Claude J. Gagnon has photographed thousands of families and prides himself on making sure nothing is left to chance.  A free pre-session clothing consultation is available upon request.  Also, ask for our written information on helpful tips to make your family portrait the very best that it can be.  Your family portrait can be planned to fit the decor of the room in which it will hang.  Whether your  family is photographed in our studios, or in a location of your own, you can rest assured that we will do it right the first time.

Portrait session preparations

“Proper planning permits a perfect portrait…”

Colours

Since we are creating a portrait to hang in your home, we must take the same care when choosing colours in your portrait as you would when selecting a carpet or curtains.  We should co-ordinate the same basic colours of a room into your portrait to create harmony for the room, rather than hastily producing “just another picture”.  A well-planned portrait will be treasured for years.

Clothing

The proper selection of clothing makes the difference.  Avoid bright colours and patterns as they command too much attention.  Every member of the family should have the same attention, therefore subtle clothing is recommended.  Simple, classic outfits are the best, as they will not date your portraits.  Families should co-ordinate type and colour of clothing.  Please avoid stripes, big figures and “too loud and busy” clothing.   Outfits with “V” necks and sleeves are always best.  Rusts, mauves, middle-blues, gentle greys, salmons, middle-greens, middle-browns, burgundy and rose are good.  Also remember that light colours are broadening and dark colours are slimming.
 
White, light pastels, like pale pinks, yellows or blues and navy blues, dark greens, dark browns, blacks, as well as fluorescent colours are generally bad in a group portrait, unless everyone is wearing the same colours.  Example: Co-ordinating baby blue with white can be beautiful if everyone in the group is wearing the same colours.  Also, bright reds gain attention in a group as will white worn by only one person.  These may be recommended for young children to make up for the smaller space they occupy.  Our consultation appointment will help you make the proper decisions.  Feel free to bring in your clothing to the consultation.  We'll be happy to assist you.

Expression

Expression is the most important element in your portrait, so it is imperative that you let our photographer capture the natural expressions from each subject.  Let your expression be natural. Almost everyone is a little nervous; that's to be expected.  But if you will just be yourself and let the expression flow naturally, your portraits will be great.  If your facial expression feels forced, it will look forced.
  When little ones are involved, it is important that the parents do not prompt their children for days prior to the session to make sure to “SMILE”.  This tends to create fake, unnatural smiles.  Just tell them that a nice person is going to take “our picture” and that it is going to be “lots of fun”.  It is a lot easier for our photographer to work with children who have not been pre-conditioned or “threatened” by well-meaning parents.

Glasses

  I f you wear glasses all the time, you should wear them in your portrait.  Since the light will glare on the lenses, it is important that you borrow a pair of frames from your eye doctor that are like your own or very similar.  This is especially true for outdoor sessions.  If this is impossible for you to arrange, be sure to check to see if you can pop the lenses out yourself.
  Additional artwork required when you have glare on your portraits is an added expense to you.  Why not prevent the problem before the session?

Make-Up

Women should wear the normal amount of make-up, accenting a little extra on the eyes.  A powder base can be helpful to avoid any shiny or oily appearance on the face.  Our studio does offer make-up services, if so desired.  However, it must be pre-arranged and is offered at an additional cost.

Beards

Men should shave prior to the appointment in order to avoid a “five o'clock shadow” which is impossible to remove in the portrait.