Portrait Photography Guide – Frequently Asked Questions

Congratulations! You have decided to get some family portraits. Most people don’t even reach this stage but later regret not having any decent family photos. I’m sure you will find this a positive experience and get something really wonderful at the end of it. Here is some extra information which you may be interested in.

Where will the portraits be taken?

Pictures can be taken either in my studio in Bournemouth, at your home or on location. Really natural pictures can be achieved by going out on location such as the New Forest or a beach location. However you may prefer the convenience of having pictures taken in your own home or garden.

It’s worth remembering that while a trip to a location may be more time consuming it may produce more distinctive and natural results.

Studio photographs tend to be less time consuming and more straightforward and are usually taken against a white background. Professional lighting will make a big difference to the final look and you will be surprised at how good you all look.

You won’t commission a photographer to take your photos that often so it’s worth spending a bit of time thinking about what is best for you.

Advice on clothing

There’s no need to dress up for your portrait. It’s much better to wear the kind of clothes you feel relaxed in and usually wear. After all clothing is very much a part of your character.

In terms of suitable clothing I would suggest wearing fairly plain non patterned clothes with lighter colouring and avoid wearing bold colours such as red and clothes with logos/large bold writing etc. Toning colours in a family portrait is also a very good idea.

In the studio, I would recommend wearing darker colours against a black or a white background Darker clothing tends to be more slimming too!

With adult groups try and look equally informal so that no one person stands out. It’s a good idea to discuss this amongst your group before your photo session.

How long with the photo session take?

Roughly about an hour maybe less but it’s hard to be exact. It depends on how many people are in your group and how many different photos you want. New born babies can take longer to photograph as they may need to have a feed or a change of clothing during the session. Some people like to bring a change of clothing especially for their children. Other people arrive as a big group with say 10-12 family members so this can make the session longer as people want different groups taking etc. With small children I tend to work quite quickly, starting them off with a few toys to play with and then getting the key shots. They soon run out of patience so speed is everything.

How/When will we get to see the photographs?

Generally I will need about a week to work on the images and they will be posted online for you to view. If you have bought the deluxe package which includes 10 images of your choice, just select the 10 images you want and send me a list. You can of course have more than 10 images. Any extra digital images are priced at £15 each.

I can also offer photo prints so if you would like to buy some photos for members of your family, I will provide a price list. My prices are affordable and the prints are professional quality printed by a professional photo lab.