Tips for timing, choosing a location, outfits, makeup and more!

Portrait Session

PLANNING YOUR graduation

to THE MAIN WEBSITE

We’re so excited to be working with you and we can’t wait for our time together during your session. It’s normal to be a little anxious about your session. You're a busy student with quite a few things on your plate. 

That's actually one of the reasons why we put together this guide. It covers things to keep in mind when it comes to choosing a location, outfits, and more. 

Hopefully it helps you feel fully prepared for our time together, but should you have any other questions or if you need advice, please feel free to reach out!



- jody ann

We’ve found that there isn’t a “good” or “bad” time to take your photos. We normally plan sessions based on a particular “look” our clients have in mind, spring flowers for example, or based on schedules. 

Sessions typically last about an hour and a half to two hours and begin about two hours before sunset. We prefer to shoot when the sun is lower in the sky to avoid squinty eyes, harsh shadows and bright sun patches. 

We schedule sessions during what we believe will be the best light of the day - which means that it’s super important to be on time. If you’re late to an evening session, we could run out of light before we’ve finished shooting all the outfits and poses.

Is there a "good" time to take photos? 

TIME & LIGHT

Locations

our favorite places to shoot

We love to make recommendations for locations based on the questionnaire replies you give us. From grassy fields to mountain ranges to waterfalls, creek beds and urban streets, the options for session locations are endless! 

Drumheller Hoodoos
Waterton Lakes
Red Rock Canyon
Elbow Falls
Big Hill Springs Park
Sunflower Fields
Tree Farm
Flower Field
Saskatoon Farm
Big Rock Okotoks



adventure*

High Park
 Stephen Avenue
Central Library
Inglewood
Kensington
Downtown Rooftop
Glenmore Boat Docks

URBAN

Shannon Terrace
Bebo Grove
Pearce Estate Park
Hulls Wood
Sikome Lake
Confederation Park
Nose Hill
Fish Creek
Anne & Sandy Cross
Weaselhead Flats
Glenmore Resevoir/Boat dock
Douglasdale Ridge


water & PArks

Barrier Lake
 Big Horn Lookout
Quarry Lake (beach too!)
Glenbow Ranch
Waterton 


Mountain View*

The above locations are all beautiful but we also love exploring meaningful locations with our families! Do you have a farm, horse barn, cabin or hobbies where you spend your time?

*Keep in mind, certain locations have a travel fee and park fees.


My goal is to capture authentic images of your children and you. Select clothes that reflect your personal style and taste rather than forcing yourselves into something trendy or outside of your comfort zone. The more comfortable you are, the more comfortable you’ll look in your photos.

I have several resources to help you find and coordinate outfits to save you stress and time. Along with this guide to give you tips on what and what not to wear, below is my Pinterest Examples.

tips for success

what to wear:

on to the next

browse style examples

on to the next

We recommend picking outfits that can be flowy and show a lot of movement for the girls which can create magical images. 

Flattering fits: Accentuate what you love and don't hide your entire body. A shift dress can create unflattering illusions, instead, select a flowy wrap maxi that accentuates your curves without being too form fitting. 

For boys, you can’t go wrong with a crisp button up. Or consider layering a blazer or sweater with jeans with this look.

Be careful not to choose a pattern that is too small - it may accidentally make your photo look a little too busy. or create a "moire" effect in images.

Softer, pastel colors tend to photograph better than bright colors - especially since bright colors could reflect on your skin. 
 

Choosing Outfits

for everyone

We think it’s so important that you look and feel your best for your photos. Investing in professional hair and makeup can go a long way towards creating photos you love for years. 

Professionally done hair & makeup last longer than typical hair & makeup. They also tend to hold up better in humidity and wind. If you’re planning to do any spray tans or waxing, schedule those for a few days before the session to give your skin time to recover. 

If you go this route, we recommend our preferred vendor for $100 fr either hair or makeup or $175 for both. Message for details.



Hair & Makeup

for the ladies

on to the next

We never over-schedule ourselves so that we can give each client the time and attention they deserve, but also, so we can have the freedom to move our sessions around with the kooky Calgary weather that is always so unpredictable! Coordinating schedules can be tough and we’ve found that the best way to make sure our grads get the look they have in mind for their photos is to keep our schedule open and keep in touch as we get closer.

We’ll check in the week before your session to confirm the time & location we’re meeting and the weather. We know it takes a lot of time to get ready for session and it’s the worst to get dressed up, do makeup and hair, then drive out to your session only to have it rain. Let us know what works best for you, but if the weather looks like it won’t be great, we typically try to make the call at least 12 hours in advance. 

Inclement Weather

what to do if it rains

When it comes to posing for your session, you don’t need to worry about a thing! We’ll guide you through the entire process beginning with “poses” that are super easy and natural. If we tell you to do something that feels a little funny, it’s probably because we know it’s going to make you laugh - and that’s the photo we’re actually looking for. 

Throughout your session, we’ll keep an eye on your hair, makeup and outfits to make sure things stay in place. We want you to feel as relaxed as possible and enjoy our time together! 

"What do I do with
 my hands"?

"What do I do
 with my hands"?

POSING

Yes, you are welcome to print the images on your own from ordered digital files. If you do this, we recommend making sure that the printer does not color correct the images (many automatically do this.) We also recommend looking for a high quality printer. While 10 cent prints sound great in theory, the cheaper printing quality often won’t do your images justice. Paper quality, color correction and a handful of other factors play a big role in the way your prints turn out. This is one of the reasons why we LOVE offering prints to our clients. 

A:

Can I print the images on my own?

q:

We will make sure we capture your family thoroughly. Most families should expect to receive at least 45-60 images following their session for order selection. 

A:

How many images will I have to select from?

q:

For order and selection, the gallery viewed at your ordering session.
We guarantee that your final images will remain in an online gallery for at least a year. While your galleries may stay up longer than that, we cannot guarantee it. Once your galleries have been delivered, we highly recommend downloading all high resolution images to several devices. Consider investing in a portable, waterproof external hard drive.

A:

How long will I have access to the gallery?

q:

While turnaround times can vary by season, we aim to deliver all images within three weeks of your session. 

A:

When will I receive my gallery?

q:

Frequently

asked

Questions

You are absolutely welcome to share images on social media. To ensure that our work is properly represented, we ask that you refrain from sharing unedited previews or adding any edits. We also appreciate image credits and tags as they help us to continue to grow as a business. Please remember that screen shotting images and removing watermarks is a violation of policies and copyright.

A:

Can I share the images on social media? 

q:

By default, the creators of images always own the rights to the images. However we’ll give you a release to use, print and share your images. The only thing you won’t be able to do is sell your image as a stock photo. We won’t do this either without your written permission. 

A:

Do I own the rights to the images?

q:

We typically plan about 90 minutes for sessions. While we likely don’t need to be shooting this entire time, this does give us the flexibility for location changes, and time to warm up. 

A:

How long should we plan for the session to take?

q:

We edit all ordered images to our standards you see online. We also do light retouching on all of our images. This means that if there are any glaring objects that should be removed (such as a scratch or pimple,) we’ll remove it. Larger edits (such as removing tan lines,) require more time and would require us to add additional editing hours to your collection.  

A:

Will you retouch our images? 

q:

We reschedule! We would much rather have happy and healthy clients than stick to a strict date. Together we will select another day within 2 weeks of the original date to achieve the same style & look. 

A:

what happens if i'm sick?

q:

We book our sessions weekday evenings with 1-2 Saturdays available a month on a FCFS basis. Sessions are scheduled up to two hours before sunset.

A:

What do I need to know about booking times and location options?

q:

As soon as possible after your session is complete, we’ll back up your images and begin the editing process. Unless we have a holiday closure, you can expect to receive your gallery for order & selection between 1-2 weeks and final edits within another 1-2 weeks after your session. Albums and Wall Art timelines vary. 

Your Images

When to Expect

We’re big believers that images aren’t meant to solely exist in a digital space. One day, most likely, Instagram will be gone, your phone will be replaced and images that you can physically hold in your hand will be the best way to remember those precious moments we captured. 

Think about this fact: fifteen years ago, if we had delivered you digital images, they would have been on a floppy disk. With the fast updates to technology, you would have no way to access those images today. Even the online galleries we deliver will eventually fade away. 

But prints? Those last. I bet your family still has images from your grandparents (maybe even great grandparents.) And that was likely from a time period when cameras were expensive and prints were harder to come by. 

Bring Your Images to Life with 

prints

Perfect for those who value legacy. These heirloom albums are a great way to house a large number of images in a beautiful way. Leave them on display as coffee table books or protect them with a keepsake box. 

Albums

Our framed and matted prints are the perfect way to fill your walls with memories. With a variety of frames to choose from, we’ll help you select the perfect image pairings for your space. 


Prints & Wall Art

Details for ordering will be delivered with your gallery

Easy to hang and easy to change out. Canvases are one of our favorite ways to decorate a space. They also work great on little easels placed around the home. 

Canvases

We know that this guide is long and hopefully it covers everything you need to know to prep for your portrait session. However if there is something we missed, or you need a recommendation feel free to email us. 

jodyann@jacphotography.ca

Thank you!