Rocking the Red Dress

One of my favorite things about working with High School and College Seniors is that so many of them have and idea of what they want to convey in their images. You have heard the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words." Now, when I ask this question some folks are completely stumped. They thought that they just wanted some pretty pictures of a special moment in time but now realize that those images will be telling their story! Do you tell a story of joy or being grateful? Is it a story of hard work and friendship? Maybe it is simply a celebration of who you are right now. Or, maybe it is the story of empowerment.

Marissa told me in our very first conversation that she wanted to wear a red dress. She was even buying a matching tassel. Regularly, women tell me they will wear a white dress which I always discourage - because chances are good the next time they have professional images made they will be in a white dress again. I usually recommend a few outfit changes and I often tell folks to stay away from red. Here’s why. Reds are often extremely bright and can create a weird color cast on your skin and even your hair. Believe me, it makes it very hard to correct in post processing when there’s a weird neon glow from your dress. Our naked eye doesn’t see it all the time but, I promise you, the camera does. Guess what? That wasn't a problem for Marissa because the off the shoulder cut meant no reflection!

I am so happy Marissa picked this dress. Honestly, I love red. In terms of color psychology, red also represents confidence, energy, independence and sometimes competence. I can think of no better color to tell the story of a Marissa. She worked hard at a few jobs on the UCR campus, she was preparing to move into her own place, and she was confident. I am so thankful I got to be the one to take the portraits that will tell the story of her graduation from college.

Ready for your own senior portraits?