HOw in the world should I be styling my Family for a photography session?
This is always one of the first things we think about, especially women. How should I dress? How do I dress the kids? Should I buy all new? Where do I want to have them taken? It's a mental spiral. I get it. There is also an art to it in regard to location preference too. It's like the chicken or the egg, which came first... do you choose your location first and look at clothing style that suits that particular location? Or do you select outfits and then find your location?
There is no right or wrong way to do that part in particular however, my opinions won't change on these points: First, you must wear something that is 'you' and that you feel confident and comfortable in and second, make sure your shoot location coordinates with your style!
Let me help a little with this...
8 Family Photography styling tips:
- Colors. Do not choose just one or two. Three is a great rule, like in all design aspects, odd numbers are the rule of thumb but be careful, too many colors can be 'busy', overtaking you as the subject and making your clothes the star instead. We don't want that. On the flip side, do not put everyone in the exact same color either. We have seen this time and time again and although everyone in white on a beach is really one of the only acceptable situations, it still makes for a *GASP* boring photo or photography shoot all together. Think three colors and are each of those colors somewhere on at least 2-3 people.
- Prints, Solids, Textures. Break up your wardrobe! Have fun. Want the girls to all match in the same sweet, simple print? Great, put everyone else in a solid and maybe one sibling or parent have a tiny coordinating print in the same color scheme. Jeans or khakis also can count as a color and they add texture. Remember you can bring in belts, shoes, jewelry and even a hat that all coordinate as a color tone too!
- Be yourself. If you are not a dress-wearing mom, don't try to be. If your husband hates button ups, find him a long sleeve henley or a solid colored fitted tee.
- Be reasonable. Most people are great at this one. What season is it? Photography sessions are 9 out of 10 times outdoors. Style yourself and your family accordingly. Summer - Cotton, khakis, light colors, blankets, barefoot even, Go crazy! (maybe not barefoot, ticks are awful this year in Northeast Ohio.) Fall and winter - darker hues, jeans, cozy sweaters, fitted coats, scarfs, boots.
- Be appropriate. Ladies... I will be your biggest cheerleader. I am ALL for confident and beautiful always and sexy at the right time and place. With that said, let me tell you, family photos are not the time for 'sexy' and here is why. If you or your daughter's tops are too low and you are constantly adjusting them, that paranoia and discomfort will show up in the photos on your face and your posture, whether you want it to or not. Trust me. Same goes for short dresses, skirts and shorty-shorts. As Fergie put it in the early 2000's, your 'lovely lady lumps' will take the entire focus off your family. No bueno. Story Time: When I was 20yrs old, my family had photos taken. Low rise jeans were all the rage and that's all I owned. I wore low rise jeans. One of the final images my mom chose, I am sitting sideways... and my butt crack is hanging out. Forever in a family photo. Don't let this be you. Don't be 20-year-old butt crack Kate.
- No-no's. Graphic t-shirts, logos, neon colors, holes, wrinkles, tan lines. Try to avoid these at all costs. They absolutely take the attention off of you and your families faces and that attention goes directly to the graphic, logo, eye-blinding neon color or the distracting hole. Wrinkles and tan lines... try to iron those out and cover them up the best you can. I bust my iron out three times a year: Christmas, Daddy-Daughter Dance and Family portraits. That's it, but I make the time and effort. A small hole you didn't know was there? A stain that happens DURING the shoot... no worries, I can edit a few of those out. Everything else? nope.
- Find your styling starter. Personal glimpse... I typically start one of two ways. With styling myself and finding something I personally want to wear and coordinating everyone else around me... OR one of my daughters has a great dress or top that starts my creative ball rolling. If my girls are in a print then my husband, son and I will more than likely be in coordinating solids. I keep it simple with personal touches. I know how each person in my family likes to dress daily and how they will be comfortable and so I find coordinating pieces that suit their style but also pull all of our looks together as a whole. My kids never have an argument... it's usually explaining to my husband that his beat-up work boots aren't going to make it into the family photos.
- Style vs Location. I was a Fine Arts major in college and later worked for two furniture retailers as a Design Merchandiser working with everything from accessories, art work, furniture, rugs, lighting, wall paint selections... you name it. What you put in a certain environment esthetically matters. You are not going to put a contemporary mirror in the entry way of your farm-styled home. You are not going to place a slipcover sofa in your art deco-inspired living room. What you wear and the location of your photography session matters. Period. Photos in an urban setting like downtown Willoughby, Chagrin Falls or Cleveland... let's rock those heels, tailored dress and sports coat... Let's. Go! A natural photo session at Squire's Castle, Headlands Beach State park, Penitentiary Glen Reservation...flowy cotton dresses, natural prints, linen anything, khaki shorts and cozy textures. Rule of thumb: Natural colors work best *surprise* for a nature setting. Bolder colors (purples, pinks, bold blues, black) work well in a contemporary urban setting.
Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming but don't let it be that way. Please. Don't overthink it. Have fun with it, this is a time to show your family's personality, a way to freeze a moment in time. Make that moment the most 'you' as you can get... just smack a little lipstick on it. *wink*
