Perfect!
If I have ever taken your photo, you have probably heard me say that word more than once. While in Florida shooting this gorgeous bride to be's senior photos on the beach, her dad teased me about the word, "perfect."
"Is it really perfect?" he would say to me jokingly. I had never realized how often I use that word until he pointed it out (and may or may not have kept a count during one of the sessions at the ocean. lol) Now I like to say it for fun anytime I am around him.
But is there a such thing as a perfect session? You can have the best weather imagainable, your best hair day ever, gorgeous sunsets and still we, by nature will find something that isn't "perfect." I am definitely a perfectionist in my job. I want it to be perfect, no matter which job I have ever had, which can leave me feeling discouraged if even one tiny detail isn't exactly how I wanted it to be.
Her dad is correct, nothing is perfect. BUT, after much thought, I realized why I say "perfect" when shooting. There about a million (okay I might be exaggerating lol) pieces that need to come together to get that one shot that I have in my mind. It's not just the many settings on the camera, it's the way the light hits the subject, where the shadows and highlights fall in the photo, just that right emotion in the subject's face and body language, just the right angle to shoot and what is in the foreground and background that might enhance the photo or just get in the way. That is a lot to think about all at once! So when I look through the camera and it all comes together and is exactly what I was wanting to convey with the photo, I can't help but say, "perfect" and start snapping. It may not be actually perfect but it's perfectly what I imagined the shot to be.
There ARE ways to make a session feel perfect. Here are just a couple.
- Choose a photographer that you connect with and makes you feel at ease. It is so much more fun when you can laugh with your photographer and enjoy your time together. This also gives you those genuine smiles and laughs because you feel comfortable and can be yourself.
- Choose clothing that you feel great in. Don't pick something just because someone else wore something like it in their photos. You will feel more confident, when you feel comfortable. Don't try to be someone you are not. As a photographer I love giving ideas of colors and types of outfits for a session to best make the subject pop in the photo. But, in the end, the most important thing is that you feel confident and comfortable and that means wearing something that is "YOU."
- Take care of the little details that are within your control and don't worry about the ones that are not. That zit that showed up that morning can be edited out so don't worry. But one thing that drives photographers nuts is hearing, "you can just edit that out," when it is something that could be prevented from needing edited, like wrinkles in clothes, chipped nail polish, dirt or food on faces, marker or temporary tattoos, and things like that. Things happen, I know as a mom of 3 (1 specifically that can find dirt and be covered in it in the blink of an eye and is constantly playing hard and getting the scars to prove it.) So don't worry about that bruise or cut on the knee, that can be edited, just bring wet wipes to clean off the jelly from breakfast on their cheek. lol
- Let your photographer know of any ideas you have about the style of photos you love so they can personalize your session but also trust their judgement when they have you pose a certain way. I got this message from one of my recent engagement clients "Michael was very happy with everything yesterday too! When we saw the fb preview He kept saying wow that's why she had us do that!" I promise you, we are not just having you pose a certain way for no reason. There is a method to our madness. lol
So, this session below was perfect in my book- even with the sunset that almost wasn't, the threat of rain and not being able to go to the original planned spot- the energy and emotion and love that were so evident in the photos made them perfect to me!
