What to Wear

Picking out clothing for your portrait session can be such an intimidating job; but it doesn’t have to be.   I find that a lot of families take the route of matching exactly, and although this is easy, it probably isn’t showing everyone’s true character ~ and revealing one’s true character is what shine’s in a portrait!    The first thing to consider is your personality and your family’s personality.

Are you an easy-going group?  Relaxed?  Traditional?  Contemporary?  Next thing to do once you’ve figured out your style is to pick out your favorite outfit.   It could be yours, your child’s, or maybe even your husband’s.       This gives you a good starting point – now build out from there.    Pull colors out from that one outfit and have other family members wear something similar.   If your favorite outfit has a patterned fabric with browns, creams, and blues, then have another family member wear a solid brown/tan shirt, another family member might wear an outfit with a deeper shade of blue than the blue in the first outfit.    Also consider going beyond a single shirt, and use layers.  Pull your look completely together right down to the shoes and accessories such as jewelry.

Having your family decked out in stunning clothing finished off with a pair of tennis shoes, will clash and doesn’t necessarily go together.  So leave those tennis shoes at home and choose more contemporary footwear.   And when all else fails, go barefoot!    Also avoid clothing with large plaids & patterns or clothing with enormous logos or cartoon characters.   These things tend to pull focus away from the people in the portrait ~  the goal is to create a timeless look that will be enjoyed for many years to come.

I’ve included a few mockup outfits to give you an idea of what photographs beautifully – but please above all else, let your personal style shine through!!