What to wear for your Family Portrait Session.
Family Photography Hertfordshire
You may have booked your portrait session with me and are now beginning to wonder what to wear! I think it’s essential to think about outfit choices so I thoughts I’d create a blog post with my top tips when deciding what to wear.
First of all decide if you are going for authenticity or elevated. You may want your portraits to reflect who you are day to day and find classic items of clothing that represents you. On the other hand you may want to dress up for the occasion and find something special for this shoot. Both are wonderful in there own ways.
I would think about choosing a colour palette for the shoot. Once you know where your family shoot is taking place you can envision what colours might lend themselves to the environment. For example if you will be in a location where there is a lot of green, which is often the case for spring and summer shoots then you want to find colours that would sit well in this. The time of year also will have an influence when deciding on colours and textures. Lay out your choices together to create a vision. For family portraits I encourage you to keep it classic as these create a timeless feel to your photographs. You don’t necessarily need to be matching, I would say complimenting colours work best.
The next on my list to consider is texture. Chunky knit jumpers, corduroy, flowy skirts, denim, velvet all photograph beautifully! Patterns too so don’t be afraid to let your style shine through. Things to avoid are large logos or branding which might distract and stand out too much in the photographs. I also suggest to stay away from stripes especially very close together, as these do not photograph very well.
Your child’s comfort and happiness is important. Honor their sensory issues over how something might look. If a child is uncomfortable it will be reflected in the photos. We’ve all been there when we desperately want our child to wear something specific for an occasion and they are having none of it! So having a few options for them to choose from sometimes helps.
Layers. Jumpers, cardigans, shawls, scarves, blankets, jackets, they all add to the feel of the shoot. Especially in the cooler months when you might want to wrap up a bit more, all these accessories work really well.
Empty all pockets prior to the shoot. Keys, wallet’s, mobile phones all show up in photos. And don’t forget to match your footwear to your clothing.
And most of all I always want you to feel happy and confident with your choice whether it’s jeans and a white t-shirt or flowing dresses and shirts !
See my Pinterest board for some further inspiration.
