Prep Guide: Golden Vineyard

I’m so excited that we’ll be spending time together at one of my favorite locations for fall sessions. Please take a moment to scroll through this brief prep-guide to get you ready for our session!


If you need to reach me on the day of our session, please send me a text message or call via WhatsApp at +49 176 43633578 . If I miss your call, please leave a text message so that I know to return the call.

I will be keeping a close eye on the weather but because the peak time for leaves is very short (less than 10 days usually), I prefer that we try to hold a session rather than wait to reschedule if possible. Clouds are great and offer soft gentle lighting, but what we want to avoid is heavy rain. We’ll touch base the day prior and the day of our shoot regarding the weather.

Address, Parking, and Directions

  • Fellbacher Weingärtner eG

    Kappelbergstraße 48, 70734 Fellbach

    Google Maps Link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YdgP6TKrR6iFLhGV6

  • There is a small parking lot at the address provided above. If the parking lot is full, you can also find street parking nearby. Please allow at least 10 - 15 minutes to find parking and walk to our location.

  • I’ve provided a screenshot from Google Maps of a path from the parking lot to our meeting spot. It’s just a short walk and is stroller friendly.

    You can also view it as a Google Maps link here:

    https://maps.app.goo.gl/Rstj29KEshBJEpvg7

Wardrobe Suggestions

This location works very well with neutral colors and earthy tones. The leaves will be mostly golden. Red, green, mustard, or blue work well as accent colors. When choosing wardrobe choices, here are my personal recommendations.

  1. Choose an outfit for the person who is the hardest to shop for first and build the rest of the family’s wardrobe around that person.

  2. Coordinate your wardrobe around a chosen color palette so that each of you look great individually but also when grouped up together.

  3. For those wearing pants - match your pants. For example, all the pants are denim or all the pants are khakis. Dresses and skirts can be a mix and match of fabrics.

  4. Avoid super bold prints, logos, and characters or illustrations as they will distract the focus away from your faces.

  5. The fit is KEY. Make sure that your outfits sit exactly how and where you want each piece to sit, trying out different poses (walking, standing, sitting, etc).

  6. Comfort is important. Some children are very sensitive to certain textures and clothing tags. Some children have very strong opinions about what pieces of clothing they will (or will not) wear. Choosing something that your child likes and feels comfortable in will go a long way in helping them feel comfortable on the shoot so that we can focus on creating beautiful images and new memories.

  7. Dress appropriately for the weather. For older children, teens, and adults we can typically get away with being cold for short time. For younger children, dressing warmly helps when we are shooting outdoors in the fall. Plan on layering. Leggings, tights, and thermal underlayers are great if you’re going for the “no jacket” fall look.

  8. Remember shoes and appropriate socks. Investing in shoes that go with your outfits really ties together the whole look and feel of your images. Rule of thumb with socks: neutral or black is best because chances are we’ll probably do one or two sit down poses and they will peep out.

  9. Iron or steam your clothes. With fabric that tends to wrinkle easily, plan on maybe changing once you arrive at our location (let me know ahead of time so that I can bring a changing tent for you).

Hair and Skin Guide

Treat your photo session the same way you would a major event.

  1. No new skincare or products within 48 hours to avoid allergic reactions.

  2. Schedule haircuts/trims well ahead of the session to allow for any unexpected errors or surprises.

  3. Hair color should be applied several days ahead of our session to allow color to be washed off the scalp

  4. Trim/remove any unwanted facial hair

  5. Trim and clean nails

  6. Moisturize skin and lips in the days leading up to our session

  7. Hydrate well the week of our session

  8. Test out and use hair products to ensure that everyone’s hair can survive possible humidity, static, wind, etc.

On Our Shoot Day

  1. Whenever possible, don’t overschedule your session day. Arriving rested and refreshed is an excellent way to start a session.

  2. Give yourself plenty of time to get ready, drive, park, and get to our meeting location. Getting ready for a photo session tends to be stressful for most families, and giving yourselves time will help alleviate a lot of that stress.

  3. Make sure to eat something prior to our session if it is around the time when you or your family normally have a meal or a snack. Trust me on this one: you don’t want hungry kids (or adults) on a shoot.

What to Bring

  1. Hair brushes and combs in case we need to smooth down hair.

  2. If wearing make-up, bring the essentials with you for touch-ups if needed.

  3. Water and small, easy to chew snacks. I’m a huge fan of neutral colored goldfish crackers and Pez candy.

  4. A small blanket to bundle up and keep warm during the shoot. It’s a lot easier to wrap and unwrap a blanket from a young child than to take jackets on and off during a shoot.

One Final Note

In my own life, I have learned to take a deep breath and remind myself that my child is a child and that, most of the time, they are behaving a certain way because they are having a hard time, not because they are trying to give me a hard time. This has made a world of difference for me as a mom and a photographer.

This is at the core of my approach to photographing people of all ages: with empathy.

On my shoots, we encourage desired behavior through encouragement and positive reinforcement. I ask that parents be on the same page with me on this because it is VERY hard to get a child to get back to a state of mind where they are genuinely smiling (especially on a mini session) after getting scolded or teased by a parent. Gentle and playful behavior will generally get you the desired giggles and smiles. When necessary, we redirect and take breaks as needed.

There could be a myriad of reasons why a family member may seem difficult or incorporative during a session. They might be nervous, anxious, tired, overly stimulated, cold, hot, hungry, just had a fight, sick, teething, or just having a rough day/week/month. I want you to know that as your photographer, I understand this and that I fully expect children to be children during a shoot. I ask that clients keep this in mind and work with me to help their loved ones overcome whatever challenges that they may be experiencing during a shoot and extend extra love and grace.

I ask that you be gentle with yourselves and each other before, during, and after session. Talk to your loved ones about our upcoming session, together or individually, and if you do have a reluctant family member I encourage you to try to work with them to address some of the reasons they are reluctant. Feeling anxious before or during a shoot is a normal behavior for most people, of all ages. In my experience, it does get better during the session especially if the adults on the shoot are on the same page.

And if things go sideways? It’s ok - we’ll roll with it. As a mom of 3 (20, 18, and 6 year old) who has photographed literally thousands of children: there’s really not much that can frazzle me on a shoot. Come as yourselves and we’ll work together to create these beautiful images together.

I’m looking forward to meeting your family and creating beautiful memories with you. Thank you for choosing me to be your photographer.