What To Wear - Family Photo Session

This is the fourth post in a series called "What to Wear". This series is designed to help my clients choose the best clothing options for their photo sessions.

This week I am visiting what to wear for a family photo session. I must admit that this one has taken me the longest to put together so far, not simply because there are more people, but it was hard to find something that matched everyone for everyone.

Shopping is hard work! :)

I decided to go with a theme of warm colors. I started off with this cute top for mom in pink, and found a yellow shirt for dad. I opened up the color palette to some browns for the little guy, and found this cute little summery shirt. And good grief... I can not resist those adorable sun dresses for the little girls! So I chose this one in pink and white. I also liked the texture of the dress which will also create visual interest.

Again, notice that everyone's outfits coordinate and are not "matchy matchy". Mom will look great with daughter, son with father, son and daughter, mom and dad, and so on and so forth.

I also threw in the hat for the little boy. Don't be afraid to add some fun accessories to your outfits. Hats, scarfs, and even props like wagons and toys work great for your sessions. This will add a touch of personalization to your session.

Stay tuned for more what to wear posts!

What To Wear - Sisters Photo Session

This is the third post in a series called "What to Wear". This series is designed to help my clients choose the best clothing options for their photo sessions.

Thank heaven for little girls. And these adorable little dresses. Help me Rhonda!

Bold and beautiful is what I was going for with this session. I love the combination of turquoise and yellow, so I naturally paired these two little dresses together. In case there were three little ladies, I loved the boldness this little one piece pink infant dress brought.

Notice how these dresses coordinate, but they are not "matchy matchy". With so many options, there is no need to buy the same dress for each little girl. Have fun, use bold colors! These will pop in all of the photos and add some visual interest.

Also, I like the subtle pattern in the yellow dress, it added interest without being too over bearing.

And how about those little gold shoes? Lordy, lordy. If I had a little girl I would go broke from a trip to Old Navy!

Speaking of Old Navy, all photos and clothing choices are from OldNavy.com

What To Wear - Brothers Photo Session

This is the second post in a series called "What to Wear". This series is designed to help my clients choose the best clothing options for their photo sessions.

Next up in our series is a set of brothers. Can't you just see all of their adorable little faces fighting and pinching each other already? :)

Did I mention that I like bold colors? I do :)

My goal for this set of outfits is to have a warm color palette with lots of different textures and patterns. Notice how they will go well together, but they will also match in different combinations. Big brother with small brother, small brother with little brother and so on.

I can envision this session taking place somewhere with a lot of greenery - either a park, the arboretum, or at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Somewhere with lots of space to let these little buggers run around and be boys. I love capturing brothers and families for that matter outside of the traditional posed photography. This gives you the most genuine and authentic smiles of them all!

Stay tuned for the next edition of "What to Wear!", next up, sisters!

All of the images and clothes are from OldNavy.com

What To Wear - Engagement Session

This is the first post in a series called "What to Wear". This series is designed to help my clients choose the best clothing options for their photo sessions.

First up, an engagement session.

Right away I am breaking the "matchy matchy" rule! I decided on a warm color palette because I really liked the bold citrus colors of this sun dress. Since I wanted to keep our color scheme warm, I added in the brown shirt for our lucky groom-to-be. Add in a few cute accessories and wa-la!

I chose a cardigan for the bride-to-be to add a little variation to her outfit. She can wear it buttoned or opened, have it on or off, or it would be cute off slug with one hand sassy over her shoulder. Plus, an open cardigan over a form fitting bottom piece can make the bride-to-be appear slimmer.

I am also a sucker for cool shoes, so I couldn't pass up these unique slip-ons.

Another thing I like about this combination is the variation in textures of the clothing. The dress is a nice soft linen, the cardigan a fine gauge sweater. The guy's shirt is smooth cotton, combined with the rugged dark jeans. All of this creates visual interest in the photo.

These bright colors are fun and flirty, and would be great for a summer or fall engagement session.

Well, there you have it! My inaugural post on what to wear, more to come. All clothes in the above picture are from Old Navy.

What to Wear

If there is one theme that runs through all of my photo sessions, the burning question everyone asks me, the one thing everyone wants to know is...

* Que dramatic music please *

What do I wear to our photo session?

Dun, dun dunnnnn.

This question has always caught me off guard. I dig through my closet for way longer than I should in the morning, buy things on super clearance, don't have any subscriptions to fashion magazines, and I'm lucky if I can dig out a pair of matching earrings. My friends and I have talked about submitting each other for "What Not To Wear" just so we could start over from scratch and get some fashion advice. Plus who wouldn't want to meet Stacy & Clinton?

But as I continue to grow as a photographer and I get asked this question again and again, I see the need for a little shift in how we think of dressing for family and engagement photography.

First off. It is not 1990 anymore. It is out of date to wear white shirts with blue jeans to your family session. Or any other kind of matching shirt with matching pants. It looks dorky. Trust me, I know. I am a dork myself. Dressing your family, or significant other like this creates is a flat, boring photo. Everyone looks the same. Plus, you might end up on AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com, and I want to spare you and I the hassle :)

(This is where these two pics came from)

So, what is one to do? Forget matchy matchy. Instead, think coordinate. Pick colors that go well together. Think of it this way. If you decided to paint the walls in your living room red, you wouldn't buy all red furniture, accessories, and coffee tables. You would buy accessories that coordinated. Dark woods, oranges, pinks, and you might even get a little adventurous and throw in some dark browns. You get the picture. Do the same when choosing your outfits for your photo session. This will help build depth, character, and give your photos a little personality.

Since I am a visual learner, I am going to start a little "What to Wear" series here on the blog. I am going to go "shopping" online and put together some affordable (I chose to "shop" exclusively at Old Navy) and cute outfits for all sorts of different photo shoots. With each post, I will tell you why I chose what I did, and help you find things in your closet that would work just as well. Or heck, if you want, you can head straight to Old Navy's website and purchase the items for yourself. But if your husband asks, you didn't hear it from me! :)

Stay tuned!