Today begins part one of a four-part series all about styling for your portrait session!
Coming soon will be tips on styling your outdoor portrait session, suggestions for hair and makeup, and info on my Studio Wardrobe. I
Deciding on wardrobe is probably the biggest stressor when it comes to planning a family session. Have you felt that pressure and stress? The more children you have, the more stressful this can feel! When you hire me for your portrait session, this is one area that I hope to make feel simple and flawless for you. I will send you a Style Guide with even more detailed tips, as well as suggestions of where to shop and images of the options available for you and your children in my Studio Wardrobe.
Below I will share some tips on coordinating for your session, but here is the number one thing to keep in mind: Keep it SIMPLE. The connection, love and joy between you and your family is the most important thing I want to capture in each session. By choosing a wardrobe that is minimal in style and color, this keeps the focus on YOU rather than on your clothing. With that in mind, here are a few tips when putting together your family’s wardrobe specifically for in-studio sessions:
Colors: think white, light and neutrals! If you’re going with tans, keep the non-white colors in the warm color family. For example, if your husband is wearing light khaki pants, have your son wear camel-colored pants instead of mixing browns and grays. If your husband is wearing a grey shirt, keep other accents in the gray/light blue color family. This will help keep your overall look cohesive and unified. As you’ll see in the example images below, white looks SO GOOD in-studio! Even if you and your family rarely wear white (kids! I get it! How would you keep white clothes clean?!), I highly recommend them for your studio session!
Texture/pattern: Keep patterns minimal. If you choose a patterned shirt or dress, opt for a small pattern rather than a big, bold pattern. Once again, the goal is to make you look your best while not distracting from the relationships in the images. I never want you to look at your photos and have the first thing you see be clothing! Instead of lots of patterns, think textures! Textures and layers and wonderful to create depth, style, and a cozy factor in your photos. For the little girls and mamas, simple ruffles/pleats/lace are recommended, and buttons/rolled cuffs/suspenders look great.
Too matchy-matchy: Yes, it is possible to be too perfectly matched! I don’t recommend everyone wearing a white shirt to your session! Mix it up with other neutrals and an light or earth-toned accent color.Below are some examples of in-studio family sessions, to help you brainstorm for your own session with me. If you are currently planning out your own family’s wardrobe, please email or call if you need further help! I am here for you!
This last image is of my very own family, taken by Fletcher and Co Motherhood!