What To Wear: Styling Tips:

COORDINATE OUTFITS:

This does not mean everyone has to be 100% matching with Jeans and a white shirt! In fact, I rather recommend picking a colour palette that suits you as a family, suits the location and then sticking to colours within that palette, making sure all of the colours work well together, rather then match. Its always a great ideal to flat lay all of your outfits your planning out on the bed and look and see if it all works well and ties in together. So co-ordinate, rather then Match, its less cheesy that way.

COLOURS AND PATTERNS:

If you wish to wear clothes with patterns, try and choose patterns which are smaller so it doesn’t distract from you all as the subjects. And avoid big logos, or big distracting bold prints. Its always nice to make sure your patterned dress or shirt has colours within it that suits the rest of your family also. Use patterns sparingly…. if one person is wearing a print, try to avoid putting someone else in a competing pattern. When thinking about texture, choose different ones that will give photos some interest such as lace, corduroy, denim, cotton, knit etc.

KEEP IT TIMELESS:

Neutral, natural tones are timeless and always work effectively to create pictures that never go out of style. Simple outfits and not too bold colours. But of course, be yourself.

BE YOURSELF:

This is the most important part. You need to feel comfortable and like yourself, You don’t need to dress up and wear fancy clothes unless that’s your jam, Just pick outfits that suit your personalities and the location which we are meeting. You want to be able to move around freely. The purpose of these photos is to hopefully capture each individual as they truly are, to capture the family, the relationships, and people in the photos just as THEY are. Forcing children to wear outfits that are uncomfortable and unfamiliar to them may cause some anxiety and stress to them which in turn will inhibit really capturing their personalities during the session. Same goes for adults. Wear clothing that YOU feel good in and the pictures will emanate those feelings. If your child wears a pair of rain boots everywhere he goes, it makes the most sense to have him wear them for pictures as well. Remember, you want to capture everyone as they are NOW. Capture these moments as they are!

DRESS FOR THE LOCATION AND SEASON:

Of course you would like the photos to make sense for the location and season we are in. If we are meeting at the beach on a nice day, Men can wear shorts and a t shirt or button down shirt, little boys, the same, and ladies and little girls, pending your personalities, you can wear a light flowy dress for example. If its Autumn, I suggest warm tones that match in with the season, burnt oranges and browns look great for example, knit jumpers, and jeans, or cozy cardigans, anything that looks and feels the vibe of Autumn. Spring can be floral, light, bright and fresh. And Winter warm woollies, gumboots if its raining, jackets and beanies. Really nice to have the option to do some layering too in the cooler months. You will want to make sure that everyone is on the same page and coordinates in both colours AND styles.

LAYERING:

One of my favorite “tips” for clothing choices! In the Summer months, this may be more difficult to pull off but during all of the other seasons, definitely layer your outfits. Not only will it provide more visual interest in each photo but it will also allow a lot more variety in your shots and poses. Have a ton of images of yourself in just your your dress or cute top and jeans? Throw on a little sweater or jacket and a hat and you have entirely different look.

PERSONALISE YOUR SESSION:

These are YOUR images and of course you want them to speak volumes about you and your family. Discuss things your family enjoys doing together and bring “props” and accessories that will help compliment who you are. If your family enjoys playing music together, bring your instruments to your session. If your family enjoys fishing, suggest doing your session on the water and bring your rods if you want. Bring along items that will represent who each individual is AND who your family is collectively. I can always help with this too, I can bring bubbles if you request it, or wine for a couple to crack open, I always have blankets and picnic rugs in my car as well if we need. & happy to help organise any ideas you may have beyond that.

THINK OF YOUR HOME:

Typically, not something everyone will keep in mind before their session. However, I always encourage clients to think about their home, their décor ,colours, and style of their homes. Chances are, at some point after your session, you will be ordering prints or digital files. Why not keep your decor in mind and ensure that it all blends into your home. This will ensure that any large portraits will look lovely on your walls.

PLAN AHEAD:

Make sure you have given yourself enough time to think about all of the details of your session. Plan ahead so that #1 you can truly think about your photos and everything you want out of the session, #2 you aren’t rushing and stressing out right before your session, and #3 if you have decided to go for a new look for your session or someone gets a bad haircut, you still have time to fix things if you need to. Keep make up natural, but still have some on. You will want to avoid using very heavy makeup, but a bit of colour on your lips, eyes, and cheeks will help bring you to life in photos. Be sure to bring some lip gloss with you as well.

OUTFIT CHANGES:

If time allows it, bring another set of outfits. THIS IS A MUST if your having a beach session, kids always get wet! Hahaha! Also, you will get a lot more variety in your shots if we have time to do quick outfit changes too, so why not capitalize on the opportunity and get the most bang for your buck! You can always wear your own outfit too and i do have client wardrobe items for the Ladies/Mums of the session if need be can pop one of those on for some variety too.

SHOES:

I usually recommend shoes without heel, but if you wish to have heels on, come in flats and change into those for shots. For most locations we do a little bit of walking so you need to be comfortable and safe. Honestly, i dont take alot of Photos with your feet/shoes in them anyway.

NOW TO BREAK IT DOWN SIMPLY:

·        Select or decide on your location with your photographer

·        Think about your outfits based on what colours you like, the setting, the season and what you like. Plan it ahead of time

·        Pick neutral, timeless and plain outfits

·        Pick one person’s outfit to start with, then co-ordinate with that base outfit.

·        Remember to CO-ORDINATE not Match.

·        Lay all of your outfits out on the bed to make sure it all matches a few days of so if needed.

·        Come to your session ready to connect with your loved ones, be comfortable and to have fun. Bring spare changes of clothes or alternative outfits for changes. Towels if having a beach session just in case and anything you want to bring to personalise your session to suit as a family.

I really hope these tips help you when planning your photo sessions ahead of time and i really look forward to capturing your precious memories. Styling really can make such a difference to your images and is such an important part of professional photos :)

Below are some examples of Previous clients outfits: