Portrait Session Q&A

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR? HOW SHOULD I LOOK?
You don’t necessarily need to “dress up” for your portrait session. The best images are usually captured when you wear clothing that you are comfortable in and outfits that match your unique style. We recommend trying to keep things simple by picking solid or semi-solid colors and coordinating your wardrobe as much as possible.

Steer clear of busy patterns, bright colors, or logos and consider bringing along several different clothing changes. Adding or removing a jacket, changing into different shoes, or putting on a different shirt can change your outfit just enough to make it appear that you are wearing an entirely different wardrobe. Also be sure that your clothing is clean and free of wrinkles.

Note: don’t let our clothing suggestions keep you from bringing a favorite shirt or outfit. We are happy to work it into the session!

Dress for the Season: We strongly encourage our clients to dress for the season. If you’ve scheduled a portrait session during the fall or winter, bring a dressy jacket, hats, scarves and gloves. Coordinate your clothing ensemble to match the fall colors and cooler weather. During the spring and summer months, ladies should consider warm weather tops (to wear with pants or skirts), summer blouses, sun dresses, skirts and shorts. Men’s wardrobes are usually much simpler; however we recommend bringing several t-shirts, button down shirts and jeans/pants.

Best Seasons To Schedule a Portrait Session: Spring, summer and fall are the best seasons to schedule portrait sessions. The seasonal colors and drier weather help ensure the best images possible. Our busiest months are late summer and fall.

Fall Colors: Fall colors make a wonderful backdrop for family pictures and one-on-one portraits. The best times to capture fall colors are between October and the middle of November. Seasonal fall colors and beautiful leaves are usually gone by the end of November.

How Many Outfits to Bring: Most of our clients bring one to two different ensembles to change into. We recommend bringing at least two different changes of clothes. You can completely change your look by throwing on a button down shirt or adding a jacket and scarf. With that in mind, consider bringing one casual and one dressy outfit.

Reflective Glasses and Transition Lenses: We schedule portraits session outside at dynamic locations. Transition lenses and reflective glasses (i.e. those without anti-glare treatment) can completely conceal the eyes and generally diminish the overall quality of the final images. There may not be a lot you can do about that, but it’s definitely something to be aware of. If you show up with transition lenses, we may suggest taking pictures with and without your glasses on.

CAN I BRING A PET, PROPS OR ACCESSORIES?
Yes, yes and yes! Bring along anything that represents you – this includes musical instruments, athletic gear, sports jerseys, dancing shoes, purses and pets. Be sure to bring someone along to help if you bring a pet.

CAN I HAVE MY PORTRAITS TAKEN OUTSIDE
Of course! Portrait sessions take place in grungy alleys, around old buildings, and in beautiful outdoor locations! We specialize in creating stunning images that match your personality and style. Tell us about your favorite spot or pick one of ours. A recommend list of locations can be found here.

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE LOCATION?
We regularly update our preferred location list. Our favorite locations are based on their accessibility, versatility and background options. If you’re not sure about which location to pick, we recommend Jennings Park (in Marysville) or the Evergreen Arboretum (in Everett). Both locations offer tons of background choices and are perfect for one-on-one and family portraits.

CAN YOU COME TO MY HOME?
We would be glad to come to your home if you wish! We just need a moderate amount of space to work.

ARE THERE ANY PLACES YOU WON’T GO?
We won’t work on railroad tracks or private property without permission.

DO YOU HAVE A STUDIO?
We recently stopped doing in-studio portraits and now work almost entirely outside, on location. Our style is designed around capturing amazing images in unique environmental locations.

We have all of the customary studio equipment and can bring it with us if you have a special request or need. For example, businesses regularly contact us to capture profession images of their employees. This usually includes a mixture of environmental photos (doing the work) and studio pictures. In that case, we work with the business to setup an appropriate backdrop that blends well with their marketing style. We also work one-on-one with individuals who need background specific photos for business.

WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO SEE MY PROOFS?
We make your images available for viewing and sharing with friends and family online within 7-10 day of the session. Printed proofs are usually ready within 2 weeks of your order being placed – oftentimes sooner.

HOW DOES ONLINE PROOFING WORK?
Our images are made available to you for viewing through a secure, easy-to-use proofing gallery. After the portrait session you will receive a passcode to access your images. You are free to share the passcode or keep it restricted to close friends and family. Images can be purchased securely through the online proofing gallery. This means that out-of-town friends and family can view your images and purchase prints if they wish. We will ship their order directly to them so you don’t have to worry about mailing out additional prints.

Check out our online proofing gallery showcasing a family portrait session. Click over to the proofing page and enter “family portrait” into the passcode box.

WHAT KIND OF CAMERA EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE?
We use high resolution Canon digital SLR cameras and professional grade lenses to ensure the highest quality photographs possible. We also bring backup equipment to every session.

CAN I GET BLACK & WHITE VERSIONS OF THE IMAGES I LIKE?
Yes! We carefully (and creatively) hand process all of our images. We are more than happy to process your images in color, black & white, sepia, or split tone. We want your images to match your personality! Just let us know what you are looking for.

DO YOU RETOUCH ANY OF THE IMAGES?
Yes and there’s no additional charge for retouching! We review and hand process all of the final proofs. We specially retouch all of the images you pick to have printed. Standard retouching includes removing blemishes, teeth whitening and eliminating some fly-away hairs. We won’t remove birthmarks, freckles or scars unless you specifically requested it. We also don’t remove braces.

CAN I PURCHASE THE PROOFS?
Email friendly images from the session are provided to all of our clients at no additional cost. Most of our clients end up purchasing the high resolution photos after the session. High resolution images (along with a copyright release to print them anywhere) can be purchased for an additional $100. You can purchase the high resolution photos up front or after the session (once you’ve had a chance to review your proofs). In either case, the images are provided to our clients digitally (via a download link).

WHAT’S YOUR PREFERRED METHOD OF PAYMENT?
We will send you an invoice shortly after you schedule your portrait session. Payment is due at the time of the session. We prefer payment by cash or check; however you’re also welcome pay securely online (here).

HOW FAR WILL YOU DRIVE FOR A PORTRAIT SESSION?
We are happy to drive within 30-miles of Everett for no additional charge. Most of our clients pick a location in the Snohomish County area. Contact us if you are interested in scheduling a portrait session further away. We definitely want to work with you if we can.

WHAT HAPPENS IF IT’S RAINING OR WET THE DAY OF MY SESSION?
This is the Pacific Northwest’s and rain happens! Mid-October through February are the wettest months. We recommend you schedule your portrait session with enough advance notice so that we can reschedule if weather does become a factor (e.g. if you have a deadline, try to schedule your portrait session at least 2-3 weeks in advance).

Oftentimes pouring down rain in the morning turns to dry and sunny conditions in the late morning or afternoon. With that in mind, we will watch the weather and contact you (approximately 2 hours before the session) if we need to reschedule. This might mean pushing the session out just a few hours (to another time slot) or rescheduling it for another day. We will reschedule the session on the first available day and time slot that works for you.

WILL THERE BE A DIFFERENCE IN THE QUALITY OF THE FINAL IMAGES IF IT’S WET OUTSIDE?
No – with a friendly “but”. Wet, cold or even sprinkling/misty conditions ordinarily do not affect the quality of the final images. With that in mind, it’s also important to consider the season.

We schedule portrait sessions throughout the year, but winter colors and textures don’t look the same as colors and textures found in spring, summer or fall. Each season is unique. Winter is the least popular time for outdoor pics because of the cold, wet weather. Winter also affords the fewest colors to work with for backgrounds. We share this to inform rather than discourage you from scheduling a portrait session during winter months.

We can almost always work through moderately wet conditions and still capture beautiful images. If the weather is a little chilly, consider bringing a jacket so that you can warm up between photo takes. If you want to guarantee you’re warm and toasty during your portrait session, we recommend scheduling it during the summertime months. If weather becomes a factor during the session, we will schedule a re-take session.

RESERVE YOUR SESSION
We can schedule your one-on-one and family portrait sessions at a location of your choice or you are welcome pick one of our favorite places. Portrait sessions are scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays – morning and afternoon time slots available. Send us a couple possible dates that work best for you and we will schedule it! Fill out the form below to get started.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Paxton Portraits moved out of state. This email form is no longer being monitored!