Hi there and welcome to Kayla Koch Photo. I'm assuming if you've found your way to this blog post, you're either looking for more information about me or looking for ways to prepare for your photo session. Well, your wish is my command, and I am here to provide you with a plethora of information to make your experience with me easy and fun!
Locations + Outfits
We will select our location prior to the day of your session. First and foremost, I will send you a message prior to our session to remind you of where and what time we will be meeting. Once I arrive at our location, I will text you once again to let you know exactly where I parked (assuming I have service). Please note that I am notoriously super early to photo sessions to troubleshoot in case a parking lot is closed, I run into road construction, or literally anything else. Do NOT feel the need to arrive early or rush to get to me. I arrive early just because I'm me, but please please please do not rush :)
As far as outfits go, I would love for you to keep a big piece of advice in mind: If you want your photos to be warmer in temperature, stick to warm tones. If you want cooler images, stick to cooler tones. Let me explain below:
Warmer images: autumn colors, beige, cream, neutral orange, earthy greens, mustard yellow, black, any and all earth tones (Note: Does not include denim. Demin is fine for either temperature you're desiring).
Cooler images: blue, white, black, grey, some light greens
Let's keep in mind that simplicity will create stunning images and you do not need to overdo it. Please try to avoid the following:
bold colors (red), neon colors, aggressive patterns
To be perfectly transparent, I do think that warmer tones work best for my style of editing. I will of course edit your photos beautifully regardless, but my editing style seems to work best when designed with warmer tones in mind.
Posing + Prompts
As a candid lifestyle photographer, many of my posing instructions and prompts may feel silly or goofy. They are meant for you to relax and enjoy your time in front of my lens whether that is with family members, your significant other, or just yourself if you're looking for solo portraits.
All of my lenses are fixed which means they do not have a zoom feature. I personally prefer fixed lenses because they are sharper in quality for the work I provide. Because my lenses don't have a zoom feature, I do all of the zooming with my feet aka I will do a LOT of walking at your session. Sometimes, I may ask you to do a pose or prompt more than once because I want to capture a tighter version or a different orientation. I promise, you did not mess up. I am simply creating a different image via a different angle or perspective. Plus, this makes your gallery FULL of variety.
Equipment I Use
Although I won't necessarily use all of this gear at every session, I almost always have all of it in my kit:
Camera 1: Sony a7RV
Camera 2: Sony a7IV
I actually have two of these camera bodies, but I only carry one with me right now.
Lens 1: Sony 85mm GM 1.4
Lens 2: Sony 50mm GM 1.4
Lens 3: Sony 35mm GM 1.4
Instax Mini Polaroid Camera
What to Expect While We Shoot
While we shoot, I try to give you a sense of what your photos will look like. I will show you the back of my camera however, I need you to keep these two pieces of information in mind:
The images you see are RAW meaning they will look entirely different when you receive your gallery.
I shoot in a way that looks dark. We call this underexposing an image. Ever since I switched from Canon to Sony, I find that when I underexpose, I am able to edit exactly as I desire and can bring out certain elements and soften others. When I show you the back of my camera, the images may look darker than you think they should look and that's okay. This is normal. This is my shooting style, and it allows me to create my personal aesthetic.
Secondly, I will tell you that you look, "so cute!!!" about a million and a half times. This is for some random reason my go-to phrase. I cannot help it :)
I know this is a TON of information at once, but please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Interested in booking with me? Let's chat!