Why a Leasure Portrait is Special | Chandler Photography Studio

By Family

In a sea of photographers, why choose Leasures? With Leasures you will have a wonderful experience from the first time you speak with us on the phone, until your portraits are in your hands.  We are a full-service portrait studio, and that is hard to find nowadays.

Our wonderful customer service is not the only reason to choose Leasures, there’s something very special about the printed wall portraits you will receive.

– Posing that is comfortable, relaxed, and natural looking

– Selective locations that create depth and dimension

– Professional lighting that illuminates the faces

– Hand finished retouching to create beautiful skin tones

-Creative artistic edges that enhance the portrait

 

what is a leasure portrait

The Best Height to Hang Your Family Portrait | Phoenix Family Photographer

By Family

Your family portrait is a treasure to be displayed.  If you have purchased a large wall portrait, odds are, you want to hang it in a prominent area of your home.

Once you’ve selected the blank wall, the next question will inevitably be: how high do I hang this?

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57″ On Center

Have you ever strolled through a gallery or museum and admired the art?  Did you notice that each piece of art was a different size, but they all seemed to have a harmonious feel?  Do you know why?  It is most likely because the museum followed the 57″ on center rule.

It is a very simple, and easy to use tool when hanging art, family portraits and posters around your home.  Keep each piece 57″ on center.  Confused?  “On center” means the middle of the art piece.  Following this rule will keep the middle of your art always at 57″ and your home will have the harmonious feeling of a gallery or museum.

Why 57″? Interestingly, that height is the average eye-level for most people.  Of course, if you are hanging your art above a piece of furniture, you might need to adjust this height accordingly.

Interested in utilizing the 57″ On Center rule around your home?  Follow these instructions to help you through the process.

How to Hang 57″ On Center

– Measure from the floor and lightly mark 57″ on the wall

– Measure the height of your art piece and divide by 2 (giving you the center)

– Hold the wire tight, as if it were hanging, and measure the distance from the top of the frame to the top of the wire.

– Subtract the measurement of your tightened wire from the center measurement of your art piece.  This will give you the placement of your hook or nail.

– Lightly mark above the 57″ mark with the hook measurement

Example:

– Our wall portrait is 30″ tall so the center is 15″

– The hanging wire is 3″ from the top of the frame when held taught

– 15″ – 3″ = 12″

– Lightly mark 12″ above the initial 57″ mark

 

Good luck!

Click here for tips on choosing the appropriate size wall portrait for your home.

Selecting the Proper Size Wall Portrait | Arizona Portrait Photographer

By Family

When deciding what size portrait to hang in your home it can be easily overwhelming.  We’re going to help you select the appropriate size for your wall portrait with a few simple tips.

Wall Portrait for Arizona Charity

Choosing a large portrait to hang in your home, in a living area, dining room or foyer creates a focal point with dramatic impact.  You might considering hanging your portrait over your living room sofa, fireplace, desk or a bed.  For illustrative purposes we will use the sofa as our example.

Determine your viewing distance from the portrait.

For larger rooms, with a viewing distance of over 10 feet you will be choosing a larger sized portrait compared to a viewing distance of 8 feet or less.

Are your ceilings vaulted?

Vaulted ceilings create larger walls.  You will need to consider this when choosing your final size.  With a larger wall space your portrait will appear smaller than it is in reality.

Measure the width of your sofa (desk, bed, fireplace).

A general rule to follow:  Your wall portrait should be at least 50-75% as wide as the furniture it hangs above.

Our sofa measures 80 inches wide, the smallest width we would choose for our portrait would be 40 inches.

Let us show you how it will look.

A great way to make sure you are choosing the correct size is to allow us to show you, digitally during your viewing and ordering session.  Before you come back to the studio to view your images, take a quick photo of the wall you want to hang your portrait, and write down the measurements of your sofa.  During your appointment we will show you how different sized portraits will look in that space.

For more ideas on wall portraits take a look at our Family Brochure.

 

 

Choosing Clothing Colors For Outdoor Portraits | Arizona Family Photographer

By Family

After you’ve booked your portrait appointment, your first thought will be inevitably be “What should I wear?”.  If you are having your portraits taken outdoors there are a few key rules to follow to help you look your best.

Think of your surroundings:

If you know the outdoor location of your portraits, view samples of previous portraits taken at that location.  This will allow you to see the naturally occurring colors of your outdoor portrait location, and you will be able to choose your clothing colors accordingly.

Click here to view our outdoor family portrait gallery for samples of our favorite locations.

If the outdoor locations is very green, and lush, choose colors that are earthy or jewel toned.  Earth tones such as taupe, brown, beige, and gray are wonderful options.  Stay away from wearing green, in a green environment, you will blend in to your surroundings.  Darker colors like navy blue, chocolate brown, eggplant or mustard look great outdoors as well.

 

family portraits in the garden

 

Consider your personal style:

When choosing your outfits remember to keep to your personal style.  If you prefer wearing patterned clothing, do it!  If you tend to wear solid colors, go for it.  Remember to keep in mind the pallet of your home and where you will be hanging your finished portrait.  For more tips on utilizing your personal style, visit our post on creating a fashionable and cohesive outfit for the whole family here.

 

Wall Portrait for Arizona Charity

 

Keep it classic:

If in doubt, keep it classic.  Black and white are always in season, and always look great.  Have everyone wear black tops and jeans, but vary the style of tops.  Or mix it up with patterns and prints in black and white for everyone.  However your spin it, black and white will always be a great option.

 

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If you liked this post, check out our post: Family Portraits – What to Wear.

 

Top 3 Outdoor Family Portrait Locations | Chandler Family Photographer

By Family

Today, I bring you a few gorgeous examples of our favorite places to photograph families outdoors.

We have so many beautiful outdoor locations to choose from, that it was tough to pick our favorites, but here they are:

 

Number 3: Riparian Preserve

Family Portrait at Riparian Preserve in front of Saguaro Cacti

Family Portrait at Riparian Preserve in front of Saguaro Cacti

 

The natural beauty of the Arizona desert surrounds you at the Riparian Preserve.  We love photographing our families in front of the large Saguaro cacti, and prickly pear cactus.  There are also a few lakes throughout the trails of the Preserve, if you wanted to include water in your portraits.  The Riparian Preserve is a great choice for families that like the outdoors, or want to have a portrait in a more natural setting.

 

Number 2: Fulton Ranch

family portrait at fulton ranch

family portrait at fulton ranch

 

Fulton Ranch is a beautiful, classic location for family portraits.  We love the stonework bridge, golden sunlight and water features at this location.  This location is ideal for smaller family groups, and families that want to have manicured grass and water in their portraits.

 

Number 1: Our Private Portrait Park

family portraits at leasures private portrait park

family portraits at leasures private portrait park

 

Our newest outdoor location is also our top pick for outdoor family portraits!  The lush, private garden is perfect for children of all ages, and even pets.  There is a wonderful waterfall feature, manicured grass, large trees, bushes and flowers.  It is our favorite outdoor location for portraits.  Your family will love this tranquil setting.

 

If you are interested in a family portrait session click here.  We can’t wait to photograph your family.

 

Top 10 Outdoor Senior Portraits of 2014 | Chandler Senior Portraits

By Seniors!

This year we introduced a new session, our Outside Express Session. This was very well received, and well liked. We enjoyed taking our seniors to our studio park, and creating memorable portraits for their families to cherish.

We had already been offering outdoor portraits in our Deluxe Senior Session, but the Outdoor Express allowed for outdoor portraits, in one outfit, within a shorter time span.  Which was great, especially for some of the Seniors who wanted portraits, but were not particularly excited to spend a lot of time in front of the camera.

Enjoy the top 10 Outside Express Session portraits of 2014.

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Happy New Year | Chandler Arizona Senior Portraits

By Seniors!

Happy New Year from all of us here at Leasures Portraits!  We decided to start the year off with a couple posts of our favorite images of 2014.

This post is a look back at our favorite portraits of Seniors from 2014.  These strapping young lads and beautiful ladies will be graduating this spring, and we are so happy for them.

Of course, we had more favorites than we’re posting here.  But, we had to choose a few to share with you.  Every senior we photograph is special, and we enjoy creating beautiful senior portraits for each and every client.

Enjoy our top picks of 2014 Senior Portraits!

 

Senior Portraits Chandler 2015 Senior Portraits 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona 2015 Senior Portraits Chandler Arizona

 

5 tips for Creating Fabulous Fall Fashion in Your Portraits | Chandler Family Photographer

By Family

neutral what to wear family portrait

Choosing what to wear for family portraits can be stressful.  So, we’re here to help alleviate that stress, with 5 tips to create a fashionable, cohesive look for your portraits this fall.

When you think of fall, what comes to mind?  Changing leaves, cozy sweaters, boots?  What colors do you think of?  Browns, yellows, blues?  It’s easy to create a great fall inspired look, just follow these 5 tips.

 

1. Pick A Color Scheme

The hottest trend for fall portraits is neutrals!  The great thing about neutral colors – they’re easy to coordinate.  Stick with beige, grays, creams, whites and dark jeans – done!  Starting the base of your outfits with neutrals helps to create a cohesive look.  Think of your family’s outfits in terms of one giant outfit, it makes the coordination a little easier.  We’ll show you how to add in some color in the later tips.

2.  Choose Varied Styles Of Tops

Having everyone wear one style of top is pretty boring.  So, let’s change it up a bit.  Mom can wear a blouse, dad can wear a button up dress shirt, little brother can wear a sweater and big sister can wear a dress or tunic.  If you picked your color scheme carefully, the different styles will add interest, and they should look nice together.  Lay the outfits out on your bed, or kitchen table as you put them together.  This will help you to visualize the tops together.

3.  Layers Are Your Friend

Once you’ve decided on the styles and colors of your tops, think about layering cardigans, sweaters, vests, or jackets to really pull your looks together.  Want to add in some color?  Pick one color (blue for instance) and add it into the outfits with your layers.  If you have a neutral jacket you want to wear, but your top is navy, that will work out well.  Add navy to another family members outfit with a vest, or a neutral and navy plaid shirt.  Keep it simple, and classic.  Layers need to be added carefully, or it can look messy.

Keep in mind, Mom and Dad will most likely have a couples portrait together.  Do those tops coordinate?  Do you need to add a cardigan or vest to one of the outfits to make it coordinate better?  Do the children’s outfits look good together?  Can each outfit stand on it’s own, for individual portraits?

4.  Bottoms And Shoes Are Important

Everyone does not have to wear the same colored bottoms, or shoes, but they do need to look good together.  So, if Mom is wearing brown boots, big sister should wear a brown toned shoe as well.  It’s usually best to keep everyone’s shoes the same color, but it’s not necessary.

Do not wear brightly colored shoes that don’t fit with your color scheme.  Stay away from white sneakers and socks as well.  Darker shoes are best, since they need to coordinate, but you don’t want them to stand out and grab your attention.

5.  Accessorize

Accessories really help to personalize your outfits.  Put hair bows in the little girl(s) hair, or a headband.  Add necklaces, earrings, bangles, rings to mom’s outfit…anything that goes with your aesthetic.  Guys can wear watches, or ties, even hats can be fun!  Keep your colors in your general color scheme, and make sure to keep the sizes proportionate to the person wearing the accessory.  Little sister should not have a hair bow that is as big as her head, it will draw too much attention away from her beautiful face.

Now you are a pro at planning your family portrait outfits, with fall inspiration.  We’ll see you for your portraits soon!

 

Family Portraits – What to Wear | Arizona Family Portraits

By Family

Gould

Having family portraits professionally photographed is always really exciting.  Today I have a few tips for you, to help create the most memorable portrait.

When you imagine your family portrait hanging in your home, do you imagine what you’re wearing?  If you haven’t thought about that, let’s think about it now.

What colors does your family wear often?  What colors are in your home decor?  Questions like these are important to ask yourself.

When selecting your clothing, you should first visualize where your portrait will hang.  You should consider clothing colors that will accent the room where the portrait will be displayed.  Also, outdoor settings generally have a lot of texture and depth surrounding the subjects.  When photographing outdoors, it is especially important to stay with simple clothes that are solid colors.  Families should wear the same, or similar colors to create a harmonious look.  Solid colors in earth tones or jewel tones are recommended.  The goal is to focus on the faces in the family, and not the clothing.  Dark shoes and dark socks are best.  Avoid white socks and white sneakers, or brightly colored shoes.

If you want to see examples, look through our family gallery, for inspiration.

Family Portraits – It’s all in the details | Chandler Family Portraits

By Family

Having family portraits professionally photographed is always really exciting.  Today I have a few tips for you, to help create the most memorable portrait.

We’re going to go over the details of hair, makeup and glasses.  These details may seem small, but when overlooked, the difference is clear.

Hair: Try to have your hair cut and/or colored at least one or two weeks before your session.  This extra time gives it a chance to fill in or relax.  Please don’t try a radically different haircut or style too close to your session – what if you don’t like it?

Makeup: (guys too!) Here’s a quick hint that greatly enhances your portrait originals – before your session, stand two feet in front of the mirror and dab a small amount of cover up makeup over any noticeable blemishes.  That’s it! If you can’t see them in the mirror, they’ll show less in your photographs.  All of our portraits include retouching of blemishes, stray hairs and circles under the eyes.  On special requests we can digitally remove braces for an additional charge.

Glasses: If you wear glasses most of the time, you’ll want to wear them in your portraits.  To eliminate glare and reflection, call your optometrist and arrange to borrow a pair of empty frames similar to your or have the lenses removed from your frames.  Most opticians will help, with no charge, but make sure you give them plenty of notice.  Having the lenses out eliminates glare and distortions – it is the best way to improve your portraits if you wear glasses.

 

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