This is probably the number one question we get asked! For portraits, we find that simple and timeless clothing choices are best. It is recommended to avoid busy patterns, logos and large designs on your clothing. You may be formal or casual, it’s up to you.

For the most part, solid colors work best, with fabrics that hang nicely whether you are standing or seated. Medium to darker colors contrast nicely to your skin tone in order to accentuate the faces in the portrait.

For a pleasing family portrait, we encourage you all to coordinate, but it is up to you if you want to wear matching colors. We welcome you to bring more than one change of clothing, if you like, but we always recommend starting with your preferred outfit, in case we don’t get to the next round of clothes. Often, families will coordinate by wearing a similar color palette, like blues & greens, or neutrals like khaki & tan mixed with a splash of color.

Generally, it is best to coordinate, but not match perfectly. Think in terms of color harmony, rather than being matchy-match. A mix of colors and textures, medium tones to dark tones, is best. Classic solids, knit textures, some small plaids. Classic studio portraits look best using medium to dark colors, often a mix of jewel tones (royal blue, forest green, ruby red, maroon) in order to accentuate the faces in the portrait.

I suggest avoiding wearing white shirts, as many clients have found it washes out their complexions. For fair complexions, choose colors darker than the skin. For darker complexions, choose a medium toned wardrobe. 

A mix of textures adds interest to your portraits. Consider knits, lace, mixed with smooth fabrics. 

For a formal look, dresses are the best. Choose fabrics that are not too fussy since most kids don't sit still! Choose dresses that flair out and cover up undergarments, avoiding narrow straight dresses that might hike up when seated. Shoes are optional, as most children under age 3 prefer bare feet, and it's preferable to see the bottoms of bare feet than the soles of the shoes. Tights and shoes can look nice with formal attire. Bare feet is nicest for casual attire. We will start the session with the outfit you want the most, and if the child cooperates, we may get to 1 (maybe 2) more clothing changes, but assume that we may only get one outfit. As always, avoid writing of any kind on the shirt, as it is rare to get the perfect shot to read it. Also, please be sure to remove chipped for broken nail polish. 

Solids, stripes, plaids and jeans are great for little boys. Button down oxford shirts (in colors other than white) and polo shirts with long or short sleeves work great. For formal attire, choose outfits that are not overly fussy. A fancy suit jacket, vest and bow tie are adorable, but they get disheveled rather fast with a small child who won't sit still! Consider a bow tie and a classic shirt, and maybe a sweater vest, which maintains it's shape much better. We will start the session with the outfit you want the most, and if the child cooperates, we may get to 1 (maybe 2) more clothing changes, but assume that we may only get one outfit. As always, avoid writing of any kind on the shirt, as it is rare to get the perfect shot to read it. 

Especially for adults, we often find that long sleeved attire is best. This way, we focus on your faces (to highlight your expressions!) rather than on the exposed skin of your arms. For children, the reverse is true. We love seeing their full body expression from head to toe, and it’s fun to see the bare arms and bare feet.

With our younger subjects, we most often use a clean white backdrop for our studio sessions. This ‘high key’ background is a fresh modern look and works well for all kinds of clothing, including whites, denims, khakis or bright & colorful clothing.  For a family grouping, we typically use one of our hand-painted, neutral-toned backdrops to accommodate most any home decor. Our favorites include a chocolate brown, charcoal grey and coffee cream color for family portraits. The darker ‘low key’ background is great for striking black & white portraits and works best with darker clothing (even black) so that the face is the focus of the portrait. In general, it’s best to let us know if you have a preference for a particular style in advance so that we are prepared when you arrive.

Hands down, my favorite children's clothing seller is Janie & Jack. They have the best classic clothing for children, both formal and casual. Their styles are timeless classics, and not trendy, which is always my preference for portraits.  

For all ages, I find that you can't go wrong with Ralph Lauren. Once again, they have simple yet classy basics which are ideal for portraits. They even have a line of clothes for babies, too. Be sure to avoid any items that do have large designs or writing on them. 

The short answer is no. Quite honestly, the best and most natural smiles occur when a child is genuinely happy. The ‘cheese’ approach often results in forced smiles and does not always represent a child’s true joy. I find it works best to think about favorite songs or funny stories that can be shared, in order to naturally elicit the best expressions. When a child recalls a funny moment, they will naturally smile!

Children will be children. Their behavior is unpredictable! Allow me to do my magic to make the session fun, but focused with the goal of capturing awesome portraits. It is often a game to coax a child to do what we need them to do. Please don't scold them, and allow me to draw out their personality in a positive manner. Come armed with with funny stories or favorite songs to put a child into a mindset that makes them laugh. I find the best expressions come out of real joy, not forced cheesy smiles on demand. And remember that we may only get to one outfit, so choose which one you want the most. 

Yes, absolutely. Every portrait you choose to order will be individually enhanced and cleaned up. We get it, kids are active, so not to worry! In those cases when your child decides to add a giant pirate tattoo to his arm, we can handle that too! The only kind of thing we can’t fix are when some kind of boo-boo alters the shape of the eye or face… like when your child gets punched by his big brother and is sporting a big shiner.

I get it! You want to look your very best. Trust me that I will make sure you look great. And honestly… if you follow our clothing suggestions and wear solid colors with long sleeves, I can make sure we see what we want to see and hide what we don’t. I truly want you to look your best, or you’re not going to want the portraits! And it’s my job to make you look great.

If you always wear glasses, then of course it is best to photograph you wearing glasses. Non-glare lenses are best suited for portraits. If you only occasionally wear glasses, it’s often preferable to go without so your eyes are best seen. 

Generally speaking, we prefer that you refrain from any picture-taking during your session…. after all, we take the time and care to set everything up for that perfect portrait! However, that being said, we understand that social media is a big part of our lives and if an opportunity were to arise where you were able to capture a fun behind-the-scenes shot, we are all for that. And if you do, we’d LOVE it if you tagged us in the post!

Your investment starts at $200 for a regular child or family session at the studio. Included in your initial investment is Bobbie’s time and talent during the session and a personalized follow up consultation to assist you in making your portrait order selections.

No, the session fee is the same for a small or large family. In your portrait session, we look to capture a variety of combinations, including individual portraits and groups. We generally prefer not to mix two or more families together in a single session unless the primary goal is to capture one large group shot.

Full sessions run approximately 60 minutes. Typically, a child being photographed runs out of steam after about an hour. Generally it’s best to allow for a short break for snacks, feedings and/or wardrobe change. We ask that you be on time, but not early. I often have a scheduled appointment just before or after your reserved time and do not wish to overlap. 

We understand that personal emergencies, illness or inclement weather sometimes require sessions to be rescheduled. We kindly ask that you provide as much notice as possible in order to make that time slot available to other clients. Cancellations or postponements less than 48 hours prior to your session may result in a cancellation fee.

Approximately one week following your session, we invite you into the studio to review all of your images, assist you in making your selections and to place your order. With any family group session, we strongly recommend that one family member act as the lead decision maker to attend the viewing & ordering session in the studio for selecting the group shot, as we do not post the photographs on the web. If there are multiple families participating in the portrait session, we generally recommend that each family schedules their own private viewing to select the portraits of their own family. We are happy to accommodate you in the evening for these appointments.  In the case of out of town families, we are able to arrange a screen share appointment to accommodate a remote or ‘virtual’ meeting.

While I may photograph dozens of captures in a given session, not all are keepers. I will capture as many images as necessary in order to present you with a strong body of images. Depending on the number of family members and/or group combinations in the session, we will present you with the best 30-40 images in order to simplify your selection process

It’s entirely up to you how much you decide to invest in from your session, choosing from our gift portraits, framed wall art pieces, canvas wraps or custom hardcover books & albums. We offer personal, gift & desk sized portraits which range from $65 to $125. Our signature hand-finished wall art pieces are from $450 all the way up to life-size. Most clients will typically invest $1200 or more on portraits from a portrait session. 

Yes, of course, in any amount you wish. Wouldn’t you love to receive a gift certificate toward portraits of your loved ones?

Of course! In fact, we encourage you to come visit the studio in advance of your session, to preplan your session and to get to know us. We invite you to see our work and discuss your wishes for a successful portrait session. We recommend that you schedule a specific date and time with us so that we are able to give you our fullest attention.