Portrait Session Guide

Photography
Written By Christian Aniceto

So you’ve booked an appointment and are ready to feel like a model! Well if this is our first session together, or maybe your first photoshoot shoot in general, I’ve got some nuggets of knowledge to help you prepare. But before we begin, I just want to say thank you for choosing me to capture your story. I promise I’ll be doing everything on my end to ensure we have a smooth and flowy photoshoot!

Location

All of my shoots will be done on-location. I unfortunately do not own a studio space, however I still own lighting equipment that will be used each session.

So Christian, where are we shooting?

The beauty of where we live, is that we can find any kind of atmosphere in a reasonably short distance from each other! Now if you already have a specific location that you would like to shoot at, perfect. Ultimately, you’ll have greater joy in a place that is decided by you. If not, I have plenty of suggestions with references. I prefer using more remote locations such as trails, regional parks, private beaches (if accessible), and forests, as we would not have to worry about having uninvited guests in our shots :). If you would like to shoot in your own home, we can 100% do that! It is important that when it comes to picking a location, that it makes sense. Meaning, if we’re doing a graduation shoot, it wouldn’t make much sense that we shoot at Laguna Beach. The photos would look amazing no doubt! But, it’s missing that connection as to what that moment means. More than likely, we’d shoot that on your campus, the sports stadiums, the downtown area that you and your friends hungout at before/after class, your apartment/room, locations that you would pass by and say “Back in when I was in college…”. Below I have listed some suggestions for portrait photography locations in Southern California that I feel provide their own texture’s and charm. If you have any suggestions that you feel should be added, feel free to comment below!

Beaches

  • Victoria Beach, Laguna Beach, CA

  • Wood’s Cove, Laguna Beach, CA

  • Matador Beach, Malibu, CA

  • Crystal Cove, Laguna Beach, CA

  • 1000 Steps Beach, Laguna Beach, CA

  • Venice Beach, CA

Parks/Trails

  • Carbon Canyon Regional Park, Brea, CA

  • Hillcrest Park, Fullerton, CA

  • Ralph B Clark Regional Park

  • Brea Dam, Fullerton, CA

  • Panorama Trail, Fullerton, CA

  • Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA

  • Runyon Canyon, Los Angeles, CA

City/Urban

  • Downtown Fullerton, CA

  • Downtown Brea, CA

  • Old Town Orange, CA

  • ARTIC Train Station, Anaheim, CA

  • Yost Theatre, Santa Ana, CA

  • The Lab Anti-Mall, Costa Mesa, CA

  • Downtown Los Angeles, CA

What do I wear?

Now that we’ve figured out where our session will take place, let’s figure out what to wear. Depending on the occasion of this shoot, we want to figure out how “dressed-up” we will be. With other occasions such as graduations, that will obviously have a cap and gown. But that doesn’t mean you can’t rock some style to go along with such a uniformed look! For intimate shoots such as engagements, you will want to be dressed up for a date night or something similar to that. You don’t want to be “twinning” or matching, but instead wearing colors or clothes that have complimentary colors. In relation to the location, if the area we will be shooting in is very colorful and vibrant, you’ll want to pick colors that are a bit more neutral and “dull”. This is because with how colorful the background will be, the eyes can be a bit distracted as to what they want to focus on in the picture. You’ll want to contrast and pop out of the background and be the center of the story! Vice versa, if the background is a bit dull and calm, throwing in some bright and radiant colors will really make you stand out and pop. I would avoid wearing busy patterns if there is already a lot of texture in the location. The rules of what to wear are very loose, I believe you should wear what you are comfortable in. However, this is that balance of making an image look more photogenic and natural. When it comes to photography, creating things that look like it was intentional is definitely a rule I try to go by. So if you do want to bend any rules such as “matching the location”, bend that to the limit. Really contrast the surroundings, it will provide such a dramatic and different look. It shows the planning and preparation done for the shoot :).

Props

DEFINITELY! Anything that highlights who you are, and how you want to present yourself to everyone else is totally welcome! It adds that extra layer that allows us to get to know you better.

Pets?

DUH! I love animals. All they want is our love and to just live the most carefree and joyful life. They are such big parts of our lives, while we are their whole lives. Fur babies are more than welcome to join! I keep some dog treats with me in my car just in case :).

Is that it?

One more thing… GET A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP! You will want to be fully rested for our session! Pictures last a forever and you’ll want to be awake and feeling like a million bucks (although in this economy, not sure if that’s still a good thing). You’ll want to eat at least an hour before, don’t want to be hangry on set! That’s about it! I run a very flowy and laid back shoot. If there are any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to contact me! See you soon!

-Christian

Christian Aniceto