Senior Photos 101: Glassless Glasses!

Senior Photos 101: Glassless Glasses!
Your Professor: Natasha Bouchette!
All this month we will be discussing various important advice for your Senior Portraits! Check back often to gain ideas for your big day!



Today's Advice: Glassless Glasses!

If you wear glasses then perhaps you have noticed a commonality amongst all your portraits: glass glare. Ugh. I know, right? We know you like your glasses and that they are an extension of you, and there is no reason why you should have to take them off for all of your Senior Photos (although we do take a few without them). So what do you do so that you can get the look you want without the glare? Remove the lenses.

That's right! It's that simple! Get out your handy dandy glass repair kit and find the itsy bitsy screwdriver in there and use it to remove the lenses from your glasses. Or, if you don't trust your unsteady hand, a lot of optometrists will lend you similar, empty frames for your Senior Photo Shoot! No one will ever notice that the glass was not in your glasses, and then you will be able to avoid a lot of glare.

Also, watch the photographer you book for your Senior Portraits. A lot of photographers, even professionals, have difficulty posing students with glasses and the pictures end up with white sun/flash glare where your eyes are supposed to be. This is unprofessional.
So do your part, or do your research!
　
Looking forward to speaking with you about your session

Timber Creek Photography

Senior Photos 101: Men & Makeup!

Senior Photos 101: Men & Makeup!
Your Professor: Natasha Bouchette!

All this month we will be discussing various important advice for your Senior Portraits! Check back often to gain ideas for your big day!



Today's Advice: Men & Makeup!

When I refer to makeup on men I am not not promoting the idea that guys come to our studio looking like Adam Lambert; although it looks good on him, it is difficult to pull off. And he wears too much eyeliner - a thin line is all you need. What I am actually referring to is hunting and sports makeup. OK, I have no idea what you call it but I am sure you know what I mean! That thick, black paste that you rub under your eyes before a baseball game, or the camo green you cover your face with when you hunt. Why don't you bring that stuff with you to your session?

Afterall, most guys bring their sports uniforms, and their camo and guns... but no makeup! If you REALLY want your portraits to look unique, and more realistic, please bring everything you have to make your outfit complete... we will do the rest.

Looking forward to speaking with you about your session

Timber Creek Photography

Senior Photos 101: MAKEUP OR BUST!

Senior Photos 101: MAKEUP OR BUST!
Your Professor: Natasha Bouchette!

All this month we will be discussing various important advice for your Senior Portraits! Check back often to gain ideas for your big day!

Today's Advice: MAKEUP OR BUST!

I know, I know, we are located in Mauston, Wisconsin; not exactly LA. Despite our location we still like to keep up with the current Senior Photo Trends. Guess what is hot right now? The Bold Look. That's right, no more soft, sweet, drab, pale, boring images... they are on the way out! What we need now are sharp lines, bright colors, and daring poses. Something that can help keep your photos bold and in style would be your makeup!

I actually sometimes wonder if anyone picks up a magazine. Don't you love Scarlett Johansson's red lipstick? Fergie's hot purple eyeshadow in her MAC campaign? Lady Gaga's fake eyelashes? Well, we do! If you really want your Senior pics to stand out YOU need to stand out. Afterall, these pics are of you; there is only so much we can do with lighting, posing and backgrounds so you need to bring it, girlfriend!

Thoughts for your makeup - Assuming you are planning on steering clear of the Natural look

Lip Color: Most people associate lipstick with Grandma, but there are some things that are never out of style. A little lip color or lip stain can go a loooong way in your photos. The color adds one more point of interest to your photos - sweet! Current trends are pointing toward pinks... both soft and hot.

Blush: Why did you buy that expensive makeup brush set if you aren't going to use your blusher?! Want a sweet, country girl look? Add some pink to the apples of your cheeks. Want a higher fashion look? Brush some dark tans on your face below your cheekbones. This thins your face and adds angles.

Eyeshadow: *Sigh* Wear it dark, wear it bright! Whatever you do, wear a LOT of it! When a flash of light goes off, it lightens your face, and your makeup! Apply double the eyeshadow you think you need so that when the flash goes off you won't look bare.

Eyeliner: Not always necessary but doesn't hurt! Watch your line thickness and opt for waterproof in case it rains.

Fake eyelashes: Hello! Every girl loves long lashes! Get some fakes at your local Wal-Mart! They are sure to open your eyes and add an incredible effect that most of your friends' images are missing.

If all of this sounds overwhelming, call a friend who knows what they're doing and ask them to do your makeup prior to your session. And be sure to bring your makeup with you just in case you need to reapply!

Looking forward to speaking with you about your session
Timber Creek Photography

Seniors: High Fashion Portraits

Timber Creek Photography is taking a brief break from Senior Photo Session Outfit Advice to bring you this announcement:

Senior portraits have evolved over the years. In fact, every year we have to adapt to the new trends, crops, lighting and poses that Seniors want in their Senior Portraits. As a professional photo studio we need to stay abreast of the current trends. When people think of Mauston, Wisconsin (where we are located) they don't necessarily associate the city with "trendy." However, Timber Creek Photography wants to change that. If there is any person, or any business in Mauston that needs to be ahead of the game it is a Senior Portrait Artist. We feel that photographers who avoid the trends because they "don't personally like them" are shooting themselves in the feet.

So, what's hot right now, you ask? High Fashion... High Fashion everything. The crops are unique, the colors are bold, the lighting is intense (you can see a before and after of one of our seniors above).

Timber Creek Photography prides itself on being trendy and creative. If that is how you want your Senior Portraits to look then you found your photographer!

Looking forward to speaking with you about your session!

Timber Creek Photography
www.timbercreekphoto.com
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Today's Outfit Advice: Your Skin Tone & Your Clothes

Senior Photo Outfits 101: Your Skin Tone & Your Clothes
Your Professor: Natasha Bouchette!

All this month we will be discussing various important outfit advice for your Senior Portraits! Check back often to gain ideas for your big day!

Today's Outfit Advice: Your Skin Tone & Your Clothes

Lets start with a makeup analogy and then move on to outfits! If you are young woman then the odds are that you have worn foundation at least once in your life. Have you ever mistakenly purchased the wrong foundation and ended up with a streaky face that just looks wrong? Your foundation didn't go with your skin! The same thing happens when we buy clothes that do not go with our skin! We end up looking pale and flat when we could be using our clothing colors to enhance our best features!

I will use myself as an example.

I learned years ago that blue is most certainly NOT my color. Ew. The beauty of my green eyes falls flat and my skin looks sickly. I wear bright, warm colors because: A. I love bright colors, B. They attract attention (yes, I am an attention seeker) C. The warm reds, oranges, yellows and hot pinks work best with my skin, and D. I only get complements on my clothes when I am wearing warm colors (I pay close attention). So, if everyone thinks I look my best in warm colors then that is what I wear!

What colors do people rave about when you wear them? If you have an honest friend, invite them over to judge your clothes when you hold them up to your face. Maybe they can tell you what looks best with your skin/hair/eyes. Or, go online and look up your skin tone to find colors of makeup and clothing that will work best for you! Wearing the right colors can make your eyes look bigger, your skin look brighter, your hair look less drab, etc. I hope this will come in handy when choosing your Senior session outfit!

Looking forward to speaking with you about your session

Timber Creek Photography

Senior Photo Outfits 101: You VS Your Mom Pt 2

Senior Photo Outfits 101: You VS Your Mom Pt 2
Your Professor: Natasha Bouchette!


Today's Outfit Advice: You VS Your Mom Pt 2
Yesterday we discussed how you and your parents may have conflicting ideas about your Senior Session. We are going to dive into that a bit more, but this time we will focus more on the outfits and less on the process.

Parents will prefer you wear clothes that are a little more formal. They will likely want you to remove your piercings, cover your tattoos, and cover your flesh. Excellent ideas, especially for yearbook photos and family photos. However, you may disagree on the subject. You paid a lot of money for your tattoos and piercings, you spent over $100 on your torn jeans, and you just bought the coolest pair of high heel boots and you NEED to show them off in your photos... Our advice is to compromise!

Seniors: Put yourself in your parents' shoes. They want to show all of their friends and relatives what a beautiful/handsome daughter/son they have. They don't want people to be looking at all the extra stuff you wore, they want them to look at your face. They want everyone to see that you got your dad's eyes and your mom's smile. Their friends could care less about your outfit. So bring ONE traditional outfit so that your mom and dad will be happy with your photos - those portraits will be hanging in their house forever.

Parents: Try to remember what it was like to be your son/daughter's age. You didn't care about impressing family! You wanted to look just as stylish and "in" as everyone around you. You flat-ironed your hair, wore bell bottoms, or maybe brightly colored leggings and funky skirts that your parents thought were ugly but you and your friends thought were totally, like, stellar!

Please allow your teenager to wear clothes they love. Afterall, the pictures are pictures of THEM. If the pictures don't express them then they won't like the pictures. Period. And Senior Pics are supposed to be a REALLY fun milestone for them! Allow them to bring the "in" clothes or the wild makeup. They want to give these pics to all their friends, post them on facebook, and show them off like their prom dresses or first cars! Allow them to be themselves so that they can have as much fun as they are supposed to have!

One last note: For an additional cost, tattoos and piercings can be removed from portraits.

Looking forward to speaking with you about your session

Timber Creek Photography
Website: http://www.timbercreekphoto.com/

Become A Fan!! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mauston-WI/Timber-Creek-Photography/125818769461

Senior Photo Outfits 101: You VS Your Mom

Senior Photo Outfits 101: You VS Your Mom
Your Professor: Natasha Bouchette!

All this month we will be discussing various important outfit advice for your Senior Portraits! Check back often to gain ideas for your big day!

Today's Outfit Advice: You VS Your Mom

Side Note: Today's Advice doesn't necessarily address outfits - but read on!

When it comes to the Senior Portrait Experience we receive feedback from two sources. One source would be you; you have your own ideas about your photo shoot. Those ideas usually involve serious poses featuring your most unique outfits; replicas of images you have seen in current movies and magazines. The other source of feedback would be your parents. Most of the parents prefer their son/daughter to be smiling in their pictures. They also choose poses featuring your simplest outfits and minimal makeup. There is absolutely nothing wrong with your desires, or your parents desires for your photo shoot. They are both valid. However, we really need to make sure that both parties are on the same page.

Seniors: Include your parents in the Senior Photo process. That means that when you are shopping around for a photographer, show your mom and dad the website images you like and tell them why you like them. This is not only important for you, but it is important for us! The current magazine trends feature purposely crooked images and multiple images with the model's head partially cropped out of the photo (Our own examples are above). When we follow this trend the Senior loves it, but the mom won't purchase the photo because their child's head is "cut off." Please make sure your parents know the Senior photo trends you like, and that your photographer might be trying them! There is nothing wrong with your mom and dad disliking the current trend, but we would really like to know about it in advance of your photo shoot so that we can please both you and your parents.

Parents: Please do your research! We consider ourselves to be a really fun, unique and current studio. We subscribe to Elle, ESPN, W Magazine, Seventeen, Vogue, Teen Vogue, and Professional Photographers Magazine. Every month we receive these seven magazines and page through to see how celebrities are having their photos taken and we do our research on the hottest photo trends!

Both of You: Our studio is no stranger to compromise. No matter what we will always include some "simple," "traditional" portraits in the Senior session. They are great for yearbook photos and usually get chosen for the home's wall portrait. But we want you to know that we will likely try some wild and wacky portraits to keep up with the photographers on the coasts. Current trends are so fantastic and we encourage you to keep up with them as well!!!

Looking forward to speaking with you about your session!

Timber Creek Photography