How to Prepare for Your Portrait Session (So You Actually Love Your Photos)

Whether you’re celebrating a graduation, announcing a pregnancy, getting engaged, or just capturing your family right now, one thing is true: a little prep goes a long way.

The clients who walk away obsessing over their images? They didn’t just show up. They showed up ready. And the good news is, getting ready isn’t complicated. It just takes a little intention.

Here’s everything you need to know before your session so you can walk in feeling confident and walk away with photos you’ll actually use.

What to Wear: Outfits That Photograph Well

This is the question I get more than any other. And honestly, the answer is simpler than you think.

Lead With What Makes You Feel Amazing

Your outfit should be a reflection of you at your very best. Not a costume. Not what you think you’re supposed to wear. What actually makes you feel beautiful and confident when you look in the mirror.

If you have time for two outfits (mini sessions typically don’t), I love a combo of something more elevated, like a flowy maxi dress or semi-formal gown, paired with a casual look. Two completely different moods, twice the variety in your gallery.

Colors That Work (and a Few That Don’t)

Gone are the days of everyone-in-khaki-and-white. Please. Instead, start with your outfit and pull one or two colors from it for everyone else.

Example: You’re wearing a floral with pinks, purples, and greens. Your daughter wears a pink dress, your son a green shirt, your husband a green and purple button-down. You coordinate without being matchy-matchy. It looks intentional and current, not like a 1994 Sears portrait.

A few things to avoid:

• Loud, busy patterns that compete with your faces
• Logos of any kind (they date the photos and distract)
• Sparkly or metallic lotions on your skin — they do weird things in photos

Accessories and Finishing Touches

Please don’t skip accessories. Belts, statement earrings, hats, bow ties, necklaces — these complete a look and add dimension to your images. A finished look in real life photographs like a finished look in your gallery.

If picking outfits stresses you out, two options: hire a stylist, or spend 20 minutes on Pinterest. Seriously. Search ‘family photo outfits’ or ‘maternity session outfits’ and screenshot what you love. Then shop from there.

Hair + Makeup: Look Like You on Your Best Day

The goal is not to look like someone else. The goal is to look like you, just polished and camera-ready. Here’s how to get there.

Consider a Professional

If budget allows, booking a professional for hair and makeup is genuinely worth it. You get to relax, feel taken care of, and show up already knowing you look great. That confidence? It shows in every single photo.

DIY Makeup Tips That Actually Help

• A light application of foundation or BB cream evens out your skin tone and reduces redness. Make sure it matches your actual skin tone — too light or too dark will be visible.
• Add mascara and even a soft lip color. Nothing dramatic. Just enough to help your features pop on camera.
• Not into makeup? Sephora often does free or low-cost applications. Just ask for a natural, soft look.
• Do not cake on foundation to cover a breakout. It’s easier to edit away a blemish than to fix overdone makeup in post.
• Keep lip balm in your pocket and reapply throughout the session.

Hair

• Getting a haircut? Do it 7-10 days before your session, not the day before. Give yourself time to get used to it.
• For men, a fresh cut 2-3 days before is perfect.
• If you’re shooting outdoors, bring bobby pins, clips, or a hair tie. Wind is real.

Everything Else

• Glasses: If people wouldn’t recognize you without them, wear them. To avoid glare, you can pop the lenses out of the frames for the session. Hollywood does it all the time.
• Teeth: If you want to brighten your smile, start whitening treatments 2-3 weeks out.
• Nails: A fresh manicure makes a difference, especially in close-up shots. Neutral colors work best. At minimum, make sure they’re clean and tidy.
• Facial hair: Men, a fresh shave with a new razor the morning of. If you have a beard, trim it and check for stray wires.
• Red eyes: Get some sleep, skip the drinks the night before, and grab moisturizing eye drops if needed.
• Skin: Start moisturizing nightly a week before your session. Focus on arms, shoulders, neck, and anywhere you’ll be showing skin. Skip anything with shimmer or sparkle in it.
• Sunburns and tan lines: Plan ahead. No beach or tanning salon the day before your shoot. Give yourself at least a week of buffer.
• Bloating: Ladies, skip the high-salt, high-fat foods for 2-3 days before your session. It matters more than you think for how you feel in front of the camera.
• Undergarments: Try your full outfit on before the day of, and move around. Sit down. Raise your arms. Make sure nothing is peeking out that shouldn’t be.
• Ironing: Iron the night before. Hang your clothes. Don’t wear your session outfit in the car if it wrinkles easily.

Day-of Logistics: The Practical Stuff

Arrive 15 Minutes Early

Give yourself time to park, get the kids settled, shake off the drive, and take a breath before we start. Sessions that start rushed rarely hit their stride until it’s almost over. Arriving a little early means you’re relaxed when the camera comes out.

Text Your Photographer When You Arrive

So you don’t wander around looking for each other. Simply get your photographer’s number when you book so you can text him or her when you arrive to get as much time to photograph as possible.

Props: Totally Optional, Always Fun

Props are completely up to you. But when they’re personal, they’re magic.

Think about what makes your relationship or this season of life uniquely yours. Some ideas:

• Engagement session: the coffee mugs from the shop where you met, a favorite book, a blanket you use every movie night
• Maternity: a pair of tiny shoes, the ultrasound photo, fresh flowers that match your nursery colors
• Graduation: your cap and gown, a favorite book from your major, something that represents what’s next
• Family session: a picnic basket, balloons in your colors, sports gear the whole family loves, a pet
• Fall or winter session: scarves, hats, blankets — cozy always photographs beautifully

If you’re stuck, Pinterest is your best friend here. Search your session type plus ‘prop ideas’ and screenshot what speaks to you.

The Most Important Tip: Confidence

Here’s the truth. Most people feel awkward in front of a camera. Even the ones who look totally natural in their photos. You are not behind. You are not bad at this.

My job is to guide you. I’ll give you direction, move you into poses that feel natural, and keep the whole thing fun and low-pressure. Everything else on this list, the outfits, the prep, the logistics, exists to help you feel confident when you show up. Because confidence is what makes great photos.

So do the prep, then let go of it. Trust the process. Show up. That’s all you need to do.

Go introduce yourself on Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok. I’ll be cheering you on from over here.

DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT!