Congratulations to Jill for guessing the city correctly today! (I actually had two correct guesses today with the second coming from a photographer). It is Prague, capital of the Czech Republic - one of my favorite cities and a great honeymoon destination. It's just big enough to have plenty to do but not so huge that you're overwhelmed.

If I had posted descriptions with the photos then it would have been too easy to google, but here they are:

Photo 1: Narodni Divadlo, The National Theater at night. One of the city's many trams is passing in front.

Photo 2: The net vault ceiling in St Vitus Cathedral. This gothic cathedral is the biggest and most important church in the country. It is located within the walls of Prague Castle and took almost 600 years to build from start to finish.

Photo 3: Josefov old Jewish Cemetery. This 15th century cemetery was created during a time when Jews were required to bury their dead inside their own town district. Once the cemetery was full, bodies had to be buried on top of each other in an estimated 12 layers which is why there are so very many tombstones. In contrast, the New Jewish Cemetery across town is only half full because it was built for the generation of Jews that ended up in Nazi death camps.

Photo 4: View from the top of the Old Town Hall (Staromestska Radnice) in Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti).

Photo 5: The Orloj astronomical clock/calendar on the side of the Old Town Hall. The astronomical dial dates to 1410 with later additions of a calendar dial and an hourly display of moving sculptures. Crowds gather in front of the clock each hour to see the show.

Photo 6: The tower gate on the Mala Strana side of Charles Bridge with St Nicholas Church in the background (one of 3 St Nicholas churches in the city).



Photo 7: View of the Mala Strana district with St Vitus and Prague Castle (Prazsky Hrad) on the hill in the background. Photo taken from the top of the Charles Bridge tower on the Old Town (Stare Mesto) side of the Vlatva river.



Photo 8: View of Old Town rooftops with St Francis of Assisi Church in foreground. Taken from the same bridge tower as the photo above but looking the opposite direction.



Photo 9: The dancing building "Fred and Ginger" by architects Frank Gehry and Vladimir Mulunic. A top-of-the-line restaurant is located on top with offices on the floors below. The building doesn't quite fit with the rest of the city's architecture and was controversial when first built in 1996.

I just wanted to remind everyone that I have posted a whole list of ways to prepare for an upcoming portrait session on the blog in the "tips for clients" category. I will be adding to this category periodically, but here are a few more portrait session tips for now.

How to prepare for your photo session...

Practice smiling and posing in front of a mirror. Seriously! If you know how it feels to give a natural, relaxed smile versus a posed, cheesy smile then you're more likely to do it in front of the camera.

Look through magazines for posing ideas. Pay attention to how models pose and practice a posing on your own. Try to memorize a few poses that look good in the mirror.

This is not the time to try out new beauty routines or hair colors/styles. Get a slight trim, touch up your roots, or get a deep conditioning treatment if needed.

Do not wax or shave less than 3 days before your session.

Get a manicure (and pedicure if necessary), but keep your nails natural and inconspicuous.

Stay hydrated, avoid salty foods and alcohol, and get plenty of sleep in the days before the session.

Avoid extra sun in the week before your session. If you already have tan lines then plan outfits accordingly.