What to Wear for a Headshot Session / Coastal summer teen actress portraits

If you’ve booked a headshot session, or are thinking of booking one, oftentimes the most stressful part of the experience can be deciding what to wear! I get you, you want to look your best! I have several tips and tricks that I pass along to my clients when they book a headshot session.

1. Avoid tops that have busy or distracting patterns.

   As a general rule, solid color tops are best. Shirts or blouses that have a texture to them will work well, but patterns will distract from your face, and your face is the star of the show!

2. Also, avoid shirts that have logos or graphic tees.

   For all the reasons listed in #1. Let’s move this along.

3. For those with long hair, choose a color that contrasts with your hair color.

   Wearing dark colors if you also have dark hair can make you look one-dimensional—same if you have light hair and wear a light color. Establishing a contrast between your hair color and shirt can be more striking than you realize.

4. Bring a couple of different tops

   There is usually time to have at least one outfit change in order to have variety in your finished gallery. But I’m also happy to offer feedback, either prior to or at your session, on the very best top for you.

5. Bottom choices are important, but not that important

   Headshot sessions primarily focus on your….well your head, but let’s call it your stunning face. Depending on the use of your image, you’ll likely only need a tight crop of your face—meaning that it’s not super important what you wear on the bottom. If you’re curious whether you should

BONUS TIP: Make the most of your headshot session by booking yourself an appointment to have your hair and makeup done. For those local to me in Cape Ann, I have plenty of suggestions for the best stylists in the area!

Cousins Make the Best Friends / Portrait Session at Lake Quannapowitt, Wakefield MA

It’s taken me some time, but I am so excited to finally share Allie, Delanie, and Taylor’s portrait session. A while back, their mom’s decided to schedule a portrait session for the three girls to surprise their parents (the girls’ grandparents) with pictures. There are so many reasons why Taylor, Delanie, and Allie’s portrait session is one of my absolute favorites!

• That cousin/sibling/best friend bond

  Cousins make the best friends, am i right? That was certainly true when I was a kid, and now as a thirty-something, my cousins are still near and dear to my heart! It’s something incredibly special that deserves documenting and celebrating!

• Capture a moment in time

  Nothing earth shattering over here in my telling you that photographs capture a moment in time, but it bears repeating. Just think about it. Your child’s age, that they’ll never be again. Their precious relationship with their cousins and best friends. You’ll never tire of going back and looking at these images and I promise you, they will only get sweeter with time.

• Grandparent gifts

  Prints from this session were given to grandparents as their anniversary gift. Isn’t that incredibly sweet? Grandparents can never get enough of their grandchildren and love to show off pictures of them to all of their friends.

Take a stroll through some of my very favorites from their portrait session at Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, MA. This area can tend to be overcrowded, but we found all the right spots to capture that glowy sunset, those spring flowers, and that post sunset hue.

Be sure to leave some love for the girls in the comment section below!

xo

Cassie

What is the Best Time of Day to Schedule my Portraits | Ella's Senior Session

Ask any photographer about the time of day you’ll find the best lighting, and I bet you one million dollars that the words “golden hour” will come out of their mouth.

What is the golden hour?

It’s the hour that leads up to sunset. This is the time when the sun is the most directional, meaning that it’s not blasting down at you from overhead, creating some nasty raccoon eyes or making you squint. Mid day sun can be harsh and unforgiving. Golden hour has dreamy light, that will make your hair glow from behind and cast warm rays.

Check out below how the sun is lighting up the sea grass behind Ella during her senior portrait session.

An added perk is that the golden hour leads right up until sunset where sometimes we can get some beautiful color in the sky. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see the sunset casting gorgeous colors across the ocean behind Ella.

Of course, help with picking the perfect time for your session isn’t the only thing I’m good for! There are many other ways I like to coordinate with my clients prior to their session.

Ready to see for yourself?

Why You Should Consider Having Your Senior Session with Your Best Friend | Kelli and Thayna Senior Session

What does a senior portrait session with your best friend look like?

When you combine your session with a friend, you can expect that your session will last 90 minutes total for both of you. That means that you can expect 40-ish minutes of solo time in front of the camera and ten minutes in front of the camera with your BFF (usually at the end). While your friend is being photographed, it’s a great time to switch up your outfit/look!

There are four great reasons why you should consider partnering up with your best friend for your senior portrait session:

1. Comfort Level

   Let’s admit it—most of us can feel a little uncomfortable in front of the camera at first. It’s natural to need a few minutes to warm up. When you’re with a friend, you can be at-ease right from the start of the session because you’re sharing this experience with someone who may be feeling the exact same way you are! And it takes a lot of the pressure/focus off of you, which in turn will make you more comfortable.

2. Feeling Giggly

   I like to think that I have a calm, laid-back demeanor that will make you smile, but I don’t by any means consider myself ACTUALLY funny. (Most of my jokes I forget the punch line to!) So if you have your friend acting a fool behind my back as I’m photographing you, you’re much more likely to show me a totally genuine smile or laugh. And those are the moments I just love to capture!

3. Cost

   While each photographer may be different, many of them will offer a discount for combining your senior portrait session with a friend. For example, I typically will extend my session from 1 hour to 90 minutes for two people, but will offer a cost savings over booking two separate senior portrait sessions. (Ask me for more details on this)

4. BFFs

   Senior year can be really special because you’re on the brink of your whole world changing. Yet some of the friends that you’ve made during your time in high school will stick with you forever. Including your BFF in your senior session is a great way to capture these relationships at this crazy exciting time in your life.

Of course, you’ll want to choose a friend who is sure to be a BFF for life (I guess that’s redundant, ha!) so you don’t have buyer’s remorse.

Ready to do it?

And don’t stop your scroll to see more of Kelli and Thayna’s senior portrait session at Halibut Point in Rockport, Massachusetts!

Becka | Class of 2017 Beachy Senior Session

It seems appropriate to blog Becka's senior portrait session as she is days away from graduation!  This lady is the real deal-- senior at Manchester Essex High School by day, lifeguard by summer, fashionista every.damn.day. And she'll be heading to UD in the fall. 

We obviously had an amazing time during her portrait session last summer as we skipped along the rocks of the back shore in Gloucester and chased the light at the beach at Good Harbor.  It doesn't get any better.

I hope you enjoy Becka's beachy senior portrait session, and if you do, leave her some love in the comment section below.  

Small Business Professional Headshots | Nicole Starr

Last summer Nicole (of Nicole Starr Photography) and I collaborated on a business headshot swap where we photographed each other for our websites and social media presence. As fellow photog buddies, we both knew the importance of having a solid photograph of ourselves to put our "best foot forward" in our businesses.  

We began our shoot on location at a grassy field in Gloucester, MA where the light was dreamy and the humidity was soaring.  On the northshore of Massachusetts we have so many beautiful locations, and within minutes we moved onto our next location at Good Harbor Beach.

Nicole planned her outfits to reflect her brand, which is whimsical and bright. I think her blush pink tulle skirt accomplishes just that!  Her photographs reflect the playfulness and beauty of her brand.

How many of you want to see the photographs that Nicole took of me during our headshot swap?? Leave me a note in the comment section below!

xo

Good Harbor Beach Family Portrait Session | The Rileys

I love the idea of having family traditions, and taking yearly family portraits is a perfect way to incorporate traditions into your family. Especially when your kids are still little, it's just so fun to track their growth from year to year. And your children will thank you later for getting in front of the camera yourself to help build these special memories. 

In this darling family beach portrait session, I'm taking you all the way back to 2014! (Gasp!) If you could see these little munchkins now, they already look so different and grown up!

Enjoy these family pictures taken at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, MA.  If you love the memories these guys have made, be sure to tell them in the comment section below!

Elisha's Inspirational "Just Because I Can" Session | Boudoir

When Elisha  contacted me to get her portraits done, she explained that she'd been working her butt off at the gym to prepare for her friend's wedding and wanted to capture this time in her life. Because she can. And, honestly, I don't see a better reason than that. They'll always be a reason to put off having your pictures taken (like that extra ten pounds).  But life gets busy, and before you know it you're left years later with a regret that you wished you'd just done it. 

Elisha will look back on these pictures years from now, with her kids and grandkids, and they will say "Whoa, Grandma, you're hot!"  

Our session was split between a studio session and on location at Good Harbor Beach and Bass Rocks.  Our studio session was what I would called "boudoir", but I saved some of the steamier ones for the imagination! 

Enjoy Elisha's "just because" session and don't forget to leave her some love in the comment section below!

Waiting on Bear | Golden Hour Beach Maternity Portraits Gloucester, MA

It's hard to believe that the little guy we were waiting on during this maternity session is already a year old now. Even though we chose a day in late April for Sarah's maternity portraits, we were met with a stunningly windy (chilly!) day on the beach, so much so that we threw around the idea of postponing. But baby Bear wasn't going to wait, and Momma and Dad didn't have many free days left before his arrival. So Sarah totally "mama-beared" the whole session and made it look like a warm day in August! 

I love Sarah's classic maternity style! Her blush pink dress was so dreamy in the setting light at Good Harbor.    And I pretty much squealed when I saw the flower crown that she brought with her!  

Enjoy Sarah and Joe's maternity session and leave them some love down below by clicking the heart icon!

xo

Sydney & the Sea | Northeast Metro Tech Senior Pictures

One of my loves early on into my photography journey was photographing my loved ones and seeing their joy in being captured behind the camera. When my cousin Sydney entered her senior year at Northeast Metro Tech (Wakefield, MA), it was a no-brainer that I absolutely wanted to capture this exciting time in her life. Not to mention that she's entirely gorgeous and stylish and made my job incredibly easy!

For this session, we spent some time in a cove on the Rockport/Gloucester line, then we made it to the beach by sunset.  It was definitely one of those sessions where it was nearly impossible for me to narrow down the choices.  

After you look through Sydney's stunning senior pictures, be sure to hit that "heart" at the bottom and show some love! 

xo

Nautical Beach Tee-Pee Children's Portrait | Pretty Penny

Those blond curls! Those chubby cheeks! Those big blue eyes!

Penny's nautical beach portraits are the last in the series of last summer's model call mini-sessions.  As the oldest kiddo of the bunch, Penny got the coveted sunset spot, and the light during her session was dreamy.  Although she started off shy, before long we had more "keepers" than we knew what to do with. 

It's hard to believe it was only a few short years ago that I photographed Penny for her newborn pictures and now she is a darling little girl.  I'm looking forward to capturing Penny as she grows!

What do you think about Penny's seaside session? Click that little heart below to "love" it, if it makes your heart melt too!

Twinning Seaside on Cape Ann, MA | Vinnie & Nora

I've heard it said that twin parents are like the special-ops of parenting. Now that I have twins of my own, I know that to be true. Back when I photographed Vinnie and Nora on the beach in Gloucester, though, I never would have imagined that I'd have my own precious set of twin girls.  

That's what makes re-visiting this nautical portrait session so special--I get to look back on these two kiddos and see the special bond that they share, one that my own will start to develop in a few short months.  

Have fun checking out Vinnie and Nora's special beach session.  If you're like me, you'll get a kick out of what a ham Nora is in front of the camera, and how serious Vinnie seems to be taking the whole thing.

Please leave them some love in the comment section below! xoxo

Long Beach, Rockport MA Senior Portrait Session | Taylor

Weather in New England is a funny thing sometimes. On the days leading up to Taylor's senior portrait session, we went back and forth about rescheduling because the weather was iffy and Taylor and her family were traveling to their vacation home in Rockport from Connecticut and didn't want to make the drive if the weather wouldn't cooperate. We ended up keeping our date and the weather was foggy--misty at worst. Yet, we were determined to make it work because it may have been our only opportunity with both our busy schedules.

 I have to say, the fog made for the most romantic, moody images for Taylor's senior pictures.  She was a dream to photograph--so sweet and smiley! Later at Long Beach, we got the rest of the family in on the fun for photos on the beach.  

Have fun scrolling through some of my favorites from Taylor's senior portrait session and please leave some love for her in the comment section below!

Beach Baby Mini-sessions | Meaghan & Friends

One of the many things I love about photographing babies and children is that within a few short years (or even months!) those photographs show how quickly our little ones grow.  Now that I have twin girls of my own, I realize how important it is to capture each stage as it comes, because your child's growth sneaks up on you--and they will never again be as little as they are today.  

When I look back on Meaghan's beach portrait session, I'm struck by how much she's grown in the past year--and how special it is that we captured these moments of her life.  Bonus points for also getting her big brother in on the action!  

Now let's play a game--count how many rolls are on Meg's chubby little arms! 

If you love Meggy's portraits at Good Harbor as much as I do, don't forget to leave me some love in the comment section below!

Good Harbor Beach Mini Sessions--Mila & co.

Last Spring I had a vision of summer--beautiful babies on the beach dressed in their nautical best and drenched in sun and warmth. And we needed a beach teepee, because...beach teepee (!!) In order to bring this vision to life, I reached out to my Facebook following to recruit the cutest babes around. Then, I hooked up with one of my past brides who does nautical like no one else (see her wedding on the blog here.) She owns an adorably cute (repetition for emphasis, ha!) boutique children's clothing shop in downtown Rockport called My Sea Baby.  Together we put together these beach mini-sessions on Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester MA.  Be sure to check back in over the next few days to catch all the little sea babies we captured during our mini-session on the beach that day!

Don't forget to leave me some love in the comments section below. (The Internet is a lonely place sometimes!)

Wardrobe provided by: My Sea Baby, Rockport MA 

http://myseababy.blogspot.com/

Gloucester, MA Snow Day Winter Portraits \ Hannah & Tony Family Pictures

When Hannah contacted me to take her family's pictures in and around Gloucester, Mass, my mind got to working with all the fun places we could visit for our photography shoot. After weeks of planning and sending each other Pinterest ideas, we were ready!  On the morning of our session, it snowed--meaning that I was beyond excited and somewhat giddy to capture all that snowy goodness!  

We stopped by Gloucester harbor to take some family photos in front of the family fishing boat, and then made our way around the harbor for some other seaside shots.  

Our session wrapped up with an in-home studio session--pups included! Check out my favorite highlights from this sweet family's winter portrait session below!

Courtny and Katelyn | Salem High School Senior Girls' Portraits

I've known these girls since they were little tots, and, yes, they were just as adorable back then too.  Cortney and Katelyn are seniors at Salem High School in Salem, NH.  Yes, they are twins. Was that fun to photograph, you ask? UMYES!

They are looking forward to graduating (finally!) in June 2015; this is, of course, reliant on the fact that they can keep themselves awake during 1st period History class.  

Katelyn is an aspiring photographer herself, so it made me more than a little happy to talk photography with her.  It was actually kind of nice for someone to understand me when I started drooling when we stumbled across an insanely gorgeous field of wildflowers.

Both of these girls have a bright future ahead of them.  I can't wait to see what they will achieve! 

We shot on location at the Robert Frost Farm in Derry, New Hampshire, as well as the orchard at Mack's Apples in Londonderry.

Rockport, MA HS Senior Portraits | Saasha

I had been hinting begging Saasha to let me take her senior pictures for quite some time.  She is the type of person who gives so  much of herself, that I just had to give something back.  Not to mention that I just KNEW the kind of photographic magic we could create! We set about Rockport, MA one summer evening, making sure to hit all the hot spots, like Motif #1 and some rocky coves.  Have a peek at some highlights, and if you like what you see leave me some love in the comments! XOXO

Rockport, MA Nautical Engagement Session | Jacob and Lindsay

Jacob and Lindsay's engagement session from the beginning of the summer was easily one of my favorite portrait sessions to date.  I knew it was going to be magic the second Lindsay and I met up to chat about her session to go over her ideas, and she pulled out her Pinterest board and DIY nautical props.  Honestly. Magic!  

We stayed in Rockport for the majority of our session, even spending some time in the exact spot Lindsay's parents got engaged many years back.  Later we hit the beach for a little picnic under the Ultra Mega Moon. (Isn't that the scientific name for it?)

Little K | Stoneham MA children's portraits

Over Christmas and New Year's break, I got the opportunity to get together with a close friend to take pictures of her son Kobe, who turned two a few months back. My plan was to use this great vinyl backdrop that I had just bought for Kobe's portrait session, since I had very cleverly deduced that a freezing two-year-old outside in the snow would make for a very unhappy portrait subject.

Kobe had other plans.  What I had not-so-cleverly done is taken a two year old away from a video game.  Here's an important tip about photographing children: DON'T EVER TAKE A QUIET WELL-BEHAVED TWO YEAR OLD AWAY FROM A VIDEO GAME. 

This picture was taken shortly after Kobe stopped crying.  I don't think I'll ever get those accusatory eyes out of my brain. I'm sorry Kobe! 

One of the things I loved about this session (aside from the completely adorbs Kobe, of course) was that we got to throw in lots of wintery patterns.  And even though it was a winter portrait session shot inside, we still got the feel that it was winter. 

One thing to note about me is that two year olds make me tired just looking at them.  Kobe, however, is just about as sweet as pie. I mean, look at that smile!