One of the most frequently asked questions is what to wear during a photo shoot. The answer is not that simple. In choosing the perfect outfit, there are a few steps to consider:

——————————

STEP 1- Wall Color
The first step in coordinating your outfits for your family shoot is knowing what color is the room you’re putting the picture in. For example, a room with Navy blue walls and hardwood floors would need a pop of a bright color. To go for a similar color scheme, blue’s complementary color is yellow. (As shown on the color wheel below)  My personal suggestion would go for “like colors” in the room. If you have accents of yellow and white, consider wearing a yellow shirt and light blue jeans.

——————————

STEP 2- Shoot Location
The location of your shoot is very important. By knowing where you are and what the surroundings will be like, can help you in deciding what you should wear. For example: Here at Townsley Portraits, we shoot at many parks. All the parks have 3 main colors: Green, Blue, and Brown. (Grass, sky, and dirt.) Saying this, wearing these colors will make you blend into the picture, instead of popping out. My suggestion for what to wear to all of our park locations is bright, bold colors. Let’s say that your portraits are being taken at the Santa Monica Pier. The main 3 colors at the Pier are: Tan, Grey, and White. Yes, there are a bit of light blues, because of the water; but overall, most colors at the Pier are muted neutrals. (Refer to the color wheel below.) By knowing what colors are at your shoot location, you should be able to find complimentary colors and easily make your picture beautiful and vibrant.

——————————

STEP 3- Avoid Matching
Having everyone wearing the same shirt with the same pants can sometimes make a beautiful picture look too uniform. By switching pops of color with each person, you can keep a fantastic color scheme while making it look classy and clean. For example: There’s a family of 4 getting their portraits taken at the Santa Monica Pier. There’s a dad, mom, daughter, and son. Room color: White and Navy. Accent color: Yellow.

——————————

An example outfit would be: 

Dad: White undershirt, Yellow over shirt, Dark Jeans, White sneakers

——————————

Mom: Yellow tank top, White ribbed tank, Navy cardigan, Light jeans, Yellow shoes

——————————

Daughter: Navy dress, yellow hair accessories, White sandals

——————————

Son: Navy shirt, White shorts, Yellow shoes, Yellow accessories

——————————

Notice how every member is wearing something different that is yellow. This allows the family to seem unified, while having subtle hints of individuality.

——————————

Step 4- Know Your Product

By knowing what you are planning on using these photos for can also play a key role in how to plan your wardrobe. If you want to use the pictures for Holiday cards, wearing red is most likely a preferred object. You can easily use the above method to incorporate red into each outfit. If these pictures are being used as spring décor, pinks and purples could be the defining characteristic in a statement canvas.

——————————

Step 5- The White Shirt and Jeans

Even though wearing white shirts and jeans is considered a “classic look”, and it can be people’s last resort if they cannot decide what would make the picture look timeless.  However, wearing white can actually be harmful to the picture due to natural light. Since we prefer to use gorgeous foliage as our backdrop, wearing neutral colors (tan, black, white, etc.) can take a potentially amazing picture and make it look dull. If it would be easier to wear the white shirt and jeans, my suggestion will be to create accents of color throughout each family member by using step 3.

By using these above steps, you and your family are guaranteed to look amazing in every single picture you take.

——————————

Quick Tips:

Props can add character to all pictures, and can make your shoot 100% more fun! Here at Townsley Portraits, we encourage, all sorts of awesome such as:  balloons, bubbles, flowers, etc.

Remember that pops of bright colors can significantly change any portrait.

Pets are a part of your family too! Though some locations don’t allow you to bring the furriest addition to your family, they are always more than welcome in our eyes and can make any family portrait complete.

If you do need any help or have any further questions or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to call our office! 323-786-6019

We can never forget the relationship milestones thanks to  that children’s song. You know, the one  where those kids insisted you and your crush were sitting in a tree, “K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

First comes love,
then comes marriage,
then comes a baby in a baby carriage.

While the next step often comes as a mystery to people, fortunately you know to schedule your Townsley Portraits Newborn Session for when your child is less than 2 weeks old.

No matter what stage in life you are at, we have the perfect session for you.

We currently offer:

Family Portrait Sessions

Engagement Sessions

Wedding Photography

Maternity Sessions

and starting this month, Newborn Sessions! 

Townsley Portraits’ new indoor studio has everything in order to make your newborn comfortable. 

Since newborns are often unpredictable, sessions often last 2-3 hours.

To schedule your session please visit www.townsleyportraits.com/schedule

For information about event pricing, please email adam@townsleyportraits.com

We here at Townsley Portraits would like to congratulate the Lawson Family.
Just days after their maternity session in Venice, Kokoa gave birth to Harlyn Monroe.
To jump start the newborn photography, we offered the Lawson family a compimentary session. Here are some of the highlights:

Whether you are looking to become the new Hollywood sensation or just looking for a great picture of yourself for your company profile, we have you covered. All headshots are are shot at our studio location, located at 1217 S. Holt Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90035. We shoot outdoors at many great locations around the building, as well as in our brand new indoor studio.

Session Information:

Headshot sessions are $250 per hour. The session includes 5 fully-retouched images. Extra images can be purchased for $25 per image. You will receive your images digitally as high-resolution jpegs as well as the digital rights of each imag

The standard headshot sessions break down to:

15 Minutes- Session (Outside + Indoor Studio)
15 Minutes- Review Photos
15 Minutes- 2nd Session (If you were not happy with the first session)
15 Minutes- Review Photos and Order
Other Information:
Groupon and other online vouchers are NOT applicable towards a headshot session. If you have purchased one of our online deals, please visit the contact section of our website to book your family portrait session.

If you have multiple outfit changes, please keep in mind each outfit you bring takes about 1 hour.

To book your headshot session, please visit www.townsleyportraits.com/schedule

We are moving on up…. literally. We moved up the stairs to suite #4.

Townsley Portraits now has a new client meeting area, more studio samples, and an all new indoor studio.

We have updated our cameras to a 5D Mark III with brand new lenses.

If you haven’t had a session with us in a while, come check us out!

To book your session, please visit www.townsleyportraits.com/contact

Are you looking for that special gift to give mom for Mother’s day? Well look no further. Give mom the gift that will last a lifetime. Schedule your photo session with Townsley Portraits today. Gift Certificates are available. Please call 323-786-6019 today!

Love is in the air… or is that just smog? Nevertheless, the last few months have been filled with great engagement sessions. Here are some of the highlights from Venice, LACMA, Pasadena City Hall, and the Santa Monica Pier.

Whether it be Venice, the Santa Monica Pier, Union Station, or any of our other locations, there will always be the nose picking or tantrum throwing at our family portrait sessions. Here are a few of the most memorable:

]]> http://townsleyportraits.com/2012/02/boogers-cryers-and-haters-in-los-angeles/feed/ 0 http://townsleyportraits.com/2012/01/farewell-la-cienega-park/ http://townsleyportraits.com/2012/01/farewell-la-cienega-park/#comments Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:00:19 +0000 stphotog1 http://stphotog1.photographyblogsites.com/?p=2391 Read More]]>

It is my misfortune to inform all of you that La Cienega Park is no longer available as a Townsley Portraits location.

The Beverly Hills Police Department recently informed us that photography sessions at any of the Beverly Hills parks is forbidden.

If you currently have a photo shoot scheduled for La Cienega Park, please consider Rancho Park as an alternative location.

Here is a look back at some of the great photo shoots at La Cienega Park. 

All new pictures have been added to our website.

You can check them out here or by checking out our Family Portrait Gallery.

—————————- 

If you have a Sunday photo shoot with Townsley Portraits, Stuart might be wearing a shinny new medal. Don’t worry, he doesn’t always walk around wearing a medal. In fact, he won it that morning. That’s right… after running a half marathon in the morning, Stuart still has a full day of photo shoots all afternoon. Be sure to comment on it… his legs are probably killing him.