The first question everyone asks themselves after booking a photo session is: “What will we wear?” I totally understand! And I’m here to help! My aim is to ensure that your family is captured in a beautiful, finished and timeless manner, and that you will cherish these images for years to come.
So let’s dive into my top 4 tips and tricks to assist you in your outfit coordination:
- Coordinate Colours But Avoid Matching Outfits
Try to avoid everyone doing “matchy matchy” clothes. That means staying away from white shirts and jeans, no tan pants and blue shirts and limiting wearing the same colour on top. Instead, go for coordination of colours. By choosing 2-4 colours that go well together, you’ll create your ideal colour palette!
- Think about what you are doing the photos for
When choosing colours for your outfits, also try to keep in mind what you will be doing with the images thereafter. For example, if you are planning on having the images printed and framed or put onto canvas (one of the services I do offer!), it is important to keep in mind that the colours in the images do match with the colour scheme of your house. This is just one example, just to give you an idea of how the purpose of the images can influence your colour choice, but there are so many more! Think holiday cards, personalised gift ideas, etc.
- Start with Mom (or at least your favourite piece of clothing)
When mom’s outfit is sorted, the rest of the family usually follows suit – so start with that! Find your favourite dress/top/scarf, you know that piece that makes you feel amazing whenever you wear it. Now that you have chosen your one piece, look in your closets to see what all goes with that. Remember, the aim is to have 2-4 colours.
- Accessories are my Favourite
No joke – I love accessories! And I’m not just talking about jewellery, when you add accessories such as scarves, jackets and hats (basically layering your outfits), you can create completely different outfits and looks when you add/remove an accessory. This will help to create a diverse selection of images that you will be able to choose from.
As a bonus, I’m adding in some Do’s and Don’ts to help you get your best looking photos yet:
- Do use this session as an opportunity have your nails, hair and make-up done! Chances are, if you feel like a million bucks, it will show in the photos!
- Do wear make-up. If you don’t usually wear make-up, try a bit of tinted moisturizer and mascara, just to get that extra pop. I would suggest for you to stay true to your natural style, and to wear make-up in the way that you feel comfortable
- Do bring along a hairbrush, wet wipes and lipstick/lip gloss just in case!
- Do make sure everyone’s hair is done, and go for haircuts at least a week before the session if needed.
- Do ensure everyone wears comfortable shoes. In most locations, there’s usually quite some walking and running around that will happen, especially with younger kids. However, if you want to wear those stiletto shoes that you simply adore, please bring along a pair of slippers for in between locations/sets. Trust me, your feet will thank you. 🙂
- Try to avoid any clothing with characters, logos or any neon colours. The focus should be on your family, and I don’t want anything to distract from your beautiful faces!
- Try to plan ahead for your outfits to ensure everything fits right. This will also help to avoid any stress on the day of the session. 🙂
Parvenu Photography 