With family photo season on the horizon, I wanted to write a post talking about what I recommend for photos. If you are not a client of mine, your photographer might have a different way of doing things, but if they are anything like me, they would rather you ask for tips if you need help!
Planning your photography session is a part of the fun and is something that I spend a lot of my time helping clients with. I prefer to help with outfits where possible so that we’re all happy with the outcome of your photography session. Outfit planning is included in your session, so please don’t hesitate to run anything by me when it comes to choosing your outfits. I do also try to find the options with budget in mind. Here are some tips on choosing your outfit colors;
- Dress the person that will be most critical of the images first.
Most often, this is the person booking and paying for the session. I always suggest dressing this member of the family first because they are usually the center of the images, most often this is Mom. So – I recommend finding her outfit first.
2. Then, use Pinterest
This might seem unconventional, but I normally use paint swatches or other design pages to coordinate outfits. After I’ve chosen my outfit, I head over to pinterest and I simply enter into the search bar the colors that I will be wearing and the word palette. So, if I’m wearing navy, cream and gold.. I will put in “navy, cream, and gold color palette” this will bring up several different complimentary color options. As you can see below, you have quite a bit of options that may not have come to mind without visualization.
3. Consider your location & season – choosing colors that correspond well with warm or cool tones is very important to be sure that you are the focus of the images.
4. Choose styles that compliment your figure – There are certain styles that I cannot wear – such as jeans for example, they just don’t fit me right – so I don’t wear them. I am a firm believer in strategic posing over photoshopping my clients. Feel free to cover the parts of you that you are not confident about. For most people, this is their knees, armpits and sometimes elbows … I mean, who really has pretty armpits, knees or elbows right? I also recommend hiding bra straps or other undergarments (such as using bloomers over the diaper for little girls.)
Tips for creating outfits
- Try to steer clear of dressing two people in the same exact color. I ask this because it makes posing harder due to the fact that if I place two people in the same color on the same side of the image, it throws everything off balance. With my twins, we usually dress them in outfits that look similar but are not the same. For their portraits together, I usually bring a second outfit that matches exactly.
- Feel free to mix and match patterns! I love plaids, florals, stripes and textures for families because it gives each person a look of their own.
3. The decisions surrounding accessories can be just as tough as deciding your colors, don’t be afraid to use or bring accessories with you, we can always mix and make, take some or leave some.
4. Hair & Makeup – now is not the time to try something new. If you want to adopt a new look, make sure that you test out your new look at least 2 weeks before the photo shoot (this goes for haircuts and color so that if there is an issue, you have time to resolve it.)
Nails should be either manicured or left natural, chipped polish is not something that I would recommend.
5. Shoes – In the summertime, we can get away with barefoot photography, but for the rest of the year, clean shoes free of holes are recommended. I don’t like the look of neon athletic sneakers – boots or sneakers with neutral colors are best.
Maternity Clients – These are my Amazon favorites that have been worn by my clients in the past. If you choose to buy a dress that is listed as similar but not from one of these listings please make sure to check the reviews and see pictures first! **Not affiliate links, just want to help**
