I always have clients asking what to wear for their photos or what their kids should wear. I can almost hear the stress in mom's voice when she asks. As a mom of 4 girls, I get it!!!! Dressing myself and looking pulled together can be challenging enough, let alone trying to dress the whole family!
I've learned a lot over the years of choosing colors and looking picture perfect. I want to share my favorite tips with you!
Before thinking about what to wear or what color scheme to choose, think about where you want to display your portraits and where your photos will be taken. If you have a bright colored wall that would be PERFECT for your canvas, you may want to avoid bright colored outfits. Neutrals or muted tones are my go to! If your walls are neutral, pops of color would look great! Think about the overall colors of the location too. Think about what season it is. Will it be lots of green trees, red and orange trees in the fall, buildings?
This family did a great job with the fall colors in the background. A combination of neutral tones and a little pop of color are amazing together!
2.COORDINATE OUTFITS INSTEAD OF MATCHING
Everyone doesn't have to wear the same color or dress in the same style! Each person can dress in a way that fits their own personality. You're probably wondering, How do we pull that off? Here's how:
Start by selecting a color palette, usually 2-3 colors is perfect! I usually recommend that mom picks her outfit first. Pick something that you fall in love with and makes you feel amazing. When you feel amazing, it will show! Select outfits for the rest of the family based on the color scheme you chose. You can tie in accessories within the color scheme as well as long as it's within the 3 colors you chose.
COLOR SCHEMES
3.MOM FIRST
This may be a first in a long time and may not happen again for a long time. But mom, you get to go first! Let's celebrate the fact that you will be in these pictures because that opportunity is rare. I am usually the one snapping away pictures. I am rarely in them, and if I am, they NEVER see the light of day! Not the best angle if you know what I mean.
So moms, I get it. This session is special and important for so many reasons. My goal is to not only love your portraits, but you love the way you look in them. So you go first! Go shopping! Find something you love and feel amazing!!!
4.DON'T CHOP YOUR PICTURE IN HALF
Dresses tend to be flattering on women in photos. Using dresses helps to add variation to the overall image and avoid a strong horizontal line in your image. Imagine if everyone wore a light colored top and dark pants. If everyone in the photo was standing up, there would be a visual line at your waist separating the top half of the portrait and bottom half. That doesn't mean you should wear a dress! Having different color tops and bottoms as well can avoid the horizontal line and create a perfect picture.
5.SAVE THE LOGOS AND GRAPHIC TEES FOR LATER
There are a few items of clothing that are best to avoid all together. Graphic tees or clothing with large logos look great in everyday wear. But in pictures, they tend to steal all the attention. So it is best to save them for another occasion. Same goes for neon colors. Best to stay away!
6.IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS
We've only been focusing on clothes. But it is the little details that can truly make or break a picture. Take a moment to pick out shoes that match each person's outfit so an old pair of sneakers or flips flops don't get thrown on last minute on your way out the door. Ladies -- please make sure to take all hair ties off your wrists. Wearing hair ties all day can leave marks on your wrists that unfortunately will be in the photos. Make sure your phones, wallets, and anything else in your pockets, are out of your pockets!
7.LAYERS
During the cooler months, dressing in layers will add dimension and depth to your portrait. You may choose to add a cardigan or jacket over a dress. This is the perfect opportunity to also add a layer of texture. The trick to pulling off layers is to keep them tailored so they look sophisticated rather than bulky.
8.THINK ABOUT FAMILY GROUPINGS
We have been looking at your family's wardrobe as a whole, but if you plan to have a picture taken of just your children, or mommy daughter picture, be sure to consider how these outfits look together as well. You don't want too many patterns going on.
9.SNAP A CELL PHONE PIC OF IT ALL TOGETHER
When you think you have your outfits selected and ready to go, lay them all out together and take a quick phone picture of it. When you look at the picture, do you love it? Do you see anything that needs changed? This allows you to make small tweaks or changed before the big day!
Ready to book your shoot?
I couldn't be more excited that you are here. Shoot me a message so we can get your session scheduled. I can't wait to meet you and your family!