Choosing the Perfect Location for Your Session to Match Your Home

Beautiful Bear Creek Mountain resort.

Lehigh Valley Wedding Photography – Dave Dabour Photography

Choosing the perfect location for your session

It’s almost time for your session and we’re trying to decide on a location. Here are some things you’ll want to think about:

1. Keep in mind the décor of your home. My personal photography style is bright and bold. However, my home is more vintage-themed. I would never have us dressed in bright colors on a canvas in my wall because it doesn’t go with my rustic décor. Make sure you coordinate your outfits and locations to match the décor style of your home. You also will need to coordinate the colors with the walls of your house so they don’t clash.
2. If you have a rustic home like mine, studio portraits don’t typically look good unless you put them in vintage type frames to make them fit in more.
3. If you have a more modern home, studio photos will more than likely be your best option.
4. You can also choose to have a lifestyle session done inside your home. We will come to your house and take photos of your family in your own natural environment. These are beautiful and will look great in your house because they match perfectly.

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The significance of the first look

Many of my couples ask me whether or not they should have a first look. If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering the same thing. In my professional opinion, I think they are an excellent idea. They are popular in all parts of the country except the Northeast! I love first looks. I know that they are a tad bit ‘untraditional,’ but let me take a minute to explain the benefits of a first look.

1. Your wedding day will be crazy busy. No getting around it. You have so much to do and so little time to do it in. If you have a first look, it helps to calm down the day a bit. Instead of trying to rush around to get everyone together and have pictures taken between the wedding ceremony and reception while your guests are waiting, you’ll have that time to relax and enjoy your guests and not have to worry about being late to your reception. We can do all of the main portraits before the ceremony even begins – at the very least, the bride and groom and bridal party photos. This way, your hair and makeup are still perfect, as they were just finished. If your family is coming earlier, we can do their photos beforehand, as well, or we will only have to worry about those portraits after the ceremony and not the bridal party shots.
2. A first look also gives you a very special, intimate moment with your new spouse. If you are nervous or stressed out, this will especially help to relax you, and your spouse can comfort you and let you know it will all be OK. During the ceremony, there are many of people around and you can’t fully take in the moment because everyone is staring at you. With a first look, that moment is just between you and your spouse (and your photographers, of course).
3. Even if you have a first look, your husband will be just as happy to see you walking down the aisle and you’ll still take his breath away. Don’t worry that you’ll be spoiling the moment by seeing him prior to the ceremony.

Lehigh Valley Wedding Photography

10 Tips on how to prepare for your session (for girls)

Dance portraits of Amy. Part of the series “Dancers in unusual locations.” Photo by Dave Dabour

Preparation Tips for Senior Girls

Now that you’ve booked your session, we have a few tips for you to help you get ready for your close up. Follow these guidelines the weeks leading up to your session and we’ll take care of the rest!

1. Choose two to three outfits to wear during your session and lay them out so they are ready to go. Make sure they are clean and wrinkle-free.
2. Also, don’t forget to pack any accessories you’ll want for each outfit – jewelry, scarves, headbands, etc. Bring matching socks/tights, and shoes for each outfit if one pair won’t go along with all of them.
3. While you’re at it, if you plan on bringing any props – your ballet shoes, favorite book, softball gear, etc. – go ahead and lay that out as well. If you are going to bring your car to the session and want it to be in photos with you, be sure to wash it the night before/day of your session.
4. Get a good night’s rest the night before so you can look well rested for your session.
5. Get your hair cut about one to two weeks prior to your session. Don’t drastically change it from your normal style in case you don’t like it. Have the hair stylist show you some easy styles you can do during outfit changes to switch it up a bit.
6. Practice your makeup the week leading up to your session so you can get it just right the day of. We do offer professional makeup artist services with several of our packages. This is something we strongly suggest you look into for your session.
7. If you wake up two days prior to your session, or the morning of, and acne has appeared on your face – don’t pick at it and make it worse while trying to get rid of it. Apply some makeup over the area (not too heavy) and leave it at that. We offer basic retouching, which includes blemish removal; so don’t even worry about it.
8. Get a manicure the day before or day of your session to ensure your nails look their best. Don’t forget that the color needs to match all of your outfits. For this reason, and to keep a clean appearance, we suggest going with the French manicure or just a clear coat of paint.
9. Practice a nice natural smile and cute poses in a mirror or send us over some things we can talk to you about that will help you relax – your favorite movie, your boyfriend, etc.
10. If you are doing a session with your BFF or BF, don’t forget to coordinate an outfit with them so you guys don’t clash.

Dressing for a Spring Family Session

Photo by DAVE DABOUR

What to Wear to a Spring Family Session

Sure it may be cold and wintry now but soon the birds are chirping, the buds are blooming, and the snow has officially melted. That means it’s time for your spring family session. Here are a few wardrobe tips to ensure the whole gang looks smashing:

• Play up the fact that it’s spring. Have a necklace with a butterfly pendant? Perfect! An insect-printed tee? Yes, please.
• Channel the colors of spring. Seriously – look out the window for inspiration for your family’s color palette. Greens, pinks, yellows, beige, khaki, and blues all work exceptionally well.
• Layer up! Spring can be both warm and cold at once, so come prepared. We love spring scarves, light cardigans, vests, etc.

Why you should hire a professional photographer to do your events

Photos from the Kwenyan Professional Services Holiday Party 2018.

Should I Hire a Professional Photographer to Document My Event?

If you’re on the fence about whether or not to hire someone to photograph your event, consider these reasons:

Let’s say the event is a family reunion and you want to get a group photo of the whole family. You could do it yourself, but one of two things could happen then. A) You have someone take the photo for you, leaving a family member out of the photo because they had to take it. This could possibly offend that person or make them feel awkward for being excluded. Or B) You set a timer on your camera. This can be problematic because there are so many people in the photo that you will need to take several images to make sure everyone is looking and has their eyes open. You will have to take two to three times as long to get the photos done because you’ll have to keep resetting the timer, and you still might not have gotten the shot. Hiring a professional will eliminate all of this stress.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to go around all night taking selfies with my phone or camera with all of my friends and family members. I would much prefer to relax and enjoy the moment instead of trying to capture it. The quality of the photos will be much better than the selfies. Also, trying to take a selfie with a group of people is next to impossible when trying to get everyone inside the frame.

If the event is a birthday party, you don’t want to miss out on visiting with guests or helping your child open presents or cut the cake because you are too busy trying to take the photos. You want to be part of the action, not stuck behind the camera.

Another great thing about hiring a professional is that you don’t have to worry about editing and distributing the photos after the event is over. You just have to wait to receive them from your photographer.

Finally, it’s really a gift to have well lit photographs taking by a professional who preserve the memory of your event. Those images are going to be cherished by everyone for a very long time to come.

Our business motto is: Let’s us capture the moments so you can enjoy them.” These are words that were carefully chosen. We know lots of people have cameras today and enjoy taking photos. But at your own event, sit back and enjoy it. Let me capture and save the moments for you so you can enjoy them forever!

7 Tips for Preparing for Your Winter Session

How to Prepare for Your Winter Session

Some people shy away from winter sessions because, well, it’s cold. But winter sessions make for some prime photo ops, so don’t write off the brr months.

1. Keep tracking the weather. Those white winter days after a lot of snowfall can result in some seriously gorgeous photographs. Booking two months out probably won’t work, and you’ll instead want to book on a shorter notice.

2. Really play up the winter accessories when planning outfits. Think cozy knit scarves, colorful coats, adorable boots, mittens and more.

3. Plan the day out so that nobody gets fussy or too cold. A bribe of hot chocolate after the session goes a long way. Also make sure that everyone’s dressed warmly.

4. Don’t be afraid to have fun in that snow. Snowball fights? Snowman building? Angels? The possibilities are endless and this should be all about having fun.

5. Choose colors and prints that pop. An all white background is absolutely beautiful, but having that pop of red or that flash of gingham can really make for a gorgeous photograph.

6. Pack the necessities. Noses tend to run in the cold, and glasses can fog up. Bring tissues, hand-warming packs, clean clothes and hot beverages to keep everyone perky throughout the shoot.

7. Because it can be really cold, note that a shorter session may be in order. Make the most of your photos by using every single second to the max, especially at the beginning of the session when everyone’s still warm and spirits are particularly high.

SKIT presents Disney’s “Newsies”

New Jersey Theater Photography

ShowKids Invitational Theatre (SKIT) next production is Disney’s “Newsies” I have the pleasure of capturing the show memories in digital stills and video DVD for cast and crew.

Performances run January 25 – February 3, 2019. For more information or to order tickets please go to http://www.showkids.org

To see more images and to order prints or digital downloads please go to: https://www.dabourphotography.com/SKIT-Photos/Newsies

A DVD of the show can be ordered at http://store.dabourphotography.com