What to Wear for your Family Photos

A little advanced planning to decide what everyone will wear for your Family Portrait Session can help the day go more smoothly. When thinking about what your family will wear, consider:

• does everyone's outfit coordinate together as a family, without being too identical or clashing?

• as a group, is everyone casual, semi-formal, or formal?

• as a group, does everyone look like they are in the same 'season' for the weather?

• are everyone's clothes comfortable and fit well?

• does everyone like the way their clothes look and do they feel confident? (hint: no one wants to feel self conscious - that's so hard to overcome while in front of lens)

• will everyone be able to move freely for a variety of poses: sitting, standing, kneeling, and walking without significantly restricting your movements?

  
  

Having your outfits planned out in advance, ensuring everything is organized, clean, ironed, and ready to wear on your session day will help set the tone for you and your family to be present in the moment to focus on each other, rather than being distracted by your outfits.

WHERE TO START:

Coordinate: Start with one clothing piece that you love for yourself or someone else - a solid or subtle pattern - and coordinate the rest of your family's outfits from that anchor point. Adding neutrals, textures, and complimentary colors can help create cohesion, interest, and balance.

Colors: Wear what looks great on you. Jewel tones in the fall and winter, pastels and light colors in the spring and summer, and neutrals anytime tend to be softer and complimentary for most skin tones.

Layers: Sweaters, jackets, and tights are all great ideas for adding interest and providing extra warmth in cold temperatures, especially for little people. If it's really chilly, consider adding an 'invisible' base layer.

Fabrics: Softer fabrics tend to look less stiff or get wrinkled. Textured fabrics can create subtle interest even when they are a solid color.

Formal or casual: You choose! Both or either will work, but consider how your outfit will coordinate with the location that you've chosen. For example, more formal outfits might look more aligned with the formality of Washington DC's monuments, whereas casual jeans and a sweater might fit more appropriately in a park setting. But there are always wonderful exceptions to every rule.

Seasonality Considerations: Whether your session is scheduled for a 90 or 50 degree day, you may not want your images to look too seasonal, but it's also important to consider how cohesively your outfits will look in the environment. If it’s hot outside and you’re planning to wear long sleeves or a jacket, consider changing right before the session begins so you can stay cooler and avoid wrinkling your clothes. If it’s cold outside, bring a coat (or blanket) that’s easy to remove quickly between photos for a quick warm-up or wear a thin/invisible base layer for extra warmth.

CONSIDER AVOIDING:

• Graphic Designs: Clothing with large brand names/symbols, graphics, or bold patterns can be distracting or ‘date’ a photograph, especially as trends change.  (As an alternative, simple and timeless never goes out of style.)

• Colors: Stark white can look too white without a lot of detail. (As an alternative, off white, light creams, textured fabrics, and subtle details/patterns add interest.) Solid black can show lint, hairs, stains, and sometimes look faded/washed out.  (As an alternative, incorporate texture, details, and ensure the garments are lint, hair, and stain free.)  Bright reds and neon colors can reflect a color cast back onto your skin or pull the focus to your outfit instead of your expressions.  (As an alternative, if you do want to wear a bright color, consider layering it with a neutral piece to ensure it’s not too overpowering on your skin tone.)

• Tucking Issues: It’s really hard to keep some shirts tucked in, especially for little people who are active. (As an alternative, a sweater or shirt that looks good untucked may feel more natural.)

HAVE A 'MOCK' OR REAL DRESS REHEARSAL:

Have everyone try on everything that you’re considering wearing, to make sure it's comfortable, fits well, coordinated, and you have all of the necessary pieces (socks, shoes, belts, accessories, etc.). If everyone does their 'try on' separately, take an addtional step to lay everyone's outfits together on a bed or the floor to check for clashing colors or patterns, formality/casualness, and seasonality. For group poses and candid images, it's nice to have complete flexibility with regard to who's next to each other in the photos, so if two individual's outfits don't look great next to each other, consider if it's worth adjusting one or two pieces.

ADDITIONAL TIPS TO CONSIDER:

• Your hands will be visible in some of the images, so consider any nail polish and/or jewelry.

• Empty your pockets: Cell phones, keys, wallet, sunglasses...leave as much in your car as possible.

• If you wear glasses, make sure they’re clean. Blue light glasses will reflect color. Progressive lenses that darken into sunglasses will make it difficult to 'see' your eyes outdoors. Plain non glare lenses photograph better.

• Anyone want to get a haircut, have a professional style your hair or apply your makeup? Advanced scheduling is always best!

WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR SESSION:

• Hairbrush/comb

• Touch-up cosmetic products (lip balm and body lotion for dry lips/skin, etc.)

• Before leaving the house, double check to ensure that you haven’t forgotten anything (socks, shoes, belt, undergarments, jewelry, hair accessories, etc.)

• Most sessions include a bit of walking….so bring slides/slip on shoes if you’re wearing shoes that are hard to walk in….we can always stop and change your shoes when necessary.

• A tote bag to corral your loose items (cell phones, keys, wallet, etc) to keep your pockets empty.

AND FINALLY....

I’m really looking forward to meeting and photographing your family! My cell is 571 212-4258 if you'd like to text questions or pictures of your outfit considerations if you're looking for feeback.