Daughter makeover special complete with wardrobe, hair and makeup. Here is a sneak peak at the new blue door with the gorgeous Gill kiddos who can now say they were the very first family to shoot on the blue roll up door. Enjoy. More beautiful images of the studio to come, once it has been completed!
Do you have an excuse about why you keep putting off getting portraits of yourself and your family? Are you waiting to look perfect, have the perfect body, skin, hair, etc.? While you continue to put it off for one more year, your family is missing out on beautiful images of YOU!
That is what exist in photographs is all about. I absolutely understand that there is a lot of work that goes into planning a photography session. Sometimes it seems like it just isn’t meant to be, but believe me it is. Take me for example. My busiest time of year is October and November. I work an average of 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. In the middle of all that craziness, is my own family that needs portraits for the year. For me, I need to find one of my friends that is a photographer, and also really busy, to agree to take a few images of the whole family together. I can handle the portraits of my kids and my kids with my husband, but I feel like it is really important for me to also get into the portrait every year. I don’t want my kids to look back in 10, 20, or 30 years from now and say, “where was my Mom”. Or, “my Mom was always behind the camera, and looks like she was never around according to pictures”.
I want to make it easy for you to say yes to a portrait session this year by doing the follow:
Do you have someone you love that you want to capture forever in portraits? Take advantage of our makeover special this month. For more details, email us at kristin@blueskysstudio.com. Have a beautiful weekend and enjoy this unbelievably beautiful mother and daughter duo!
Did you know that there are several studies showing that children’s self esteem is improved by seeing portraits on themselves and their families on the wall?
A revealing study was conducted in 1975 with a group of fourth graders at a Tennessee school by Tulane University. During a five week period, the children took Polaroid instant photos of themselves with provided cameras in a variety of assigned poses, compositions and expressing various emotions. The children worked with the printed images of themselves and created scrapbooks once a week over those five weeks. Testing of the students and teachers at the conclusion of study revealed a significant increase of 37 percent in the students’ average self-esteem behaviors. This Murfreesboro Study shows some evidence personal photography of children seen and enjoyed in a specific way can help boost a child’s self-esteem. This according to an article published on Design Aglows blog.
“It lets children learn who they are and where they fit,” says Judy Weiser. a psychologist, art therapist and author based in Vancouver. “They learn their genealogy and the the uniqueness of their own family and its story. When a child sees a family portrait with them included in the photograph they say to themselves: ‘These people have me as part of what they are, that’s why I belong here. This is where I come from.‘”
For some reason, this does not translate for digital images and seems to really be focused on tangible images on themselves and their families.
One of the reason I am so passionate about photography is that our time with our children is so fleeting and really it passes in a blink of an eye. I really can’t believe my son is already out in the world on his own. It seems like only yesterday he was crawling into my bed in the middle of the night pleading with Bob and me to let him stay with us.
That is why we want to show all of our clients what their portraits will look like as art on their walls. Believe me, it is easier than you think to have an actual picture mocked up on your wall with our software
2. Take a picture of your wall with your iPhone and text it to us. Just make sure you are standing straight in front of the wall and not at an angle (that makes it more difficult to line everything up).
3. Select a picture, or two or three and we will mock up several examples on your wall with everything at the appropriate size to show off in your home!
Order the product and we will have it shipped directly to your home. We will even come and help you install your wall art. So now there is no excuse not to have beautiful walls covered with your amazing family! To book an appointment email us a kristin@blueskysstudio.com.
