Before Your Session
Welcome to the official style guide of Sol & Grand. Before we get started, we want to thank you for inviting us to work with you. We are so excited to have the opportunity capture a part of your story.
Our job is to document your connection; real moments with authenticity, but it is also to curate your gallery, and that starts far before your session.
This guide will detail everything you need to make the most of your session, and help us to perfect your gallery. So, without further ado, scroll for more...
Wardrobe
Choosing your outfits can be overwhelming, but we're here to help you break it down. Firstly, keep the weather in mind, and dress accordingly. Remember, it's pretty hard to smile when you're freezing cold, or sweltering hot. This means that layers are a great idea, not to mention they add detail and interest to your images.
Something we can't stress enough is that you leave the bold prints at home. Instead, express your unique sense of style with layers and accessories. Bold prints can be distracting, taking the focus away from you. We recommend choosing solid colours, or a classic-subdued pattern, ensuring that your images focus on your love, and will stand the test of time.
Colour Palette
When it comes to your outfits, you will want to coordinate, but not be overly matchy-matchy. The slide-gallery below illustrates some different colour palettes that coordinate well without being too similar. Don't feel limited by these examples either, but they are great options to follow if you're stuck!
Footwear
We're going to say this a lot - bear in mind the location of your shoot and dress accordingly, this goes for everything, but most importantly your footwear. What is the location like? Is it city streets, or forest trails? Heels are great, but they won't make it up a mountain. Depending on the terrain, it might be a good idea to bring a few different options (aka, bring the heels, but wear something more sensible to walk around in). Pro Tip: bring a comfortable pair of shoes with you in the car - a full photography session can be a long time in the wrong shoes, and you may need a break, even if only for the drive home.
Hair and Makeup
When it comes to hair there is a golden rule, have all hair appointments at least a week before your session. A hair cut days before your session too often results in a bad cut or colour. A week in between your hair and session appointments allows your hair to grow and look more lived in, and worst case, gives you a chance to fix it. This goes for ALL beauty treatments as well, the last thing you need is to look anything other than your best before your session.
As for makeup, keep it true to you, but remember that makeup photographs much lighter than it looks in person. Do what makes you feel confident and beautiful while keeping in mind that a slightly heavier hand will show up better on camera.
Accessories
Accessories are definitely recommended as they add dimension, texture, and points of interest to your photos. That being said, try to keep your accessories simple and understated, the focus of these images should be on you, not your jewelry. You may want to include accessories that hold special meaning, or personal value. For example, you could wear the diamond earrings passed down to you from your mom, or your late grandfather's watch. Whatever you decide to do, make your life easier and set your accessories aside the night before.
K e e p s c r o l l i n g
Also a great example to follow...
The Days Ahead...
The days prior to your session are just as important as the day of, take care to be prepared so that your session is as enjoyable and relaxed as it can be. Remember, this should be a positive experience - not a stressful one.
At Least One Week Before your session get any hair or beauty appointments done. The last thing you want to do is have something go wrong before your session with no time to fix it.
3 Days Before your session finalize your outfits, accessories, and footwear. I know in my house one of the most stressful parts of the morning can be the dreaded "what do I wear on my feet?" when you're trying to get out the door to leave.
2 Days Before your session organize and make sure you have everything you will need for the day, i.e shoes, extra layers, a bottle of champagne to pop...
1 Day Before your session drink plenty of water and get a good nights rest to feel and look your best!
more inspiration