I have given a lot of thought to the idea of being a portrait and wedding photographer. I fully understand that brides are busy and want to get to the heart of relevant content quickly. I also know that moms looking for a baby photographer, may not want to sort through piles of wedding photos.

I have thought about branding as two completely separate identities, as Tofurious suggests. I have decided against it because:

• I am a one and a quarter person company (more on this to come), and can not maintain two separate businesses separately without sacrificing time with my camera, or interacting with my clients.
• I want my blog to represent who I am, and part of that is being both a wedding and portrait photographer.
• I believe the two areas I specialize in are very closely related.  Engagement sessions are portraits.  At weddings, photographers pose families and capture moments of children.  Whether it be a maternity photo session, or a wedding, it is all about capturing moments and emotion.

In an effort to make things easy for my clients, I aim to keep very clear navigation on my site, making it quick to view whatever portfolio you like.  I also have a search bar on the left where viewers can put in engagements, weddings, or babies to see posts just on what they are interested in.

In the near future, I do plan to put up two separate websites, one for my portrait clients and another showcasing my wedding photography, both as links from my blog.  The sites will allow clients to immerse themselves in the specialty they are interested in.  My blog is what I see as the core of my site.  It will remain as is (except hopefully updated more often) with weddings, portraits, personal photos, random thoughts, and advice.

Style: Some families prefer more posed portraits while others want someone to capture candids during a little part of their day. Look over the photographer’s work and make sure your ideas mesh. If you have specific ideas of what you want talk to your photographer before booking the session.

Time of Day: If you have a toddler that always naps from noon to two, schedule for early in the morning or late in the afternoon. You may have a job that keeps you up late, and feel your best in the afternoon. If you are doing outdoor portraits, morning and evening light are very different. Mid-day sun can sometimes be harsh. Most photographers will know how to work with different light but you may have a preference.

Weather and Environment: I try to make recommendations for photography locations based on the families ages but every child is different. My daughter can not stand to be hot but a little bit of a cool breeze and she can still be happy. Some little ones can be some place that requires more quiet, where others have to be free.

Dress: Much of what I talk about in my engagement photography post applies here too. Be comfortable, don’t clash but no need to coordinate, and be yourself!

Food and other Needs: When scheduling portrait sessions, especially with babies, I keep in mind that they will need to stop to have a diaper change, to nurse, or have a snack. With toddlers, they may just need a little break to run wild or be quiet. Bring snacks, extra jackets, and changes of clothing. If you have a newborn, you may want to have an extra shirt for yourself too.

Communication: Let the photographer know if your two year old likes to run at the camera (like mine), or you have an expression that you make and don’t like. Chatting and feeling comfortable really helps create great family portraits.

Dress in something that represents you. Think about where we are photographing when you choose your outfit. High heels and a dress may not work well if you want photos in a field, unless you are a kick off your shoes and run barefoot type.

Talk to each other before dressing. You don’t need to match your fiance but you shouldn’t clash. You’ll want to be about the same formality. One of you in a suit, and one in your favorite ripped jeans might look silly. Being a little aware of how your colors go together is good too.

Avoid clothing that will over power the photograph. I had business portraits done last year and wore a top that was patterned with bold flowers all through my mid-section. If you are a size 2 this might be okay and give the illusion that you have more curves. On me, it draws attention to my mid-section and the pattern is just too bold, drawing attention away from my face. I still really like this shirt but not for photos. Logos, even small ones, and writing are even worse.

Think about color. Most people look best in certain colors. Black is a difficult one for photos. For some it works okay, but it can wash out pale skin. It also tends to fade and show every little piece of lint.

Break the rules. Always feel free to bend, twist, or break the rules. Maybe your fiance always wears bright blue polka dots suits, and you love all black. Then this is who you are and by all means express it!

When in doubt, bring a couple of outfits or at least shirts. Email me, or comment on this post, if you have specific questions.

Deanna, of Deanna Russell Photography, is so much fun to work with. She seems to feel about the same as I do about being in front of the camera. I try to use the experience to imagine what my clients feel like, and to improve my communications skills as a photographer. A gigantic part of my job as a photographer is interacting with my clients and making them feel at ease. When I first started out I thought the end product, the photos, was all it was about. Now I realize the experience is just as important!

Our house can be a bit hectic in the mornings. I am so used to it, that it never even occurred to me until my mom, who is visiting, commented on her first morning. I tend to wake up while my hubby is in the shower, sometimes our little girl is the culprit waking me up. Other times she sleeps deeper than ever laying across our queen size bed, as the morning light starts to roll in. Once she is up, I go downstairs and get food ready for my hubby so he can squeeze in a few minutes with the little one. Even if it involves a diaper changes, it’s still time together. Downstairs it’s breakfast to go for hubby, lunch in a box, breakfast for the furry ones, toddler in the high chair and finally some food for me.

I do all this in a very sleepy state.

This morning it was all of a sudden 8:15 by the time the routine was done, and I realized I needed to get ready for my portrait session. I put on a bit of extra mascara and change my outfit a couple times, since I was about to get a turn being on the other side of the camera. Almost ready, I told my daughter I had to go out and take pictures. She ran to the closet I keep my gear in and said “camera”. I took a few minutes to show her the photos (of her) still on the memory card, which just made her smile.

A bit later, I met Deanna Russell, a photographer friend, at Jenkins Estate. We did a business portrait swap. Getting in front of the camera for a photographer always feels a bit odd. We explored the park a little bit, and found some great buildings to use as backgrounds for our portraits. Here is one of my favorites portraits of Deanna.