"You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile!"

What to Wear Wardrobe Wise

 The most common question I get before a shoot is "What should we wear?"  In an effort to help explain what works best during a photography session, I have put together some samples of what photographs the best.  

Keyword: Coordinate, not Match.  

The days of all white or all black with jeans or khakis has passed.  Let's face it, it's kind of boring.  My favorite things are bright colors, layers, textures, and accessories.  Think "complete outfit."  Go the extra mile.  It pays off.  Matching tights, bows, hats, glasses, scarves are a must.  It's good to put bright colors and patterns on the kiddos, and then adults wear a coordinating solid.  Here are some family outfit ideas, and some color schemes that work well together: 

Things to AVOID:

1.)     Try not to be "Matchy Matchy."  Every persons unique personality should come through.  We were not all built to wear the same thing.  

2.)     No all white or all black...again, boring!  Also white is super light reflective, and black is super light absorbent.  You run the risk of standing out from the crowd in one of these.  If you must go dark, go Navy or Brown.  If you want to go light, go tan or pastel.  

3.)     Try to avoid greens and yellows for outdoor sessions.  They tend to clash with the grass.

4.)   Clashing Reds.  If more than one of you are wearing red, please make sure they are the same red, or at least coordinate.  No purply red, and orangy red together. 

5.)   No big logos, unless it is the clothing brand, i.e. Gap or Polo.  In other words, no Sponge Bob t-shirts!

Here are some great "boy" ideas that I found on Pinterest.  Great places to shop for complete outfits like these are The Gap, Old Navy, The Children's Place, Gymboree, Nordstrom, and Nemaan's.

Here are some cute "girl" ideas, also found on Pinterest.  Time to accessorize!  Think hats, scarfs, tights, bows, matching shoes, even purses or teddy bears can be fun accessories.  

The exception to the bright color rule is a Newborn Photography Session.  In this case it is preferable for the parents to be wearing all black.  Most newborn photo shoots are done in studio.  New moms are not usually excited about showing off their figure, and the baby needs to be the focal point anyhow.  When Mom and Dad wear all black, and the baby is naked, it makes for a nice display of the baby, which is the whole reason we are doing the shoot in the first place.  Shooting newborns this way ensures that we capture elated/proud parents and beautiful new babies.  Here are a few samples from my studio that illustrate this style:

Lastly, and most importantly: "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile!"

Happy Shooting.