What to Wear For Your Family Photography Session
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER
1. What colors will be in the background? Green grass? Fall leaves (orange, red, yellow)? concrete from buildings? Choose colors that will complement and/or stand out against the background.
2. Is it comfy? Do you want a more traditional/posed session or an active, playful session? If you want to be running and chasing the kids, make sure you are wearing clothing and shoes that allow you to do this. Make sure that nothing feels too stiff, too tight, or too big. You don’t want to be fussing with your clothes during the session. Make sure you are comfortable, even if you want something more formal in nature.
3. Do you feel good about yourself in it? If you feel fantastic in your clothes, that will lead to more natural, joyful expressions. If you don’t feel great in your outfit, that will carry over as well.
4. Is it you? Do you want to go for a casual look? Or dressed up? Ultimately, I tell clients that you should dress in a way that you feel represents your family.
5. What do you want the end result to be? How will you display your photos? Are you interested in a large print for the wall? A series of prints? Consider how your color palette goes with your home decor, especially your wall colors.
GENERAL TIPS
1. Solids and small patterns photograph best.
2. If you wear patterns, do not be afraid to mix patterns.
3. Neutrals are timeless
4. Make sure everyone is wearing similar tones. In other words, all in dark neutrals or light neutrals. Avoid having someone in black and someone in white.
5. Choose a palette of 3-4 colors and mix it up. Try to give each color equal presence.
4. Lay all the clothes out on a bed and snap a photo. How do you like everything together? Does one outfit stand out? Does anybody “disappear”. Feel free to send your photo to me for feedback.
Some of my favorite stores for timeless clothing include:
Gap; Old Navy; Von Maur; Nordstroms; Zara;Boden & Mini Boden; JCrew & Crewcuts; Ann Taylor Loft, Anthropologie; Janie & Jack; Tea Collection. Many of these stores have classic, timeless pieces that photograph really well.