If you’re still struggling with your outfits, just call me…but in the meantime, here are a few more thoughts……
General rules to remember when preparing for your photo shoot:
Choose clothing for one person first
You don’t have go out and buy all new outfits for your photo. Most times, you can get a great look by building your clothing around one person’s outfit. It’s usually best to start with the person in the group who has the least amount of clothes or who is hardest to dress. Look through their closet for a great piece you want them to wear for the photos. You might also consider buying an outfit for that person and going from there.
For instance , a friend found a fun sweater for her son with tan, light blue, and orange stripes. She knew she had clothing at home that would match the colors in the sweater. So, she decided she could wear the sweater with a light blue shirt, tan pants, and brown shoes.
Build the rest of the group’s outfits based on the first person
Now that you’ve got one person’s clothing done, you can build the rest of the group’s outfits. In my friend’s case, she also bought her husband a sweater vest in orange to go with her son’s sweater. Then, at home, they each had a light blue dress shirt, brown/khaki pants for the guys and a brown skirt for my friend herself who paired it with a tan jacket that was similar to her boy’s sweater. They were good to go!
General rules to remember when choosing outfits
Keep in mind where you are going to be shooting
Are you going to be indoors or outdoors? Is the area paved, muddy, rocky, or grassy? What kind of colors would look best in that setting? If you will be outside, it’s a good idea to wear clothes that you won’t mind getting a bit dirty or dusty. I like to take my photo clients to interesting locations and you most likely will be sitting on the ground at some point. It could be grassy, or even industrial, but we’ll discuss that ahead of time, so no worries.
Stick to one style
Make sure everyone in the group is wearing one style of clothing such as classy (formal wear, suits, dresses, etc.), casual (shorts, t-shirts, sandals, etc.), or contemporary (a mixture of classy and casual–like a dressy top with jeans and heels).
Avoid loud patterns or huge logos or words on an outfit
Smaller patterns on part of an outfit look fine, but keep it to one or two people in your group. Patterns should compliment each other, not draw attention away from the main subject of the photo, you! Colors don’t have to match, but they do need to go together. Clothing from the same color pallette or based on colors in one outfit tend to create a cohesive look without feeling too “matchy.” We love fun and vibrant colors; they help the portraits “pop” off the screen or print, but remember, the emphasis of the photos should be on your faces, not your clothing.
Think about shades of black and white
Since your package may include images in black and white, you will want to think about how your outfits would appear in those shades.
Bring accessories and props that pull together the outfit
Using props and accessories is a good way to get different looks out of a single outfit. Think about things that characterize you and your personality: scarves, purses, shoes, items from your line of work, hobbies, and interests.
Hands and Feet
Often, I will take photos of details like hand-holding, rings, and family feet! Remember to clean and trim nails for these shots. For feet, if you have matching shoes or shoes in the same shade, that’s a plus. Of course, I love bare feet too.
I just wrote a manual. Aren’t you sorry you asked?
