What shall we wear?

Gone are the days of everyone wearing matching outfits to their family portrait session and those family photos of all wearing jeans and white tops… Thank goodness! There is nothing quite like a “photography trend” to date your photographs.

I am often asked when people are booking family photographs what they should wear to their session.  These images will hopefully have pride of place in your home so you want them to be able to stand the test of time, complement your home and for your colours to compliment each other.

Here are some tips that may assist you when choosing your outfits.  Alternatively I have also created a pinterest board some examples:

COLOURS

Whether you prefer pastels, monochrome, bolds or neutrals – sticking to a small selection of colour will mean that you will all look co-ordinated without looking the same. Everyone will work together without colours fighting against each other.  Too many busy colours will draw the eye away from the main focus of the image, you or your family.  There is a colour wheel at the end of this page to help you choose complimentary colours.

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THINK ABOUT YOUR HOME DECORATING

Where will these images hang? What colour theme do you have at home, what will look good on those walls, think about your curtains and carpets too. Since you will be framing these photographs in your home, you’ll want them to blend in and match your décor. If you are planning to put your images up in a certain room ensuring similar tones are within your image will help them blend in perfectly.
WWG_2 SMART, BUT NOT TOO SMART – KEEP IT COMFORTABLE

You will want your photographs to represent you and your family.  Make sure you’re comfortable and feel like yourself in these clothes. WWG_3

TYPE OF CLOTHING

We all have our body hang ups, some more than others, but I find that covering the tops of your arms always a good idea, keep trousers darker than tops. Don’t pick very loose fitting clothes, as these will hide any curves you have, also avoid anything that will show multiple straps as this can look untidy.  If you have having an indoor session whether studio or lifestyle, I personally love bare feet, but if you must wear socks plain and dark/black socks are better.WWG_4

LOGOS AND USE PATTERNS SPARINGLY

Patterns look great every day out and about, but can add a lot of distraction to a still photograph. If you wish to use patterns, keep it minimal and perhaps only one person should wear a pattern with the rest in co-ordinating block colours to compliment. A chequered shirt or a pattern dress can look lovely… but not if you are all wearing either the same pattern or fighting patterns.  The same goes for logos or character clothing, both really stand out in a photograph.

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THE SEASONS

The time of the year will have a bearing on what you wear, Autumn and Winter you want to use layers, especially if we are outdoors, you want to be able to add or remove layers easily, also this will give you options of more than one look. Also the colours for Autumn and Winter are typically darker than those in Spring or Summer.

COLOUR WHEEL

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