christopher john photography: Blog

How to prepare for your photo session

(christopher john photography) — Fri, 05 Mar 2021 20:16:55 GMT

What’s meant to be a fun, memorable event can quickly become a stressful, panic-inducing nightmare. All too often people spend the day before their photo session running around with last minute preparations. Having your family’s photo taken by a professional is a unique experience, so it’s important to plan in advance to avoid any unnecessary stress.

Talk to your kids beforehand

Kids are smart and they love feeling grown-up and informed. Get your children interested and involved by explaining the plans for the day. Show them the outfits you have picked out or let them be involved in the clothing selection process. Tell them Mr. Chris (a fun guy, lol) is coming over and that’s it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Decide on a reward

Sometimes a little bribery is necessary to make sure things go smoothly during your session. If you would like to try an extra incentive to keep your kids calm, pick a reward beforehand that you would be comfortable following-through with after the session is over. If your kids like ice cream for example, we can talk about using ice cream as a bargaining tool with the kids when they need to smile more, sit still, or pay attention. By the way, I always travel with bubbles, monkeys and other various props and rewards in order to get the children to focus.

Ensure everyone is well fed and rested

Make sure to get as much sleep as possible, and don’t forget your breakfast and lunch depending on the time of the photo session. I dont travel with food because of allergies. Bring some extra goodies for the kids in case they get restless. Preserve your energy for the session so that everyone is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed with smiling faces.

Trust ME!

I know how stressful it can be to get a family portrait done, but it doesn’t have to be that way! The first 15 minutes is the most important part of our session. It's when I get to know the family and gain trust with the children. I love to interact with children and enjoy when kids get giggly, smile wide, or show off a little attitude—anything that shows off their true personalities. Trust me, I will follow THEIR lead. I will guide you through the process as well telling you what is going to happen during the next 45min. and make sure it is a memorable experience for all.

Sunset portraits

(christopher john photography) — Sat, 13 Aug 2016 09:13:38 GMT

Pawleys Island photographer cj

Teal and Coral. Wow! Here's another example of how colors work so well at the beach.

(christopher john photography) — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 17:40:11 GMT

Khaki and white might be nice, Navy and White might be nautical, but Teal and Coral will really give your beach portraits POP!

I shot this at the Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet at sunset with a fun family.

Great colors to wear

(christopher john photography) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 05:32:42 GMT

here's an example of great Colors to wear for your beach portraits.

Stormy Wedding

(christopher john photography) — Tue, 04 Aug 2015 17:03:17 GMT

Whenever you panic about a possible T-storm approaching for your photoshoot, keep in mind this might be a great opportunity for some dramatic imagery.

You can always carry an umbrella and wait for it to pass, and then take advantage of those dramatic skies. These Photos were taken at the Litchfield Inn on the beach in Litchfield, SC.

What are the best colors for a beach portrait?

(christopher john photography) — Sun, 26 Jul 2015 14:40:48 GMT

A lot of people ask me "What are the best colors for our photo shoot?" But in the same breath request me to shoot the Navy and White combo. Navy and white generally don't work well, unless you are in the right light. This is a risk, because you never know what kind of light your going to have til the moment of the session. Navy sometimes appears as Black, and White usually will be to bright (blown out). In a group of people wearing white, white does not translate well photographically (one/two people might be ok) I usually would recommend something in the Blue family, (powder blue, teal, light blues, etc.) Another option is coral or anything in that family. As far as combos go. Khaki and a coral or Khaki and blues work and or white supplimentally, again not as a group. In this instance white will work as a second color as well.

A great place to shoot!

(christopher john photography) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 03:15:00 GMT

Huntington Beach in South Carolina lends so much beauty... There's Atalaya, the building. An old structure with ornate ironwork. Then there's the marsh, and of course, the beach...

So if are looking for a location to shoot with me, consider Huntington Beach State Park, SC.