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What to expect


Before the shoot
Before the session we will work to establish the appointment date and time.
It is easier for me to use email as I can respond fairly quickly and in writing!
You can schedule an appointment via email at pixies.nicci@gmail.com This is the best way to communicate with me!
After you have your appointment scheduled I will send out a client info form for you to fill out and then we will establish location.
Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to answer them! If you do not get a response within a few days please try again,
sometimes things get placed in my junk folder and I only check that folder once a month.
Please try to clearly communicate what you are looking for in the end result of your photos. Be as specific as you can, for example, if you would like photos of you looking at the camera, or natural interactions let me know!
If for some reason you need to reschedule please let me know as soon as you can! I understand that things come up and I am fairly flexible, however, please be respectful and understand no shows will be charged a cancellation fee.
If for some reason I need to reschedule, I will do my best to give adequate notice and get you rescheduled as soon as possible.
For a photo session I will work with you to determine what look and props you would like to use and we will create the session together,
I will also send idea photos if necessary.
After the shoot
After the session I will narrow down the photos, I will then go through and edit the photos.
I will look at the session, and style then I will edit them how I feel they will look best.
The adjustments are at my discretion and are my artistic interpretation. The editing process takes about 2 - 3 weeks.
I do offer a rush service with turnaround time of 3 days, which is an additional R200. - R500. With the rush service I will have them uploaded
to the web gallery in 3 days. I upload all of your images in low resolution to a web gallery with a password. You are free to share this link with
friends and family (just give them your password) This gallery allows you and your family and friends to download all images.

General Advice


Hair - If you're getting a hair cut for your shoot, do so about two weeks beforehand, just in case it goes wrong – you just never know. For men, a fresh cut a couple of  days before the shoot is fine.  
Hair accessories - If you're shooting outdoors, be ready to put your hair up and make it look nice in case of a windy day. Bring bobby pins, hair clips, headbands or any other favorite accessories.  
Glasses - If folks wouldn't recognize you without glasses, you want to wear glasses in your shoot, however, the glare on glasses can detract from your eyes in photos. You can have your lenses removed from your frames for your shoot (don't worry, it's what Hollywood does to avoid glare in movies), ask your eye doctor to loan you a pair of similar frames, or you can also visit an inexpensive company online and buy a suitable pair of duplicate frames on the cheap.  
Red eyes - Eye Drops is your friend. Not getting drunk the night before your shoot helps, too. [Don't think I kid, I've shot plenty of hung-over clients.]
Lips – You will probably wipe or lick your lips during your shoot, so bring fresh lip gloss or lipstick to do touch-up. Use lip balm for a few days in advance of your shoot to make your smooches look their best.
Teeth – If you want to brighten your smile, start your treatments about two weeks before your shoot.
Breakouts - Start using Face cleanser for a week in advance of your shoot to help reduce and limit pimples and blemishes. Equally important, don't cake on a lot of make-up to try to hide blemishes – it's almost always easier to Photoshop away pimples than to clean up overdone make-up. For fever blisters, avoid getting them in the first place, then use ointment if one pops up anyway.  
Make-up - A subtle application of make-up can really soften your skin and accent your facial features. But make sure you know what you're doing, and make sure it matches your skin tone, or your face may look orange compared to the rest of your body.
Facial hair – Men, be freshly shaved with a new razor, shaving cream and a moisturizing after-shave lotion to avoid bumps and redness. Trim up your board, sideburns, mustache or goatee, especially looking for wiry stray hairs. Ladies, even if you have some light facial hair (particularly around your lip or chin), indulge in a waxing in advance of your shoot – even barely-there light facial hair will be noticeable in your photos. Men and women both, pluck and clean up those eyebrows.  
Moisturizer - Dry skin can really detract from a great photo shoot. Start moisturizing nightly a week in advance of your shoot. When you get out of the shower, dry off until lightly damp, and slather on moisturizer. Focus on your arms, shoulders, neck, face, hands, anywhere you'll be exposed to the camera. This includes your legs if you're shooting in shorts or a skirt. Pro Tip: For dry skin on your face, especially around your nose, use a sugar scrub. Mix a cup of sugar with about a quarter cup of olive oil, or just until it looks like wet sand. Scrub your face with it anywhere you have flaky skin, wash it off, then wash with soap to remove the oil. The sugar paste shouldn't be oily, just wet enough to moisten the sugar. Also, be sure on your face to use a facial moisturizer, not a thick body moisturizer, or you could break out. [Men, of course, are most in need of this advice, especially around the face and hands.]  
Nails - A fresh coat of nail polish will make a world of difference in your photo shoot. Pick a neutral color that won't distract in your shoot or clash with your outfits. Freshen the morning of the shoot, then be careful not to scuff it while prepping. [I see this most often with high school senior girls, to whom half-gone nail polish seems to be a popular fad.] Your photo shoot is a great excuse for a fresh manicure, but if you can't go to the salon, make sure your nails look tidy and clean, including the cuticles.  
Bloating – Ladies, avoid high salt and high fat foods for two to three days in advance of your shoot. Being bloated will sap your confidence and comfort in front   of the camera.  
Undergarments - Bra straps won't do anything to help your outfit look its best. Be sure you bring a set of bras and strap-adjusting accessories to work with any outfit you want to shoot in to keep those straps well-hidden.  
Sun burns and tan lines - If your shoot is booked for Saturday, don't go to the beach on Friday. If you plan to tan before your shoot, do so at least a week beforehand and don't get burned. Be mindful of clothing tan lines, sunglass tan lines, hat tan lines, etc.
Ironing - If you iron, iron the night before and then hang the clothes for your shoot. If you're wearing something that wrinkles easily, don't wear it in the car on the way to the shoot – just change at the location.
Shoes - Ladies, can't go wrong in heels or wedges. Men, clean’em up! Dress shoes are best [or boots down here in Texas], but as with most things, let your mom or your wife decide

Suggestions


Maternity
Moisturize that belly!
Gather your props to bring along – ultrasound printout, alphabet blocks that spell your baby’s name, baby shoes, stuffed animals, flowers, whatever you’ve seen in other maternity photos that you like. Wear whatever you feel comfortable and pretty in – long, flowy skirts, especially solids are nice, and strapless bras that coordinate with them.  Tube dresses are great for showing off your shape. Bring a pair of regular jeans, not the belly panel ones. A button-up shirt also makes it easy to transition into showing your belly.  If you’re doing semi-nude/implied nude photos, bras and underwear will create noticable lines on your skin, so wear loose-fitting clothing to the shoot.  You can add undergarments as necessary for photos later in the shoot.  Do bring your significant other! They’ll make a great prop for your photos, and greatly expand on the number of different photos you can make during your shoot. They should bring outfits that coordinate with what you’ll be wearing, or a dark long-sleeved shirt or sweater and dark pants.  
The focus should always be on you, your expressions, your emotions, your personality, your joy and your connection.

Newborns & Babies
Newborn photos are a very special aspect of my photography! I love capturing babies when they are so new and fresh! It is important to capture these photos with in the first 10 days of birth! Please try to contact me before the baby is born and then let me know as soon as they arrive and we will schedule the session! They are also more complicated than most typical sessions and pricing differs from a typical session. It is an on location natural lifestyle session.  Here are a few tips to help the session run smoothly... 
Have the room as close to 90 degrees as possible.  Have the baby undressed to a diaper and fed. Have any items you would like to use available! Use a wash cloth to clean away flaky skin and eye boogers.  Trim those tiny fingernails and toenails with appropriate baby trimmers. 
Book your shoot around your baby’s feeding and nap times, work with the natural rhythm of your baby. The perfect time to shoot is right when the baby would be laying down for a nap. If your baby normally falls asleep after a feeding, wait to feed the baby until you’re at the shoot. Baby photographers allot plenty of time for this sort of thing to set up the best situation for great photos.
Dress up paper diapers. Cloth diapers are classy and stylish, but if you don’t use them, bring bloomers or decorative diaper covers, solids preferred.
Nothing is the best wardrobe for a newborn – no outfit fits a newborn well, and they often look swallowed in clothes. Accessories are good, though – little hats, dainty headbands, boys in crocheted hats, etc. Bring sentimental items like the quilt that Grandma made for the baby, a baby blanket from your own childhood – they’re great for the youngster to lay on.r baby takes a pacifier, bring it – if they’re bottle fed, bring an extra bottle to help put the baby to sleep.

Children
The best advice I have for getting great photos of your kids is... relax! If you are stressed out you kids will feel it and get stressed out too! Have fun, relax, and be yourself. I love the photos when you can see your personality shining through! Never make them say “Cheese” it is actually makes for awkward faces! I will have them jump, dance, or spin! We will find a way to get a smile! I like imperfections, they make a photo real, so don’t worry too much about the little things.  Bring a favourite toy, book, or doll. This is a great way to document who they are now. We don’t have to use the items in all of the photos, but it is a great ice breaker as well. Bring snacks! If they are hungry or thirsty we won’t get very far. Also, a change of clothes for them and maybe an extra sweater for you just in case. Even if you do not want to do an outfit change bring something because accidents happen! Lastly, bring ideas and thoughts on what your hoping to achieve, but don’t be too rigid! If you go in with relaxed expectations we will have a great time! I like to roll with the punches and see what we can create together!! 
Clean, clean, clean – clean nails, clean hair, wipe away eye boogers, clean feet (sandals on kids = black feet!), wipe snotty noses, fresh-scrub teeth. The cleaner the kid, the better their photos will turn out.  If your child is still in diapers or pull-ups, tuck’ em in or wear bloomers. 
If your child is still of napping age, make sure they nap before the shoot.  It is perfectly okay to bring bribes to a photo shoot – given a stage and being the centre of attention, it’s like our kids know exactly when to act their worst. Some cereal, smarties or other candy that won’t stain teeth can help a short photo shoot go by smoothly.  Avoid colourful drinks or lollypops within 24 hours of your shoot, don’t let them eat or drink anything that will stain their face, teeth or mouths.  
Wardrobe - For girls, you can’t go wrong with cute dresses, rompers, and dainty hats or headbands. For boys, jeans and polo’s or a button-up shirt, or a T-shirt with a button-up over it can be very cute, as well as overalls on the right age and personality. For siblings, the children don’t have to match perfectly, just coordinate. You can’t go wrong with dark, rich monotones, which drive the attention in photos to sweet faces and darling expressions instead of loud prints or colours. If nothing else, pick a colour that compliments your child’s eye colour.

Families
Dad – Have a fresh shave or trim, and use a new razor with shaving cream and a moisturizing after-shave lotion to limit bumps and redness. Make sure nails are clean and trimmed. Wash your hands. Clean up your shoes. Moisturize and scrub away flaky facial skin. When you wash your face, pay attention to eye boogers and sleep crusties. For wardrobe, go for jeans or pants, tucked polo or dress shirt with a belt, or go casual with just a T-shirt or untucked polo, button-up short sleeve, etc. In general, whatever your wife tells you to wear. Again you don’t have to perfectly match the rest of the family, just wear something that coordinates.
Mom – Women know what to wear, but in general, unless you are extremely thin you may want to wear something that covers your upper-arms. Long- or 3/4-sleeve tops are very flattering. If you wear jewellery, aim for subtlety, and be aware of it twisting or turning.
Kids – Same advice as above, but again, everything needn’t match; simply coordinate with the parents’ outfits. If Dad’s in a T-shirt don’t put the kids in dress shirts – make it make sense.

Matric Portraits
The biggest tips for seniors are to have an even tan, don’t get sunburned, clean and freshly-paint those nails, and moisturize and scrub away dry skin.
Bring a variety of outfits – cap and gown, something casual, something stylish, ladies slip a dress in there to throw folks off, fellas try a formal look to impress. Wear what you think you look best in, but take the opportunity to also try a new look, just to surprise folks.
Bring props that recall your high school years – band instrument, sports gear like a volleyball or baseball bat, your beloved (or cursed) high school car, letter jacket, sunglasses. Most of all, rep your style, whatever that may be. Your senior photo should be unique to your life and personality.

Couples
Arrive happy and ready to be photographed.  Wear clothes that compliment each other.  Make sure they are not wrinkled and that your hair is tidy.  I will ask that you be close to each other, holding hands, kissing, hugging and laughing.  Have fun with the session and each other.

Style Success


The days of wearing all white or black (or any color for that matter) are done. The best style advice is to layer, add texture, and use the rule of 3. Choose 3 colors, two neutrals (like black, white, tan, jeans, gray) and one color (pink, green, blue, etc) and wear outfits the coordinate (not match.) Avoid logos and large print on clothing unless it is a part of your shoot (i.e. a rockstar or Big Brother shirt) Add a vest, jacket, sweater, or scarf to outfits to make them more visually interesting. Don’t wear something unflattering, seems like a given right? For example, if you are not confident with your arms don’t wear a sleeveless top. Also, think about your location. Choose outfits that will add to the location and coordinate. (For example if your going with an urban setting go with a more urban feeling in your clothing choices.)

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Address

164 Rose street, Riviera,
Pretoria, Gauteng

Contacts

Email:
info@pixiesphotography.co.za
Phone:
062 377 6778

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