Pinterest is the devil!!!

Okay, I may be mildly exaggerating here.

Truth be told, I love Pinterest. It’s a wealth of creativity and deals exclusively in one of the things that I love: pictures! It’s been a great tool for me when it comes to planning sessions because I can make a board specifically for the shoot I’m doing and share it with my clients. A great example: the most recent engagement session I shot (see a few of the gorgeous photos HERE), I brought my iPad, so I could have my “inspiration” right at my finger tips. After finishing that session and seeing the photos on my computer, I could have cried I was so happy with the images!!!

FINALLY! I thought. Here are images that I created and they are exactly what I envisioned! 

Pinterest

I consider myself a fairly creative person (aren’t all photographers?), but I don’t know that I would have been able to come up with the concept for this image without a little inspiration from the board on Pinterest. In that aspect, I think Pinterest is an awesome tool, something that can be used for inspiration and a diving off point to launch your own creative ideas.

However, what we’re seeing more and more in the photography community, is that clients are going a little “pinterest crazy”! It’s very easy to get swept away in all the elaborate set-ups circulating the web, but the experience of having photos taken should be exciting, fun, maybe even a little goofy. Certainly not stressful because you have to recreate that one picture form Pinterest exactly.

When getting your pictures taken, skip all the hype and focus on what’s really important: creating a genuine connection between you and your photographer so that together, you can create memories you’ll truly treasure. Here are a few tips to consider:

  • Embrace your personal style and don’t just try to be a copycat

At the end of the day, your photos should reflect who you are and what you want people to know about you. It’s not very realistic to have photos done in a quaint country cottage with everyone laughing and frolicking in the sun, if it’s more you to be the rock and roll type.

  • Clothing is important, but not in a matchy-matchy kind of way

For some reason, it seems that a white shirt and jeans is the official “family picture uniform”. Who decided this? I don’t know, but you will never hear me tell clients this is a good idea. I’m the crazy photographer telling clients that fuchsia and orange are a good idea (don’t think so? go check out the Scott Family!), because there are no “rules” when it comes to what to wear for photography. Something colorful, fun, and (most of all) comfortable is the way to go. Complimentary colors are usually recommended, but that doesn’t mean that everyone has to match.

  • Props are awesome! (in moderation)

Props can definitely add something cute to your shoot, but too often they take away from the true subject of your photos… you know, you and your family? 😉 If you’re going to utilize props in your shoot, keep it simple, and make sure they reflect your interests and style.

To wrap up, by no means am I saying that I hate Pinterest. Quite the opposite, actually. I absolutely LOVE it when client show me inspiration for a photo they want to try or have an idea for something specific during their session. I really do welcome ideas and Pinterest pictures. But as an artist, I want to make sure that we’re not simply copying pictures that you see, I want to give it my own unique look, so that it’s more “you”.