5 Tips On What To Wear To Your Photoshoot
It takes so much mental energy to coordinate the styles of your photoshoot. Family session, newborn, maternity and engagement- it is all so. hard. If you are like me you spend all of your crashed on the couch moments scrolling through websites and Pinterest posts trying to find inspiration, adding things to your cart and then finding cute outfits for only your kids and scrambling to borrow something from a friend for yourself. No? Just me. Nah I know I am not alone which is exactly why I have created a helpful guide on focusing all of that mental energy into a productive and successful acquisition of your perfect photo ready look.
What is the aesthetic of your home? I know it feels strange to start there but I always encourage my clients to give some thought to where they will be displaying these photos because that dictates the kind of ‘feel’ you are wanting to achieve in your look. For example, choosing Christmas colors for a Christmas card is great but then if you are also wanting those photos to be hung up in your hallway the green and red may clash with the look in your home.
A few no-no’s (sorry, but I am being your brutally honest bestie right now so TRUST me) Try really hard, I mean reeeeaaallllly hard to not have any big labels on things which I know can be tough with a certain age of boys who already don’t want to be taking pictures but tell them that it is my rule and they can take it up with me personally… Also, really bright colors- man these can be super distracting. I am not telling you to only wear neutrals but really bright colors immediately attract the eye to that one really really almost neon pink dress. Finally; MATCHING. YOU GUYS. You guys. Guyyyysssss. No. I simply cannot recommend the matching look. (If you show up in matching outfits because your mother-in-law just insisted or you truly truly want nothing more than a matching outfit pic then I will not judge and I will make you look as amazing as you could possibly look in that denim on denim) It is one thing if you have little ones who match their same sex sibling but even then it is a delicate dance. You want your photos to have depth and to highlight each gorgeous member of your darling family and everyone wearing khakis and a white shirt does. not. do. it. Just google Awkward family photos and check those outfits.
Next, let’s think about what your location is. Think of appropriate outfits for the background of your shoot. If you are at the beach lean into the natural feel and compliment them with neutral tones that are casual enough to feel genuine for the location. It is tough for little ones to be happy on the beach in a super formal outfit that you are stressed about getting sandy or wet. I want to capture your family being your family together and playing on the beach is an amazing opportunity for that (Don’t worry we do the ‘smile at the camera everyone looking’ photos first).
Pick your tone and let’s mix some pattern and texture. This is honestly where a family photo can turn the corner into a more sophisticated and artistic image that looks amazing in a frame. What I mean by choosing a tone is finding a color scheme that doesn’t contrast in brightness or darkness in a big way. Toned colors are generally considered more pleasing to the eye. They are complex, subtle and sophisticated. To add some dimension once you have your tone mix in some pattern (gingham, floral, stripes) and texture (knits, linen, cords). A bolder color example: Mom wears an emerald green satin skirt with a knit sweater, Dad wears some khaki colored chinos and a chambray button down, little lady wears a floral pattern dress and neutral knit cardigan and little man wears a pair of dark wash jeans and a knit grey henley. Neutral color example(Ideal for the beach or an in-home session): Mom is in a light colored and light weight maxi dress maybe it is floral or has some embroidery detail, dad wears some jeans and a linen button down in white, light grey or chambray, little lady is in a patterned dress in a light color and your little dude would be perfect in tome brown toned pants and a short sleeve knit tee. If you are doing your engagement shoot aim to hone in on some classic and simple outfits. It is important to keep that focus on the romance sparks of you two and a gorgeous linen dress is always a good look. Nobody is matching but the look flows and the patterns and textures from everybody's outfit looks sophisticated and interesting. Layering is your friend!
Last, but most certainly the MOST important: Choose an outfit that makes you feel like there are some smokin hot flames left in your wake. FEEL SO GOOD in what you are wearing because there is no outfit that is fly enough to hide you feeling uncomfortable in what you are wearing. Confidence is truly key. Choose something that you aren’t going to be pulling up or shimmying down or torturing your children in (Hubbys you are fine, just wear what she says). If you wear a top that shows off some cleavage, hey I love that but remember that some cleavage is what you will see in your images. The photos don’t magically make something look different from what it is and I am sorry, but I do not subscribe to the ol’ line “Oh, you can just edit that to look this way or that” No, ma’am. I am capturing the moments we are in and you feeling confident and sexy helps those moments be fun and focused on enjoying the time with your family. Those are the moments you want captured.
I hope these feel like some helpful pointers and give you some inspiration for your photoshoot. I also have curated a Pinterest board to help my fellow visual learners.
Some favorite brands/stores I always look to first:
Women: Zara, Anthropologie, Doen, Christy Dawn, Rylee + Cru, Nordstrom, Target, Rent The Runway or Nuuly, and if you are an expecting mama Hatch is always beautiful
Men: Everlane, J.Crew, Target, Faherty, Nordstrom, Bonobos
Kiddos: Zara (seriously Zara has always been my achilles heel), Rylee + Cru, Nordstrom, Target, H&M, Old Navy, Minnow Swim for beach sessions
