The Portrait Consultation

The Homespun Life portrait sitting fee includes a personal consultation prior to the session. These consultations are most often conducted in my home studio, and are very laid back and simple. They allow you and I to get to know each other better and get a feel for each other’s style and personality, and they also give us a chance to discuss things like styling, location, and your specific portrait needs. So if you have a lot of questions, don’t worry! We can discuss them at the consultation. However, I’ve also provided some information below to address a few of the most general topics.

Dressing for Success

One of the toughest parts about preparing for a portrait session is selecting your outfit. Don’t worry; I’m here to help! Contrary to popular belief, clothing doesn’t necessarily have to fade into the background for a good portrait. In fact, sometimes your outfit can really bring a sense of your personality and style to the images! So don’t be afraid to wear something you love and that reflects your groove, though it is still usually wise to avoid super loud prints and bright solids.

For family sessions with small children it’s sometimes safest to stick to just one outfit, but for smaller, older groups (or if you think your kiddos can handle it!) I suggest two sets of clothing in differing styles coordinated for everyone. If you can’t decide which to wear, bring a few options to your consultation! I’m always happy to take a look. And don’t worry too much about being matchy-matchy, as long everyone’s outfit coordinates well.

Other fun things to bring include layers and accessories that can quickly transform an outfit. These would be things like jackets, scarves, shrugs, vests, jewelry, ties, hair accessories – you get the idea.

If you’re really having trouble, try picking one item of interest that you’d like to drive the style of the session. Think snazzy heels, sassy boots, a fun vintage hat, or a large and attention-getting piece of jewelry. Consider the look, feel, and style of that item and see if you can plan an outfit around it.

Context is Key

The vast majority of my sessions are shot in an outdoors location. There are just so many fun and exciting scenes at our disposal here in the Houston area, from urban to outdoorsy, and luckily our weather allows us to shoot outside during a good portion of the year.

However, during those deadly summer months and the few cold winter days we do get, outdoors shoots just don’t really work. In those situations, and for intimate maternity and newborn sessions, the client’s home is often an ideal choice. Don’t worry – your home doesn’t have to look like a catalog to be a great portrait setting! Often shooting in your home allows your personal decorative style to influence the portraits, resulting in a look that fits you perfectly.

The Best Laid Plans

No matter how carefully we plan, there are always a few things that could go wrong. Someone in the party could fall ill, or get injured, or any number of other little things that wreak havoc on our beautifully styled portraits. Never fear! The session fee is non-refundable, but if a cancellation becomes necessary we can always reschedule – your session fee is easily applicable to any future date. During our consultation we’ll discuss one or two backup dates in case of bad weather or illness.

April Showers

While Houston’s temperate weather allows us to shoot outdoors during a large portion of the year, we do still have to worry about the rain. I do my very best to ensure that we are able to shoot on the original agreed-upon date so as not to wreak havoc with everyone’s busy schedules, but every once in a while the weather just won’t play nice. Weather reports are notoriously unreliable, so I prefer to wait until the last minute before determining if a portrait session needs to be cancelled due to rain. For morning sessions, I’ll touch base with you at least one hour prior to the session in case of problematic weather. For afternoon and evening sessions, I’ll stay in touch throughout the day if the weather looks iffy.