What to Wear

A common question I get from clients is "what should we wear for our pictures?" Here are a few tips. Now let me just say this, I am not a fashion pro, I don't know all the ins and outs of clothing, but I can tell you what I've seen people wear that works well...and what doesn't. So here's my two cents...

• For family photos or group photos, go with 3 or 4 colors. Don't do 2 colors, it's too matchy matchy. If you all want to wear black shirts and jeans, that's fine...but have the girls have purple accessories and the boys have turquoise highlighted somewhere, maybe their shoes, or a cool watch. A pop of color is always fun to add to your color scheme. Here are a few examples:











• My next tip is to not wear anything too busy. No elmo shirts. Sorry if that is your son's favorite shirt, but I promise, bribe him with some ice cream if he will wear a different shirt, because something that busy will draw the attention instead of your lovely faces.
• Wear clothing you can move in. Or that you are ok sitting down on the ground in. Chances are, I will make you sit down on the ground. I almost always have blankets to sit on, etc, but just know that your pose options are greater if you wear clothing you can move around in.

Ok next topic: Newborns - what should they wear?

That's easy: nothing. ok fine, a favorite headband, and a favorite outfit, special blanket, etc that's all fine. But for the majority of the shoot, your precious lil babe will be in their diaper. So don't stress it.

Senior Portraits:

• I like to tell kids to wear their favorite outfit, but also bring a few things that kind of represent who they are. If they play soccer, their uniform and a soccer ball are great options. If they play the violin, bring that along. If they like to run track or got the sterling scholar for mathematics - bring running shoes or a math book and calculator and some big chunky nerd classes. I promise we can have a lot of fun with some of these props, and it will give a better representation of who these kids are at this time in their lives. I also like them to bring a few outfit changes as well, just to mix things up.

Engagements:

• Just like family photos, don't dress super matchy matchy, but you want to look like you go together (besides that obvious chemistry engaged couples can't hide even if they try.) Come with a few easy outfit changes, and have fun with your clothes. these are photos that will be used a thousand times in the next few months and you will want them to look just as perfect as your wedding day photos. So have fun with it.
• If there is something that is personal to the both of you, bring it along, similar to senior photos. If you guys love to play tennis together, get your tennis gear on, bring rackets and a tennis ball, and let's have some fun. I had a couple who always went snowboarding. So they brought their gear, we went up into the snowy moutains and did some fun poses. Another couple brought a retro orange bike, and that was a super fun prop. Get creative, it only adds to the fun of the shoot.
  
  And that's it for now. Tune in next time for why I pose the way I do...