Hi there! Fim \ndrea, a portrait, engagement, and wedding photographer based in NYC. 1 started taking photographs professionally in early 2016 and have worked with some of the best clients since then. I love that my job allows me to meet so many wonderful people and brings me to lots of great places. I am so excited that you found me and have taken the time to review my guide: Top 10 Tips for Getting the Vost__Out Of Your _ Portrait Photography Session. T hope you eee neo find this guide useful and informative! £ Jsnapsbyandrea Kone, A L Cord (5) isnapsbyandrea (B] snapsbyandrea @gmail.com| believe in beautiful portraits cased in wooden frames. | believe in albums filled with photographs that future generations can look at and not only see but also FEEL the emotion and the love that leaps off of every image. | believe in celebrating, enriching and preserving love while telling my clients’ story. Because photographs are meant to last in this way, | truly believe that photography is an investment. And because | understand how important this investment is, | want to share with you a few tips to help you prepare and get the most out of your professional photography session.Avoid hitting that “SNOOZE” button e all love to sleep in, but there are a couple of reasons why you should pick a day to wake up extra early for an early-morning photography session. Reason #1 - Ever heard of the term ‘golden hour"? In photography, the magical “golden hour" is a short period of time right after sunrise (or right before sunset!) when natural light from the sun is softer than when the sun is higher in the sky. During “golden hour’, light Is the dreamiest and getting up extra early for a session during that window of time can help us create some amazing photographs in Indirect light with more beautiful depth. Please also keep in mind that, while shooting in mid-day sun is certainly doable, it may limit some of our location options. Reason #2 - If you're a mom scheduling a family session and you have babies or young toddlers, it’s generally never a good idea to schedule your session around your child's bedtime (or naptime!). | always shooting earlier in the morning, as kids are almost always more cooperative (and in a better mood!) at the start of the day. recommend So avoid hitting that “snooze” button so that we can make the most out of the beautiful, early-morning natural light. Good things come to those who wait! ot a morning person? Not a problem! Not all of us feel our best early in the morning. In this case, the age old adage that “good things come to those who wait” certainly applies. In order to get the best images possible, avoid scheduling your shoot for the middle of the day and instead commit to patiently wait for the end of the day. The two hours before the scheduled sunset is the best alternative to an early-morning (sunrise) session so that we can get some magical golden light and create some beautiful back-lit photos!Pick a location that reflects you hen selecting a location for your session, remember that it’s definitely not just about the location, but more about how you fit into it. A specific setting can add a whole lot of meaning and fun to your photos. It can also drastically affect the mood of your photos, so it’s always best when you're surrounded by things that you love. Whether that's a beautiful garden, stunning historic areas, more urban settings or even your own home, | encourage you to select a location that matches your personality. If you select a spot that has a special meaning to you, Coordinate outfits well before the shoot he biggest challenge for a lot of, I people when getting ready for a photo session is choosing what to wear. | know how hard it is to find an outfit that reflects who you are and your style, makes you feel gorgeous/attractive, and feels comfortable ANDREA RODRIGUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY | 5 that’s even better! 1am a natural light photographer and, in my opinion, shooting outdoors is always the best choice. However, | am always happy to work with my client's preferred aesthetic, even photographing indoors in clients’ homes with natural light from windows and doors. Bonus tip: Always be prepared to reschedule your session if you have an outdoor session scheduled and the weather does not cooperate! all at the same time. It’s also a challenge making sure your outfits coordinate with those of everyone else who is going to be in the Photographs. Choose your outfits well in advance so that you avoid having the added stress of picking everything at the last minute.So What Can I Wear? In terms of what to wear, a few general pieces of advise | can offer are the following: 1. Dress it up, if you so desire. There is no such thing as being “too dressed up" for your photo session. 2. Choose outfits that complement your features and offer more flattering silhouettes. Long, flowy dresses on women and well-tailored suits on men look best in photos. 3. Remember to consider all parts of your look, including your hair/makeup and your accessories. Additional clothing layers, interesting pieces of jewelry, and scarves/hats bring extra dimension to your images! 4. When selecting colors, | always recommend neutral colors or lighter/muted tones. Think creams, soft pastels, light browns, tans, grays, and slate blues. 5. When coordinating couples’ or family members’ outfits, do not try too hard to match. You want to coordinate by choosing styles and colors that compliment each other without being “matchy matchy”. Leave the same-color tops and matching jean bottoms at home! 6. Remember to dress for the weather! This is especially important in family sessions, as children are notorious for showing their discomfort in their faces! Bonus tip: Be sure to leave plenty of time to get ready! When you show up to your session rushed and disorganized, it sets the tone for a rushed and disorganized session. Always give yourself extra time so that you are ready before it’s time to head out the door. ANDREA RODRIGUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY | 8Style Your Session A change of clothes? A few props? These are more than welcome and they're instrumental in making your session unique! Tip #6 Mentally Prepare Everyone for the Session ost men (of all ages!) aren't overly excited about doing a photo session because they don't know what to expect and/or they are not aware of how important this session is to you. If you're a bride or a mom, be prepared to educate and empower your guy by helping him understand what the session will entail and how important capturing these memories is. Remind him that photographs are treasured forever and they are extremely important In creating a legacy and in telling your story of love. The same advise goes for preparing children for a family session. Let the kids know about the shoot well in advance to get them comfortable with the idea. Talk to your children about the details of the session and let them know your expectations of their behavior. But most importantly? Do your best to get them excited about pictures! Full Tummy... Happy Heart! Don't show up to a photo shoot on an empty stomach. Make sure you and everyone else in your portrait session is well fed prior to the shoot, or have a healthy, mess-free snack on hand to fuel up right before or during the session. There is nothing worse than feeling cranky during a shoot because you are hungry, or trying to get a cranky, hungry child to smile on cue during a family session, Full tummies mean happier people, and better photos! Bonus tip: Have water on hand during the session! ANDREA RODRIGUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY | 9Trust Your Photographer rust is extremely important when I it comes to photography. On the one hand, there’s discussing with your photographer the vision you have for your images prior to your session, This is instrumental in building that trust because you can confidently know that your photographer knows what you want and will get you your shots. On the other hand, there's the aspect of acknowledging your photographer's expertise and knowledge. Your photographer always has your best interest at heart and it is crucial to trust that you are going to be placed in locations and coached into poses where the photographer knows you will look your best. Bonus tip: Go into the session with an open mind! Give your photographer artistic freedom for the best results! Don't Just Focus on the Final Product hoto sessions can be stressful, especially for a bride or for mom. But instead of worrying if the resulting photos will be perfect, embrace that life ISN'T perfect, accept the spontaneous and “imperfect” elements of your session, and just have fun! The best photographs we create are the ones that reflect life exactly the way it is, with all of its goofy, fun, wonderful moments full of laughter. Don’t act like you think you should. Be yourself! Focus on connecting with each other so that your photographs are a true reflection of those natural and organic moments that happen in your lives. Your final images will capture an important, exciting stage in your life, while you're spending time together. Bonus tip: Not every picture needs to have everyone looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. The photographs you will cherish the most will depict your authentic interactions, connections, and love. ANDREA RODRIGUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY | 12Tip #10 Cheese is For Crackers remember that demanding young children to look at the camera and smile will only stress your children out (not to mention your photographer!) and will result in strained, unnatural smiles. Step back and allow the photographer to naturally interact with and talk to your children. You can also help the photographer capture the true essence of your child's personality by thinking of creative ways to coax out smiles naturally and easily. Don’t be afraid to pick up your children and toss them in the air. Laugh together. Joke. Start @ tickle fight with them, Play a fun game, Doing these things will allow the photographer to capture the true happiness and joy of your child | f you're doing a family sessions, Ona related note, we all want to see our ANDREA RODRIGUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY | 13 children’s happy faces in our images, and the best way to achieve that is to just let the kids be kids! The more you allow your child to do their thing, the happier the child. The happier the child, the happier the parents and the more natural the photographs. Let them run and explore as they wish and it'll be easier to coax them into sitting or standing later for a nice portrait, Bonus tip: Having a hard time getting your children to cooperate? Bribe them! Yes, they say you're not supposed to rely on bribes to get your children to behave. All parents know this. But all parents also know that sometimes bribery is okay. Photo shoots are one of those times. Offer them treats, or plan a special outing after the shoot as an incentive for good behavior.When you do your best to prepare for your session, you will have a truly enjoyable experience. By studying these tips and collaborating together, you and your photographer can create images that you will treasure forever! When inquiring about your next portait session with me, you can include the special offer code ARDISCOUNT to get 10% off of your portrait session package fee.Thank you for reading through this guide! I hope you found the content helpful in preparing for your next portrait photography session. If you have any questions, let's catch up! When it comes to questions, there is seriously no such thing as too many! REGARDS, INDREA iy «snapsbyandrea@gmail.com www.andrearodriguezphoto.com 787.372.1895 My party is on Instagram daily apsbvandrea! Follow along for me “hehind the scenes” on my life and my journ photographer, to join #ARBride, #ARGroom RCouple, or #ARfamily community. or if yowre just looking” for some inspiration!ANDREA RODRIGUEZ PHOTOGRAPHY WWW. AN DREARODRIGUEZPHOTO.COM 787.372.1825 + snapsbyandrea@gmail.com