Tina’s Blog

If I could say one word: RELAX
This is by far the best thing you can do for a successful session. Please don’t worry about your kids behavior during the session (if you’re worried, you probably have pretty good kids). The worse thing you can do is bribe (be good and smile for Tina and we’ll…) or even worse, threaten! (if you don’t behave….) This tells your child that you want them to do something they don’t want to do! Instead say something like, “today we are going to the park and meet my friend Tina. She love kids! We are going to play and she is going to take your picture- it’s going to be so much fun!” We want this to be a FUN experience!

It’s often best for parents to step back and let me interact with their child, maybe even take a short walk or watch from out of the child view. This doesn’t work with some children or at certain ages. I’ll let you know once we get started.

PLEASE don’t direct your child to “smile for the camera” or “say cheese”! We want natural smiles and this can only come from natural interaction with the child.

Clothing
Keep it simple. Stay away from logos, patterns and stripes. Small prints, such as flower are OK. White is not the best as it has a tendency to get blown out, but doable if you have your heart set on it. Off white is fine. If we will be photographing more than one child together or a family, keep your colors in the same tone- all lights or all darks. The colors don’t have to match, but should coordinate. Jeans are always a good choice.

Adult clothing choice.
It’s best to have long sleeves, even in the summer.  This is the most flattering. Darks are more slimming than light colors. Don’t forget the fingers and toes. I will often have mom or dad hold a small child who is shy or have a wobbler sit between mom or dad’s bare feet.

Maternity Clothing
If possible, regular jeans, unbuttoned, look better than maternity jeans and a black or flesh color bra works better than white.  For tops, long sleeve- button up shirts, small T’s, and tank tops/halters, work well. If in doubt, call me or bring several items with you and we can choose the best option.

Wear only loose clothing (and no bra if possible) for a couple hours before your session to avoid any indents or marks on your skin. Pay attention to hands and feet, chipped polish is not photograph well. Be sure your skin is well moisturized and bring chapstick/gloss for you lips. You are welcome to bring anything that you want to include in the picture such as baby booties or a small stuffed animal.

**Please note, there are no outside cameras allowed during your session. This includes cell phones. Thank you!