Talking to my clients, and from my own personal experience, I know that planning what to wear for any photoshoot, specifically family sessions can be a huge headache. It is just as important as picking the right photographer, if not more, because if your clothes don’t look good, your photos won’t look good either (sorry haha). This post isn’t supposed to make you feel more pressure though, my goal for this blog post is to help ease the stress of picture day, and give you some tips and tricks to make your life easier. Stay tuned for a future blog posts on color schemes for different locations and seasons.
My first tip I’m going to tell you is AVOID LOGOS! A lot of times this isn’t something that people think about, but it’s a big one! I usually see this more in men and younger boys, but even a little Nike swoosh will draw your eye straight to the logo instead of your face and the whole picture. Using only patterns and colors to add personality makes a huge difference when getting your gallery back.
When choosing what your family wears, it is more important to coordinate than to just “match.” It is true that your colors should look good together, but everyone wearing the exact same color is a thing of the past. Coordinating outfits instead of finding the exact same shade actually makes a huge difference in how your pictures turn out, and doesn’t blend each person together. A tip for extended families is get some color swatches at home depot or any paint store and put them together until you find a color scheme that you are happy with. Then hand out the swatches to family members so they know exactly what you have in mind.
Use different patterns and textures, but don’t over do it! If you have a small family, or you are a couple, then have one person with a pattern, and then have everyone else in solid colors that coordinate. Having too many patterns will make your eyes go crazy, but having some pattern to your photos adds character. If you have a bigger family you can get away with adding more patterns. Examples would be having mom or sister in floral, or having dad or brother in stripes. If you are a bride taking engagements and have a floral dress, then put your fiance in something more neutral and solid.
When planning your outfits pick something you look good in! Dresses with form fitting waists and flowy bottoms are always flattering. Avoid swing dresses that may add some “weight” while blowing in the wind. Let your husband wear something he feels comfortable in as well. If you don’t like how you look, I can promise you won’t love your photos. Another tip is wear colors that would look good with the decor in your house, or if you’re getting engagements wear your wedding colors or something more neutral.
This is all great, but Lindzee where do I start? I always start with me and what I am wearing. This kind of goes with my last tip of wearing something that makes you look good. I find something I love, and then coordinate my family to the dress or shirt that I picked out. It gives you a starting point, and once you have a good color scheme the rest of your outfits are easier to find and put together. I always suggest trying on what you are wearing first, and lay out the rest of your family’s outfits on the bed or floor to make sure it looks like how you are envisioning it.
Was this blog post helpful? Let me know in the comments, and as always you can always reach out if you need additional advice. You can even send me a picture of what ideas of outfits you have for your upcoming session! I can’t wait to see what we create!!
xoxo Lindzee Merrill