YOU’VE BOOKED YOUR SESSION, YOU HAVE THE LOCATION DOWN, BUT NOW COMES THE QUESTION- WHAT THE HECK DO WE WEAR?! WE GET THIS QUESTION MORE THAN ANY, SO WE’VE PUT TOGETHER A LITTLE GUIDE TO HELP YOU PICK OUT THE PERFECT WARDROBE!

For this session the parents chose a soft color palette, with one girl wearing a sweet patterned dress. We added darker flowers in complimentary shades to accent their clothing. Notice how much depth the texture of their dresses adds to the photos, topped off with the perfect accessories.

Coordinate but don’t match

The days of everyone in the photo wearing white and denim are long gone! Instead of everyone wearing one color, choose colors that compliment each other. Try picking out one piece of clothing that you absolutely love to use as your base, and build from there. My favorite thing to do is choose different shades from one color palette, and then choose an accent color that pops to compliment them. Try going to pinterest and look up palettes using the color of your favorite piece. For example, if you have a green dress you love just type in “Green color palette” and go from there!

Colors

While we’re on that subject, the colors you wear for your session are so SO important. Muted, jewel tones, and earthy tones are the colors that fit my editing style best. When a lot of people think of spring photos they automatically think of pink and baby blue. This is my absolute LEAST favorite color combination. You can still get the spring vibe by doing a softer color palette, like switching out the baby blue for a mossy green.

Accessorize

Don’t forget the accessories! Accessories can add so much interest to a photo, and are a GREAT way to tie individual outfits together! Once your choose your accent color you can fill in outfits with those little splashes of color. Try giving brother a bow tie that matches sisters shirt, or match moms scarf with daughters necklace. Think ties, vests, suspenders, flowers in girls hair, flower crowns, jewelry, etc.

Make sure you shoes compliment your outfit, not fight it

So many people overlook this, but they can absolutely make or break your outfit. Unless we are in an urban setting with a pair of high tops, sneakers are usually best left at home. A little boy wearing corduroy pants and a bow tie probably shouldn’t be wearing nike’s. Look for cute heels, boots, or flats that tie into your color scheme and bring everything together. Barefoot is also a great option for photos depending on your style of session.

Can you imagine how different this image would be with a pair of sneakers? It just wouldn’t fit, and honestly sneakers usually don’t in professional images. Sometimes shoes aren’t needed at all, but when they are it is crucial that they compliment your outfit. Shoes are considered accessories, and as mentioned above can be a great tool to help coordinate your outfits or add that pop of color.

Layers & Texture

Layers and texture are a great way to add interest and depth to your photos. Vests, jackets, scarves, boot socks, etc. all look amazing layered. Add texture with ruffles, lace, knit, or ribbons.

Okay, these sweeties are matching BUT they are identical twins so matching is a must! See how much interest their fur vests and the ruffles add? I always look forward to their sessions, because their momma is an absolute genius when it comes to styling them.

Movement

When doing photos I absolutely love to have some movement and flow in clothing. For women a flowy dress dancing in the wind can add so much drama. Little girls love to jump and dance, and there’s nothing like a twirly dress to accentuate all of that beautiful movement and childhood innocence. Long flowy dresses also give us so many more posing options than tight dresses or jeans

Patterns

Patterns are good in moderation. They can add interest and texture, just make sure that either only one person is wearing a pattern, or that the patterns are subtle and complimentary. You want them to compliment your photos, not take over them. In this photo the subtle pattern on her skirt adds interest without becoming the main focus.

Location

Make sure your wardrobe compliments your surroundings, and consider how well your colors and patterns will stand out against your location. For example, this black dress and heels look amazing on a downtown rooftop, but probably wouldn’t work as well standing in the middle of an apple orchard.

Plan Ahead

I highly recommend that you start looking for your outfits as soon as you book your session. Waiting until the last minute makes it so much more stressful, and the chances of you finding something you absolutely love drop tremendously. If you aren’t happy with your outfits, you most likely won’t be happy with your photos.

Dressed & Ready To Go!

It is so important that your clothes are wrinkle free, stain free, and not stretched out from previous wear. No one wants that “I slept in these clothes last night and just rolled outta bed” look. Instead of waiting until the day of your session or the night before, gather up everything you are going to wear a few days early and make sure everything is freshly laundered and ready to go! Have it all hanging together that way the day of your session you don’t find the pants you planned on wearing at the bottom of the laundry basket all stretched out and wrinkled. Make sure you have fresh socks as well! Sometimes when we sit our socks show, so if socks are needed make sure you wear a pair of matching crisp, clean socks (no show or black socks are recommended)

A few things to avoid

Avoid anything with logos, characters, graphics, labels, etc. These things can be very distracting, and can quickly date a photo. The only exception here is senior photos, but I’ll save that for another post.
Don’t put everyone in the same color. Remember that denim I mentioned above? Yeah, that comes from experience. One of these days I am going to dig out that old family photo where we are all in denim with big curled bangs, and my dad is rocking a fabulous mullet. Ahhh, the nostalgia. We looked like a big denim blob, you couldn’t tell where one person ended and the next began. Instead, coordinate colors and looks.
Colors to avoid- Baby blue or any bright blue, white (it’s bright. Opt for cream or tan if possible) and any neon colors

What to wear- Tips, tricks, & things to avoid