portrait session preperation.
Your guide to getting the best out of your session with me.
you’re all booked in for your session.
i’m here to help you get the most out of it.
You’re here because you want to have an intimate experience focused on you both, without the pressure and rule book of a normal engagement session.
You’ve got nothing to worry about, and I’m psyched!
video walkthrough:
I’ll walk you through what to do
part 1:
introduction to your session
hey there!
i’m james!
your photographer, and biggest cheerleader.
It won’t surprise you, but I’m a huge adventure and nature nerd, so much so that I spent 6 months living in the jungles of Madagascar back in 2010!
Because of that, more times than not, I’ll take any excuse to get into nature and explore what is out there. I’ve always found myself constantly surprised by how many wonderful sights there are out there. I live a life of creativity and curiosity and believe in challenging the status quo.
I’m into board games, camping, a nice whisky after a good hike, and bouldering! Give me street food over 5-star dining any day! I find myself constantly jumping through bushes, and running up mountains to get that perfect shot for my couples.
featured in:
what should we expect?
i do things a bit differently.
Chances are you may be thinking about your portrait session and feel a bit nervous or unsure – this is completely normal! Many of the couples I work with feel the same way, because they’ve seen photoshoots before and expect that they’ll be ordered around, forced into awkward and inauthentic poses. It all becomes hard wokr like this, so the good news is that isn’t the way I work.
Instead you’ll have an experience which is:
I’m here to bring your vision to life, and I truly believe in supporting you to have the experience you want.
how your portrait session works.
Step by step of what I’ll do for you.
01.
fill out the location questionnaire.
You’ll have recieved the location questionnaire beforehand (if not please email me!). Complete this and then I’ll get back to you within a couple of weeks with your location list for your engagement. This is also where you give me an idea of which dates work for you!
02.
i do research location for you.
I’ll look indepth to what your ideal engagement session portrait session would be, and do some deep diving! Then you’ll get your recommendations in a Google Doc, complete with details and photos of your options!
03.
we choose the perfect time and date for you.
I’ll work with you to find the perfect date for your engagement session, and we’ll lock it in!
04.
read this guide.
I’ve written out a lot ofd help and useful information here based upon 10 years of capturing couples – have a read and let me know if you have any questions!
05.
rock up on your day and have fun.
On your day you’ll be warmly welcomed and it’ll feel like hanging out with a friend rather than a stuffy and uptight photoshoot, I promise!
06.
you’ll receive your gorgeous photos.
I love to make sure I’m giving you a polished set of final images, so expect your images roughly 2-4 weeks after your session, delivered in a beautiful online gallery with full download rights and all in high definition.
07.
order your albums and prints.
Turning your house into a home with stunning and personalised art is one of the most rewarding ways to celebrate your story. I specialise in creating some of the very best museum-grade art pieces for you. I can even show you to scale how certain images would look in your home, so you’d be able to have complete confidence in how your final art pieces would look in your home.
part 2:
clothing & style.
just be yourselves. here are some little hints and help though.
When it comes to your day, please come as you are! However there are some small things you can do to really help yourselves stand out a bit more and get that ‘cinematic edge’ that my work is known for!
one.
bring your own style.
Everyone has their own style, whether it is smart casual, or a bit more heavy metal and leather. Don’t feel like you have to be anything apart from yourselves! Lean into your style!
two.
avoid all black clothing.
I love wearing all black clothing, but if you’re in a dark forest, then you’ll look like a floating head if wearing all black clothing! Instead go for lighter, earth and tan colours, aor if you’d like to wear black, just go for a black top, or black bottoms, but not both!
three.
avoid baseball caps.
Baseball caps tend to hide the eyes and face of the person wearing it – we want to see your face, so please refrain from these! However wide brimmed hats are fine, as I don’t want anyone getting sunburnt!
four.
avoid brand logos.
When it comes to looking back at memories, brands have been designed to capture our eyes very easily – however we’re here to see how great you look! So ditch the big brand logos and wear something sans them!
five.
dress for the season.
If it is a cold day, put on a few more layers, and if it is a bit hot feel free to dress down. It’ll look authentic and believable, and you’ll be much more comfortable! Plus if you’re freezing but in a dress, the last place you’ll want to be is outside!
six.
wear sensible footwear.
Equally if your feet start hurting, you’ll be in no mood to be out enjoying the sunset; be sure to wear sensible and comfortable footwear!
part 3:
practical advice.
a few little xtra helping hands. I have some other small pieces of advice for you.
For your day you’ll now have your clothing sorted, so here are some other bits of info which can be helpful in what you can do and prepare for your experience with me.
one.
bring a rucksack.
Instead of having your phones in your pocket and other small pieces, shove them in a nice looking rucksack or bag and bring them along. Do this instead of a daggy Woolworths bag, which doesn’t always look great in photos!
two.
arrive early.
With the session being planned around sunset time, it’s best to arrive early just in case there is a hold up with traffic! That way you’ll be on time and ready for your session at the best time of day!
three.
bring food and drink.
Feel free to bring along any food and drink you’d like to enjoy on your session – this is a bit more of a glorified date rather than a photoshoot and it’s nice for you to be able to unwind and celebrate each other!
a fun little extra. feel free to write some ‘vows’ for each other.
Don’t worry – this isn’t a trap to get you secretly married. Rather this is a fun little extra that couples love to do.
Simply sit down and handwrite out some words to share with each other at a point in your session. These are best handwritten, and they don’t have to be a massive sonnet, but rather something which is genuine and from the heart. It’s a nice little thing to do but there’s no compulsory element of this at all.
part 4:
mindset.
i get that having your photo taken may be scary. but i promise I have your backs.
I don’t have any expectations of how you interact or connect together. I won’t force you to kiss, or yell awkard poses at you.
However couples who tend to go into the session really wanting this experience together, and whom want to show affection to each other always end up with a much better experience.
So my other massive piece of advice is to truly put your best foot forward with this, and if you show up and give me the trust to capture yourselves, I promise you will have a blast!
what to expect next.
Where do we go from here?
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choose your clothes and extras.
Use the advice in this guide to choose your outfit for the day, and any extras you’d love to bring like food, drink or vows.
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meet at the chosen location.
On the day I’ll send you a confirmation text along with the Google Maps link of where to meet to make things easy.
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portrait session time!
Relax, and have a glorified date with your most special person whilst I document you both!
wall art and extras.
Turning your house into a home with fine art.
creating art for your home.
One of the best parts of receiving your final images back from the day is deciding how you’d love to showcase your epic adventure in your own space, turning your house into a home.
The great news is that aside from being an expert elopement photographer, I’m acutely trained in helping create art for your home which suits your style and taste.
Best of all, i can even show you to scale how selected images will look to scale in your home with my sophisticated software.
This gives you a little preview of what I can do for you once your final images are delivered, and you’re keen on something on the wall!
INVESTMENT STARTING AT:
$395
choice of materials.
What is your style?
classic framed.
super customisable.
If you love the ‘museum’ look, and want an art piece that could also compliment the materials and colours in your home, then framed could suit you both.
This piece has a UV coated protection on the glass to help reduce damage from the sun; it is best placed in a room which wouldn’t suffer from a lot of glare.
scandi timber.
perfect for minimalist lovers.
If you’re the sort of people who find yourselves becoming obsessed with wood and timber, then these may be perfect for you.
They also have a matte finish, which means that it won’t be as reflective as framed, so this may be perfect if you’re looking for a piece that gets a lot of natural light.
modern canvas.
simple and stylish.
If you find yourselves drawn to the more modern and minimalist feel of canvas, then these prints would be perfect for you.
They have a matte finish as well, meaning that they are suitable all over your home, including areas with plenty of natural light!
choice of presentation.
How would you like to display your art?
hero piece.
big and bold.
You’re looking for something that really stands on its own and sums you both up in one concise image.
Signature pieces are great if you like the big and bold look of having one big piece at the end of the hallway, or above your bed.
They can also be smaller pieces to compliment other pieces of artwork in your home.
Choose from timber, framed, or canvas.
storyboard.
narration bliss.
Perfect for couples who enjoy a concise snapshot of the day in a few images.
It comes in all types of configurations, so you can have a massive set above the kitchen table, or a series in the hallway.
set of prints.
great for gifts.
My fine art prints are the perfect gift, and can even be framed on their own if you have a personal favourite frame.
i feel like the luckiest person alive to do this work.
It truly means the world to me when I get to work with couples who want to have the day of their lives.
I get to help you plan it, create images to help you relieve the memories and warmth and excitement in years to come.
I would absolutely love the honour of being able to capture your big day.
James X