4 Easy Tips to Style Your Family Photos
Choose ONE Outfit You Love First and build around it. I prefer to find ONE outfit that you really love, whether it is yours, your daughter’s or your partner’s. Also, make sure that you feel comfortable and great in what you choose. It will show, I promise. If you happen to find your dress first, then build the rest of the outfits around that one. That makes the whole process a lot easier to tackle. If Dad is wearing plaid, then your son could wear a solid color shirt of one of the colors in that plaid pattern. Mixing colors and patterns is a great way to help your session feel like you and give it some dimension. If your inspiration dress is a bold floral pattern, then use those hues to build everyone else’s outfits.
Coordination, not Matching – While being ‘twinsies’ with your bestie can be fun some of the time when you’re a preteen, most of us don’t want to feel like we have to wear a family uniform. Consider a look that is tied together but not matchy-matchy. This gives everyone the chance to share their personal style that reflects their individual personality but still connect with the family’s overall look for the shoot. Stick to styles you know you are comfortable in or are inspiring to you. If you nobody in your family regularly wears a white button-up shirt with blue jeans or matching dresses, going with that look for your family photos may not quite capture what really makes your family uniquely your family. Choosing something that feels natural for your family with some flexibility for members to put their unique spin on things can make your session more comfortable and fun and that will show in your final images. Coordinating, not matching lets you pull it all together without it becoming a uniform.
Color, texture, season, and setting – Deciding what colors you want to wear is the best place to start. Location of the session and season of the year are key for this. For example, if your session is in the fall in a natural setting, earth tones of olives, grey, brown and some pop of mustard or burnt orange would look nice. Is your session on the beach? Then neutrals of tans, creams, grey, blush and soft aqua might look great. How about an urban session downtown? Bold rich colors, or a striking black and white with lots of texture and accessories. And remember, Denim goes with everything.
Dress for Comfort – If you aren’t comfortable in what you’re wearing, or your child’s shirt is too stiff or he had to dress in 7 layers, he is probably not going to be comfortable in the photo. This is so important with kids, and if they aren’t comfortable they are not going to be happy. Be sure to stay away from clothing with big logos and any type of character clothing. I prefer clothing that has a classic and timeless feel, however little personal touches are always encouraged.
