Upon arriving, we’ll put your clothes in a dressing room, collect your sitting fee payment, and schedule an appointment time for you to come back for your previews. Your session will begin with either touchup or complete makeup by our terrific makeup artist. Then, throughout your session, your photographer will devote his full attention to you alone.

You’ll have time to sit down and talk with your photographer before you ever enter the camera room. He or she will get to know something about your personal style, likes and dislikes so we can create portrait images to suit you alone. Then you and your photographer will look at the clothes you brought and your photographer will start planning which props and backgrounds will work best for you. You don’t need to worry about anything. We’ll do all the work and make sure you have a relaxing and fun experience!

We have a beautiful outdoor photography area right here at the studio, so we’re able to do both indoor and outdoor portraits for most seniors. Remember that it gets dark pretty early during late fall, winter and early spring. So, if you want outdoor portraits during this time it’s important to schedule in the morning or early afternoon.

Black and white photography is a beautiful medium that opens up many new creative areas to you and your photographer. Any of your images can be printed in color, black and white, or sepia.

We enjoy going out on location to do something special for you. Some of the places we have photographed seniors in the past have been at the lake, the airport, Snoqualmie Falls, and out in a field of daisies with a horse. Talk with us ahead of time about your ideas and we’ll help plan the best way to create what you have in mind.

I don’t feel good? If you’re sick, feeling very upset about something, or having a really bad hair day, give us a call to reschedule. You need to feel good to look good!

It’s raining and I want outdoor photographs? Please come in prepared to do your full portrait session. We’ll do your indoor poses and keep an eye out for a break in the showers. If it doesn’t clear up enough to do your outdoor poses we can schedule an appointment for you to come back another day for your outdoor photographs.

Come in for your appointment wearing comfortable, casual clothing, but not something you want to be photographed in. One exception to this is if you’re doing the yearbook-only portion of a “split” session. In this case, please do come in wearing the clothing for the yearbook poses because you may not have changing time.

Our main focus in doing your portraits is not on how many different outfits we can photograph you in, but in making sure we get really terrific photographs of you. We want you to be relaxed, comfortable, and to have a good time.

Bring lots of great clothing! The more choices, the better, and we'll help choose the best ones to be photographed in.

Choose clothes that make you look and feel good. It’s best to have something very dressy (tux, prom dress), something really casual (shorts, jeans, anything goes), and a couple of “in-between” outfits (your favorite jacket, a great sweater, anything really terrific looking). Colors that are flattering to you in real life will be good for your portraits, too. It’s good to bring a variety of colors and styles, and be sure to check with your parents about anything that may be important to them!

Organize, organize, organize! Be sure to organize your clothes and accessories for fast, stress-free clothing changes. Check to be sure you have everything you need – the right shoes, socks, belts, ties, hats, and jewelry. Ziploc baggies work great to put all the accessories in for each outfit and can be hung right on the hanger to keep everything together. Remember, the less time you spend in the dressing room, the more time you have for photography!

If you need us to make a yearbook photograph, choose which one of your outfits you’d like to use for the yearbook poses. Generally these photographs show waist up or shoulders only, so a flattering neckline/collar choice is most important. We also suggest long sleeves. Many yearbooks are very lenient in their requirements so you may be able to choose from many of your images, in various outfits.

Personalize your session by bringing anything you like – your dog, car, bike, musical instrument, uniform, sports equipment, a friend, etc. Just be careful not to try to do too much on one sitting. We suggest only one or two extras, so we can be sure to have enough time for the portraits of you alone, too. Also – be sure to let us know ahead of time about your plans so we can give you a few hints on making it all as convenient as possible. If you want more time for personalization we have "mini sessions" and "on-location" sessions available. Just ask!

Hair:

Get haircuts at least a week in advance so you’ll have a little “grow in” time. Please arrive with your hair done and ready to be photographed. Bring anything you need for touchups. If you want to change your hair be sure you can do it quickly and easily. We do not provide styling services, so be sure to bring someone along with you if you need help with your hair.

Standard Session:

Girls, please apply your makeup stronger than normal and have it done before you come in. we’ll do any touchups needed for both girls and guys (cover blemishes and powder shine as needed).

Designer Session:

We’ll do your complete makeup application for this sitting, so come in with no makeup on (but have your hair ready). Bring your mascara and favorite lip color if you have one. We’ll provide all the rest! Our makeup artist will be very careful to keep you looking like yourself while applying makeup that will be great for photography. We’re experts at both natural and trendy looks.

Glasses:

If you wear glasses most of the time you’ll want to wear them in your portraits. To eliminate glare and reflections, call your optician and arrange to either borrow a pair of empty frames like yours or have the lenses removed for your own frames. This totally eliminates glare and distortions and is the best way to improve your portraits if you wear glasses. If you choose to wear your glasses the way they are, keep in mind that if you want the reflections removed the artwork will be at your expense.

Tanning:

Please be very cautious about trying to get a tan for your portraits. It’s almost impossible for us to remove peeling nose or bright red sunburn with retouching. And even if you’re not burned, if your tan is too dark your skin loses its normal highlights and begins to look “muddy” in photographs. Naturally dark skin photographs beautifully, it’s only overly tanned skin that reacts this way.