PLANNING YOUR FAMILY’S WARDROBE FOR YOUR PHOTO SESSION – BOISE FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHER
It’s family photo time!
When I was little, my dad took our family photos. I was the only girl and had three older brothers. The first, let’s say, 10 years of my life were documented standing beside my brothers and dad with no shirt on. Why? Dunno. But every year we replicated that shot. The last year my dad tried to capture this image was one of particular embarrassment for me. You do the math.
Anyway, enough about me and my trauma.
It’s time to plan YOUR family photo session and you want some tips on what to wear! So, I will begin by drawing your attention to the photo above.
This stunning mom did such a fantastic job styling her family for this shoot. She did an even better job at styling HERSELF! Which, brings me to my first bit of advice. Moms, when planning your family session, find the thing you want to wear, the thing that makes you feel gorgeous, and style your family around that. If you are like most families, you are usually the one behind the camera. Well, not today ladypants! This is your time to shine. In the iconic words of Tom + Donna, “Treat yo’self!”
I LOVE looking at old pictures of my mom. I especially love to find pictures of her at whatever age I’m currently at. Your kids will want that too. Trust me.
Now that the lecturey portion of this post is done, let’s get into the nitty gritty of choosing your family’s wardrobe.
Here go!
BE YOURSELF! I believe that photography should imitate life. For me, as a lifestyle photographer, my goal is to capture meaningful, authentic images for you, and that really starts with what you’re wearing. If wearing a skirt is not something you’d be caught dead in, guess what? You don’t have to wear one. If your son hates the color red…don’t put him in red. Daughter can’t stand the sight of tulle? No problem. These are kind of absurd examples, but you get it. Wear what feels good, comfortable and represents who you are, while still looking nice. Comfortable does not mean jammies in this scenario.
STEER CLEAR OF LOUD PRINTS, BOLD GRAPHICS AND NEON COLORS. Sure, these things might really speak to you on a spiritual level, but they can often distract from the real subjects…your family.
PUT DOWN THE MATCHING DARK WASH JEANS AND WHITE BUTTON UPS. Those days are OVER*. My advice is that instead of matching, you coordinate. Choose a color family, preferably based off the outfit you chose for yourself (see above if you need a refresher on my lecture). For your younger kiddos, choose several things from their closet that is within that scheme and let them choose from there. Maybe do this for your husband too (wink wink).
Coordinated with different patterns. Muah! (also, can we talk about that eye contact. fire.)
4. BRING SOME LAYERS FOR VARIETY. I think this pretty self explanatory, but you can add a lot of variety to your final gallery with a few add-ons. Thinks scarves, cardigans, a cute hat (not for everybody), blazers, vests….the list could go on.
This little man lost some layers (and a tooth).
5. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THE ACCESSORY. Nuff said.
6. CONSULT PINTEREST FOR SOME INSPO. Create a board and fill it with outfit ideas and trends you dig. I actually love doing this before I go on a shopping trip, it helps me focus in on what I really want. Does it save me money? Probs not. But it is helpful.
7. ASK YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER. We are here to help. We’ve done this before, so don’t be shy about asking.
*Fingers crossed
For tips on how to prepare your family for your photo session, click here.
Fellow photographers, feel free to share this post if you think your clients would find it useful. :)
