Senior Pictures South Bay

At Max Brandin Photography we include a family portrait mini session with 3 of our 4 Senior Portrait Session packages.  We encourage you to bring Mom, Dad, Sis, Bro, or even your boyfriend for a mini photoshoot.  We keep it simple, short & sweet – but we always get beautiful images 🙂  We suggest coordinating outfits before the day of the shoot so that everyone’s prepared & the mini shoot can go smoothly.  The pics above are a great example of what “neutrals” photograph like.  Definitely go with what best portrays the vibe & personality of YOUR family.  Some fams are bright & crazy – so, don’t be afraid of color.  Mom can wear a multi colored dress or top & Dad, Siblings & You can wear colors that compliment Mom’s outfit.  If you’re wanting to keep everything very low stress though….and totally uncomplicated….neutrals are always an easy way to go – and they look really nice when printed into wall art for your home.  In case you’re wondering:  YES, you can order from the family mini shoot when placing your order for all the prints & products that come with one of our 4 amazing MxB Collections.

FREE with 3 of our Session Packages:  Family Mini-Photoshoot!

REMINDERS:  Family Mini-Shoot

1.  Mom:  Do makeup & hair before arriving at the shoot

2.  Mom:  Bring a mini touch up kit to touch up hair & makeup.  Usually, just a powder, concealer, gloss.  Our Makeup artist will have any other items you might need, such as hairspray or a little blush to add some color for camera.

3.  ALL family members:  Wear the shirt/outfit you plan on shooting in

4.  If in doubt:  Bring a “back up” shirt, dress, or top

5.  Dad should probably get a little powder on the nose for the shots – our amazing makeup artist can take care of that for you 🙂

Any questions….don’t hesitate to call!  310.622.5819

Los Angeles Senior Pics What to wear for guys

These are images we shot for actor Brooks Hall – he’s not a high school senior, but we loved his take on “the suit shot”….and we think this relaxed vibe is perfect for HS Senior Pictures for Guys.   Every mom & dad wants a portrait of their son in a suit – looking very grown up, handsome, dashing & ready to take on the world after high school.  The problem is, these shots often look very stiff & unnatural – and they don’t look up to date and modern.  One of the main reasons for this sort of “old-fashioned” suit pic is that they’re too stuffy – the tie is all the way up, tight & constricting.  The jacket is buttoned.  The poor guy is practically in a straight-jacket.  But, if you look at Brooks’ pics, you don’t see any of that….and the reason is we kept it natural & casual by:

1.  shooting with a LOOSE TIE

&

2. shooting with Jacket & OPEN COLLARED SHIRT

Does Brooks look any less grown up, handsome, or dashing?  Nope.  He looks like he was born to to wear these clothes.  A couple things to look for when choosing jacket, shirt, tie:

a) FIT.  The jacket & shirt should fit perfect, in the sleeve length, shoulders & waist length.

b) COLOR.  Try mixing classic colors like black & gray with a pop of something unexpected, like Sage Green, Pink, Purple, Apple Green, or Eggshell blue.

c) QUALITY MATERIAL.  If possible, choose a shirt & jacket with high quality construction.  A cheap collar won’t photograph well….

d) CLASSIC TIE.  Steer away from ties that are too overly trendy or too loud.  A little personality or style is great – but try to imagine it in 5 or 6 years….will you be cringing when you walk past your Senior Portrait hanging on the wall?   Something classic will always look great.

Follow these tips for full-proof drop dead gorgeous shot for your high school senior pics!

What to wear Senior Pictures

One of the first things I like to talk to my Seniors about is the kinds of activities they’re involved in at school.  Most high school students are involved in 2 major school related activities, whether that be School Paper, Student Council, Drama Club, Dance Team, Basketball, or Art Club.  The question is always whether or not to dedicate one of your wardrobe changes to a particular activity.  Obvously, if you’re involved in sports & have a Letterman’s Jacket, that’s a pretty easy thing to throw on for a few shots.  But, what if your activity is dance?  Should we dedicate one of the looks we shoot to dance?  What would you wear for a “Dance” shot?  A recital outfit?  Basic dance class wear?  Really depends on you & your personality – and is something we can help you out with when we discuss your shoot details.  …..Then there are the activities that are a little tougher to capture in a photoshoot.  For example, Nikki, above in the gloves, has been kick-boxing for years & is considered to be pretty amazing at it.  It’s a really big part of her life, and not something she’s ever had professional pictures taken of, so it would have been silly to not include this activity in her shoot.  BUT, we didn’t want to make it look cheesy.    After tossing around a few ideas, we decided to keep the set-up simple & focus on getting great shots of HER, more-so than a bunch of action shots that would have just ended up having really crazy ((& not so pretty lol)) facial expressions.  If Nikki pursues kickboxing in the coming years as a profession, she’ll have some really fierce shots for a personal website for promo purposes – – – and years from now when she’s a mom herself, she’ll have these senior pictures to prove that she can kick some serious butt!!

More tips on preparing for HS Senior Pics

http://www.maxbrandinphotography.com/2013/03/01/top-10-tips-on-how-to-rock-your-photoshoot/