You just booked your next photo session and now your mind immediately goes to,
“What should I wear?”
I may be the photographer in this situation, but my own family has at least one session a year so I totally understand the stress that goes with dressing your crew for photos. It can be an all-consuming beast of a task if you let it.
But, let me give you a few tips that I share with all my clients that will hopefully take the pressure off picking out outfits for your next photo session.
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Always dress Mom first. Always.
I don’t care how cute your kids are or that you found the most perfect bubble for your toddler. If you don’t dress yourself first, in something that makes you feel so freaking beautiful and confident, you will never like the photos. This may sound like a harsh truth, but it is reality. You need to love how you look in the photos. So, trust me on this, dress yourself first and then coordinate the rest of your crew around you.
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Coordinate, don’t match.
Matchy-matchy photos are a thing of the past. Don’t even think about rolling up to your photo session in all white tops and jeans. I will literally make you change. This does nothing to show off the personality of the members of your family.
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Accessories are great.
Feel free to add jewelry, scarfs, hats and other cute things to add flavor to the photos. If your child loves accessories, let them have at it. I seriously love it and this is a great way for you to look back on photos and remember what they were into at that age.
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Function is really important.
Yes, I want you to look beautiful. But, please make sure you can play and dance and sit and jump in your clothes. The quickest buzz kill during a photo session is to have to address a wardrobe malfunction.
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Shoes are optional.
If your session is at home, shoes are totally optional. The only time I really encourage you to wear them is if you are a “shoe-wearing” family. But if your crew runs around the house barefoot most of the time, then shoes would be weird for a session at home.
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Show me some skin.
For the little ones, I mean:) Babies and toddlers have the most delicious, creamy skin and I love to see it in photos. If it is seasonally appropriate, consider letting them be in shorts or bubbles or maybe even just a diaper. Fat little baby bellies and thighs are something that don’t last forever so I jump at the chance to capture them.
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Don’t be afraid of color.
I mean, if you are a neutral family, that is totally fine. But if you love color, then by all means bring it on. The images down below are a perfect example of how color adds to the personality of a session.
Hopefully you are feeling a bit more confident about how to dress for your next photo session. If you would like to chat more about how a lifestyle session with me works, I would love to start that conversation. You can reach out to me here.