Summer is well under way and thoughts of Fall are distant, which means one thing: more decisions about what to wear during a photo session!
What should we wear?
What colors should we include?
Do we all have to wear the same thing?
The most common question clients ask us relates to what they should wear for photo shoots, especially family portraits, as there are usually more people in the pictures which makes wardrobe selection somewhat trickier.
In response, we put together these top 5 tips on how to choose clothes for upcoming family, engagement and other portrait sessions.
1.) Keep the weather, season and location in mind.
When selecting clothing you’ll want to make sure that you’re wearing clothing that’s appropriate for the weather and also for where you’re shooting. For example, by the lake, it will probably be a little windier and sometimes a little cooler, than further into the cities surrounding it.
If your session is on a rainy day and you don’t want to reschedule because the session is indoors, remember to wear clothes that won’t be ruined if they get a little wet while going from the car, inside.
Spring and Fall also offer a unique opportunity to bring out texture through wearing layers in your portrait session, which can’t always be done in the Summer, so if you wanted to add another dimension while staying comfortable, the hint of cool air makes these seasons the perfect time for it!
Remember where you’re getting portraits done, because there’s nothing that shines through a picture more than your comfort level and your clothing selection has a big part to play in this.
2.) Pick 3-4 colors to build your portrait session around.
It’s It’s easy to be overwhelmed by how much color or how little color to use in your photos.We tell clients to simplify it and select less color so that it will be easier to work with.Our preference is 3-4 colors officially, though we sometimes suggest 2 colors if a client is photographed in a particularly colorful setting.It becomes simpler to match accessories and create pictures that really pop, when hung on your wall, with this color variety.Think of it this way: if you were to all wear jeans, how many colors would you really want to be wearing in the picture? Probably just 1 or 2, right? It also makes it much easier to coordinate your clothes, which brings us right into the next tip!
3.) Wear different shades!
Your pictures reflect the uniqueness of your individual person, and those of the people in your family or your significant other. We’ve experienced clients finding great success with finding a color and wearing shades of it, rather than everyone struggling to find exact matches to one another.If someone is wearing light blue, a dark blue shade is going to look amazing next to it. Most people are more nervous about the session itself than to think about how to coordinate colors and wear it all well, so keep these three words in mind: pick different shades.
When thinking about color it’s also important to remember the color of the room you’re going to be putting the pictures up in. For example, if you have a neutral color paint on the walls of your living room, just about any color clothing you wear will work well.
One source of inspiration we regularly turn to for ourselves and for clients is the Pantone Spring 2013 fashion selections. Though we’re well into the summer, the spring list brings a fresh pop of color to your wardrobe.
As the seasons transition more into Autumn, here is some more inspiration from Pantone, from their Fall 2013 fashion selections.
These colors act only as a guideline if you’re looking for inspiration for Spring and Summer shoots. If you have a color you really want to wear though,
we encourage it! These are your precious memories after all and we want to make sure that you’re comfortable during the shoot and overjoyed with the result!
Another resource we both use and recommend is
Design Seeds, which features a variety of color selections to browse through and choose from. Not just for photo shoots, we’ve found that the palettes featured are fun to look at and handy for home decorating as well!
4.) Accessorize
Most people are terrified of accessories but there’s no need to fear, we promise!
We found a helpful guide here
Scarves Dot Net and here,
Neck Line Sheet on how to wear accessories, that take the fear out of it for you.These are the most common accessories we find our clients asking us about, though there are many more and we encourage being playful about them!
Hats, bags, jewelry, scarves, shawls, belts, hair accessories- bring them if you aren’t sure and we can see what works in photos! This is, after all, your photo session and its our pleasure to make it as memorable an experience as possible so if you have an idea for a piece of clothing that you’re not sure about, bring it along anyway and we can try it out!
5.) Lay it on the floor
This might look like an odd tip, we know, but there’s no better way to know how the outfit will look with those of others in the picture you’re getting taken, than to lay them all out the night before. It’s a tiny bit of planning that goes a long way to helping you enjoy your photo session.
6.) Think about when you’re going to use the pictures taken
Photo sessions produce beautiful images that families cherish for many years afterwards. We recommend considering when you’re going to be using the images in the next two to three months and for what purpose. Family updates in Christmas cards? Handing them out to relatives at a commencement party? Gift giving for a Mother or Father’s birthday?
These are all important reasons we take pictures, though representing just a few that are worth thinking about when planning what to wear.
Is there a mood you’re looking to convey when you hand out those pictures? Are there certain colors or pieces of clothing that might mean something special to the person receiving the picture?
With these 6 tips in mind, you’re well on your way to experiencing a wonderful photo session where the spotlight shines it’s light on you and we capture you at your finest.
Edited by Cheryl Costello.
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My passion and biggest asset is taking the time to make every client comfortable and relaxed before I even pick up the camera. The result? Photos of you that actually look like you at your best! I can prove to you how much you can enjoy having your picture taken. Lifestyle photography is about the experience that happens to be served up along side of some great photos.
Specialties:
Family Photography for families that like to move around and enjoy their photo time, Wedding Photography for couples looking for a mixture of photojournalistic, contemporary and traditional images and Professional Corporate headshots that are far from cheesy and stiff.
