Beautiful portraits that will be treasured for generations to come are our specialty, however, they do not just magically happen, it takes planning.  Our goal at Morgans’ is to combine our creative vision and photographic craftsmanship with your careful planning to create a visual piece of art that captures your family’s essence at this time in your lives.

It is vital in a family portrait that all are properly coordinated with the colors and style of clothing that will go along with the type of image you want to display in your home. You can imagine what it would look like if everyone just came in his or her “favorite” outfit, without considering the portrait as a whole.  The outfits become a distraction to the real reason for the portrait, a beautiful image of you and your loved ones that you are proud to display in your home. You don’t want the clothing to stand out more than your faces.

 For a more timeless portrait, casual or dressy, stay away from the trendy fashions, tight short skirts, sleeveless shirts, tank tops or clunky shoes.  All of these go “out of style” and later in life, these are the type of portraits that we all look back and laugh at, wondering how on earth we went out in public looking like that, rather than admiring it and treasuring the memories of that special time.

We will spend as much time as it takes to help you plan you session ahead of time. We will show you samples and discuss your desires in detail. We will go over where in your home you are wanting to display your portrait, what are you wanting that portrait to say about you and/or your family at this stage in your lives.  What are the colors in the room where this portrait will be displayed?  Do you prefer a more contemporary black and white portrait or a more traditional style?  Do you want it to show the special relationships in your family or maybe show what your family loves to do together?  Do you want to mat and frame your image or frame it without a mat? As you can see, there is a lot to planning that perfect piece of art that will be treasured for generations to come and we are available to walk you through each process.  Our goal is to see you with a tear of joy in your eye when you view your images and then we know we have captured your heart!

For your convenience we have put together some general suggestions. Keep in mind that our staff is always available to discuss any specific concerns, questions or ideas you may have.

Clothing tips:

Stay simple. Stay simple. Stay simple. V-necks and collarless outfits are best.  Coordinating the color of your tops may be done with all matching exactly or being sure that the tops are in the same color tone, either all light, all jewel tones, all denim etc.  The bottoms need to all be the same, all khaki, all light or dark jeans, all dark black or blue etc.  Don’t wear sleeveless tops because they make your arm look larger. The long sleeve solid tops look the best. 

Casual Portraits

Khaki, denim, black or white, plain blouses, shirts or sweaters go well with long skirts or pants. Please no writing on any of the shirts or sweaters. Horizontal stripes and patterns are very distracting and make you appear larger that what you are. Colors are fine, just be sure they are solid and coordinated with all in the group. Please remember some of these portraits will be full length, so be sure that your shoes and socks go with your outfit.

Formal Portraits

For the more traditional portrait, a suit or sport coat with tie is good.  Medium to dark colored sweaters photograph well also.  Dress from head to toe, your pants or shoes may show in the finished photographs, especially when photographing large groups. When selecting clothing, be sure that all are in the same color/tone scheme.  For instance, if all are in dark to medium tones and one has a huge white collar on their dress, you can see how that will stand out and be very distracting. No bold patterns or writing on the clothing.

Women

Soft, natural make up is best but apply it a little darker like you were going out for a special evening.  Even in the outdoor portraits, if your makeup is too light, your face may tend to look washed-out.  Add a little more mascara and a nice soft color on your lips.

Men

You must be clean-shaven.  A 5 o’clock shadow is very difficult and costly to remove.  Either shave before you get here or you can bring an electric shaver to the studio with you.

Eyeglasses

Dealing with eyeglasses is one of a photographer’s biggest problems.  To light you so that you look your best, it’s not always best for the glare it creates in your glasses hiding your beautiful eyes. If you wear glasses all the time, you will want to wear them in your portraits.  Since glass glare and face distortion on some shaped lenses is nearly impossible to avoid, please bring along an empty pair of frames similar to your own for your session. Many opticians will loan/rent you a pair of frames for a couple of hours or they can remove your lenses temporarily for your session. This will avoid any extra charges to remove glass glare.