Here are my tips for planning the perfect senior portraits in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.
Planning
Pinterest is truly your best friend during the planning stages. Pin photos you like, and try to identify what you like about them (colors, perspective, attitude, pose, etc). Give me an idea of your taste and style so I can keep your preferences in mind during your photo session. During this planning stage, we’ll also want to talk on the phone to make sure that we connect personality-wise.
Location, Location, Location
Do you want your senior pictures to be mostly beach photos, or do you prefer senior portraits in a tropical garden setting? How about both? Should we try to incorporate a mountain, volcano or waterfall photo? Location is crucial to getting amazing senior pictures in Costa Rica. Also take into consideration where you’ll change clothes, if you have multiple outfits. Locations should all be within 5 or 10 minutes of each other.
Posing
As much as we’d all love for all senior pictures to be 100% natural, most of the time you’ve got to pose at least a little bit to get that perfect shot. Check out Pinterest for ideas.
Props
Props make senior pictures a breeze. Think about hats, jewelry, flowers, beach blankets, sunglasses, flower crowns, surfboards...anything you like. More than just making your photos more interesting, props also give you something to do – it helps to have something to hold or to fiddle with so the photos are more natural-looking.
Clothing
Bring as many outfit changes as you like. I recommend having them already ironed and ready to go, and neatly placed on hangers. Don’t bring clothes you feel self conscious in – bring clothes that make you feel like a knockout. Keep in mind we’re in Costa Rica, so nothing too hot or sweaty. For shoes, bare feet rule when you're at the beach.
Hair, Makeup & Nails
If you have it in the budget, you might as well spend the extra $35-75 to get a professional to do your hair and makeup. Don’t go too heavy on the foundation – remember, it’s hot here and you don’t want to sweat it off. Avoid makeup with SPF, as it tends to make people shiny. If you have a breakout the day of the shoot it’s usually no big deal for me to make stray pimples disappear via retouching on the computer. For nails, make sure they match the outfits you’re planning on wearing. You can’t go wrong with a French manicure as that matches everything.
Mindset & Trust
Today is 100% about YOU. Trust that I’m going to craft your session so we use the most favorable light possible in order to photograph you at your most beautiful. Before the shoot, be sure to let me know if you are self conscious about anything in particular so I can help figure out the most flattering poses possible. If your mom, a friend or family member wants to come along, be sure they bring a book or something to do so they don't stare too much or make you feel on the spot!
The Big Day
The day of your Costa Rica senior pictures, my assistant and I will meet you about 1.5-2 hours before sunset, depending on how many locations you’ve chosen. Don’t be late – we can’t rewind the sun. We’ll start in the shade, and move out to the beach as we approach the “golden hour.” The last 10 minutes or so we can play with silhouette photos (be sure to pin some that you like for ideas). If it rains, we reschedule at no additional charge.
After the Shoot
I caringly and painstakingly process all of the best photos before sending them to you. I usually do a mix of about 90% color and 10% black and white photos, but each session is different and this ratio depends on your personal tastes. You can expect at least 100-125+ photos from the session, often times many, many more if you're really excited about the pictures.
A few days after your session, I pick a handful of my favorites to send to tide you over until I can finish the batch. The rest I upload to your private, password-protected gallery in about 2-3 weeks. You can download them in multiple resolutions as many times as you like, and print them wherever you like in whatever sizes you like. You are also free to share with friends and family via email or social media pages. There is nothing more to buy from me after the session.