I pulled this out of my FAQ for the specific reason of it was just TOO long, too much to put into it for just one quick blurp of an answer. So here goes nothing, folks! Hope this helps :)
What should I wear to my session?
- This is a GREAT question. And due to the enormous amount of possibilities, I will just give you a few tips to keep in mind when picking out an outfit. So here they are in no particular order:
- Ask yourself this: where are your photo's being taken at? One thing to keep in mind is where you are going, you don't want to dress too much and match your backdrop! No one wants floating heads and hands. So if you know there will be a lot of green where you are going (trees, bushes, etc.), try not to wear a lot of greens. Go for blues, creams, and florals, maybe even some pastel colors if it's the right season.
- Season - that leads to the next tip. Think about what time of year we are shooting in. If it is summer, you wouldn't wear grandma's famous holiday sweater to your session (unless we are doing something super odd and it's totally planned), especially if it's 90 degrees out. So try not to wear tanks and t-shirts during the winter. The main point: it's okay to match the season's when it comes to layers.
- Layers! This is huge, especially for women. Layers will be your best friend, quickest outfit change and most slimming thing you can do. Whether you are accessorizing with necklaces, jewelry, scarves, vests, sweaters, an additional t-shirt - they all add up. If you have different items to wear to help add contrast to your look - by all means, wear them, bring them along if you're not sure - I can help!
- Dress comfortably. I can't stress this one enough. When you feel uncomfortable in your attire, it will show in the photographs. If your pants are too tight, you might not feel good about some of the poses we do, or you might just be extra self conscious, this makes what should be a super relaxing session into a high stress, "how do I look" session. I'd much rather you feel comfortable in your jeans and a t-shirt, get great relaxed smiles & have some fun, than to have ya'll in a dress that doesn't give you much movement. No matter what the season, location, or accessories you have, being comfortable should be your first step in picking out an outfit.
- And last but not least: Coordinating outfits for family sessions. If you want your family photo's to look great and have a cohesive feel to them, coordinating can be SO stressful. I know, I've been there with my own family photo's and having NO idea what I could do to make us all flow together but still show each member's unique personality. It's crazy how stressful this one point can be. Try this: pick one piece of clothing for one member that you know you want to use. Look at the colors of the clothing. Then use those colors to build a scheme. Try to aim for 3-4 colors to build off of: an example would be teal, black, white, and a darker blue. Then see what your family has to match that scheme. Try not to have everyone match with the same shirt, but aim for just having everyone wearing the same colors in different places, so Bobby wears a blue shirt with light jeans, and a white button up, and Sue wears a teal shirt with a small white pattern on it, and darker jeans, Mom wears a black shirt with a blue/teal scarf and jeans and put Dad in slacks with a white shirt and teal pattern. This way no one is too matchy-matchy but you can tell you're a family.
Remember, these are just tips to keep in mind - ultimately you can wear whatever your heart desires.
And NO MATTER WHAT - BE YOU. There is nothing more genuine in a photograph than the person in it.
