Because this is probably the most asked question, I figured I would make a whole tab to help answer some questions.
What should we wear? I know pulling together outfits for your family seems like a daunting chore, but I am hear to tell you it will be worth it. You are making an investment to have these photos taken and purchase them for your wall, albums, and giving them to grandma. You want to make sure you are looking dang good. I mean I can only take you so far, if your little guy has stains on the front of his shirt or you are wearing red and your husband is wearing green and these aren’t for Christmas….we may have an issue. Or we will do the images all in black and white! 😀
My best advice is to make it look simple and classic. Nothing too trendy, these will be on display for years to come. It is best to choose clothing that can stand the test of time.
My next advice is DO NOT ALL MATCH. Pllllleeeeeeeeaaase do not choose all one color tops with jeans. We can do better than that. The key is to coordinate, not match. Choose colors that compliment each other. No you don’t have to break out the color wheel from your high school art class to figure this out. Some families really want to coordinate their clothes…and that is great. The easiest way is to pick one outfit first, preferably a pattern of some kind. A plaid for Dad, a floral dress for your daughter for example. Designers already did a lot of the work for you in picking colors, so work with that as a base and go from there. If you are looking for more of a relaxed look, rather than coordinating colors, you can find pins on my Pinterest page to see how not matching clothing can work. Best bet is picking classic colors.
Also, please dress for the location. I base my locations off of your clothing selections or if you have a type of location in mind, dress for that location. For example, if you want an urban look for your session, you would want to choose clothing that compliments the location. Like denim, leather jackets, high heels…etc. For a country look, sun dresses, jeans with flowy tops, relaxed shirts and jeans…you get the point.
Dress for the weather. If we are doing a family session in the winter or cooler fall days, please plan outfits that will work and not send your 3 year old into hypothermia. Choose heavy sweaters, layers, cute coats…even just light coats over heavy sweaters work. Use scarves, knit mittens & hats to accessorize in addition to staying warm. I always say layers look best in photos and this is the place to do it right! Please don’t dress in light dress shirts, not only will you look cold and have blue lips, your session will be miserable and your family’s faces will show it. Choose boots to wear, so many cute styles, they may not be the best for a long trek in a Minnesota winter, but they will look cute for a quick, snowy family photo. If this isn’t a look you want, then a studio session will be the best option.
My final words of advice. Think about where you are going to display these images. In your living room, bedroom? Then choose colors that will compliment your furnishings. If you aren’t decorating in pink polkadots in your living room, don’t dress in pink polkadots.
I have a Pinterest page and several albums devoted to help families get ideas of what to wear for their photo session. From big extended groups to just the two of you. You can find that HERE. If you are stuck, I am here to help. I will ask you to take a pic of your outfits and text or email them to me. I can offer suggestions of how to make everything look effortless.
