What to wear (and more) for your family session
We are going to work together to create some beautiful art for your walls, and clothing is a BIG part of it.
For some people, deciding what to wear for their portrait session is all part of the fun. For other people, it's the opposite. Whether you love or hate thinking about clothes, there are some important things to keep in mind when choosing what to wear for our session. Wearing the right outfits can be the difference between good and AMAZING photos.Here are some do’s and don’ts that will hopefully make the decisions less stressful, and will definitely make the portraits turn out better!
Do be yourself. Wear something you love. Wear something that makes you say “Yes!” when you look in the mirror. If you have scheduled a portrait session with me, it's probably because you like the feeling of spontaneity and emotion that are captured in my family portraits. So, wear something that makes you feel happy.
Don’t force your family members to wear something they don’t love. If your kids are anything like my kids, if you force them to wear something they hate, you won’t notice what they are wearing in the picture - all you will notice is their grumpy expression.
Do coordinate your outfits so that the colors compliment each other and the surroundings.
Don’t match. Unless your family makes a regular habit of all dressing exactly alike, don’t dress like that for your portrait.
Do wear earthy, toned down colors, and neutrals (off-white and cream are great). Pick a palette of either warm or cold colors and stick to it. It is about harmony.
Don’t wear bright white, bright red, blue, or purple, and black as theydon’t go very well with my editing style. Avoid anything neon.
Do wear clothes that are mostly one color - it's easier to coordinate and will help your faces and expressions take center stage. If one person wears little prints is ok :)
Don’t wear fluorescent colors, especially orange and yellow (unless you want neon orange and yellow faces) or clothes with lots of patterns - unless it is really you! NO LOGOS! Or graphics that look like logos.
Do wear clothes that fit. So, everyone should try on their outfit, stand and sit, and move in front of the mirror, a few days in advance so you have time to go out and buy something if you need to. If possible, I like to ask families to sit on the ground, very short skirts are not too comfortable.
Don’t squeeze into a shirt that was your favorite 10 years ago or let your kids show up in highwaters. You’ll regret it later and they will too.
Do remember we live in New England so the weather will probably change 10 times during our sessions. So, plan an outfit that looks good with and without an extra layer. Scarves and hats are great accessories to play with! Layers are awesome!! They add interest and texture to the portraits.
Don’t make that extra layer an afterthought so that you end up covering up your beautiful shirt with a ratty fleece pullover.
Do show up with clothes that are how you want them to look in your photos…probably not wrinkled or stained. I will not be able to fix that in photoshop.
Don’t pile up your extra clothes, layers, in the back of your car or in a bag…they will be wrinkled.
Do think about your shoes, socks and accessories. Brown shoes are my favorite for everyone. I also really like gray. They will show up in the portrait and are a great way to express your personality. Think about the location. Very often is outdoors, with some walking involved.
Don’t wear bright white shoes because they stand out like a sore thumb and stay away from any and allathletic shoes. Boots are awesome in the colder months and sandals or nice flats are great when it'swarmer. Nice-looking chucks are also fine if it goes with the outfit. Don’t let your accessories run away with the show. They play supporting roles and shouldn’t take center stage.
Do wear wool, cotton, linen, silk, button down shirt, jeans are great, leather.
Don’t wear fleece, hoodies, sport sweaters or sweat pants, just a t-shirt, sneakers.
Do ask me for suggestions or help if you want to. My personal style may be different from yours, but I will look at your outfits with a photographer's eye. Plus, I’m Italian so I have really good taste (my friend made me add that part).
Don’t stress about this too much. Being happy and relaxed during our session is more important than whether or not your spouse or kid is wearing a shirt that you hate. I promise!
Makeup and Hair
If you want to schedule makeup and/or hair, be sure to schedule it with enough time to spare.
I love when hair is left mostly or completely down. This is great if the locationis windy and you have thick hair. If you have very fine hair and it looks windy the day of your session,you may need to secure it. Loose braids look nice, or a small braid to keep hair out of the face with therest left down and wavy, or just a simple bobby pin to keep it out of the face if that's a concern. A smallbraid or half up with a top knot for little girls looks adorable.
For makeup, matte colors photograph best in natural light. If you're going to wear lipstick, make sure itwon't come off easily because I'm going to have you kissing lots of faces!! Liquid lipsticks dry and then don't come off.
The Little Details
Don't forget to plan the outfits completely: the shoes, jewelry, undergarments, hats, etc. so you'reprepared on the day of the session.
If it could potentially be cold, be sure to plan layers that will go well with your outfits.
Consider getting a manicure the day before. Put on hand lotion before the session to avoid dryskin.
Be conscious of glasses glare. If anyone wants to wear their glasses and they don't have an anti-glare coating (or if they are blue light blocking or bifocals) then it will definitely show up on camera.
If anyone wears a digital watch, please switch it out for a more timeless piece. Or a bracelet that covers your tan line works, too. Digital watches really date your photos so please don't wear them.
Have fun!!