Coordinate, not matchy-matchy.
When I consider a photo session, one of the first thing I want my clients to think about what look they're going for. No matter if your style is urban, country, vintage, or something in between, choosing the right palette to complement your style will pull the whole vibe of your shoot together.
The big rule of thumb is to go with a neutral and soft palette or a saturated palette. For any palette you choose, it's best to stick with 2-3 colors and a pop. For me, the easiest way to do this is to pull colors from one person's outfit and carry them over into the rest of the outfits.
 |
| design seeds |
In this lovely photo from design seeds, the tonal quality is soft and fresh, perfect for a spring day or vintage vibed session. You can see how all the colors coordinate, but do not necessarily match, yet the pink and the dark blue create a color pop.
Color pop should be just that- a pop of color that shows up here and there in a few outfits.
The easiest way to gain inspiration is through women's clothing and girl's clothing. In family sessions, it's often easiest to choose what Mom and daughter are going to wear, then choose the rest of the outfits in colors and shades to match.
One word of advice though- too much pattern steals the spotlight away from your beautiful faces, so use it sparingly.
Check out my Pinterest Board for inspiration.
Accessories
One super way to create dimension to your portraits is to add in accessories. I'm all about scarves, hats, jackets, vests, even a small posey of flowers or a string of pearls as ways to boost your images. Layers are magical in that they add extra pops of color and can be taken on and off to achieve varied looks throughout a session. It's best to go easy on the accessories though, to keep the focus on you and your expressions rather than the necklace or hat you're wearing. For babies and toddlers, it seems to work best to keep everything simple. They're so sweet on their own, they just don't need anything else taking away from their personalities.
Props
For mini sessions and holidays, props are so much fun to use. I like to go full out and embrace props, letting them set the stage for the session's vibe. However, for full length sessions, I prefer as little staging as possible. My main reason for this is to create a timeless, clean portrait that will be on point for years to come. Remember the school picture sessions when we were kids where the huge boom box and sneaker props were used? (well, maybe you don't if you weren't a child of the 80's!). Ugh. I look back on those and they look horrendous and so dated. However, if done right, props can add meaning and depth to your images...like a treasured stuffed animal or a blanket grandma knitted.
Pros: Add dimension and depth; set the stage for the session; bring meaning and evoke memories; give a hint of the season; bring cohesion
Cons: Can be distracting; can sometimes overwhelm the subjects; can date the picture
Final Words, Dos and Don'ts
*The biggest piece of advice that I can give you is to plan early and plan comfy. This doesn't mean show up in sweats and tennis shoes. What I mean is to wear clothing that you feel great in, especially you moms. Nothing is worse than wearing something too tight, or ill fitting, or something that you just don't like but think it will turn out ok in pictures. It won't. Trust me. Personal experience. Please wear something that makes you feel incredible and the rest will fall into place. On the same note, make sure the clothing your kids wear are close to what they normally wear so that they also feel comfortable. And don't forget about dad. If he never, ever wears hats or a certain style of clothing, now is not the time to try to put him in one. You'll get mad dad face. Or Don't-Ever-Ask-Me-to-Take-Pictures-Again Face. And that's never good.
*No logos or characters. It's cute for everyday, just not for picture day. The focus should be on your lovely faces, not on the Nike swish on your kid's shirt or the picture of Elsa (dare I say it?!) on your daughter's dress.
*Coordinate to your surroundings. For example, if we were shooting at an old barn, it might look odd to wear formal clothing. Outdoor backgrounds lend themselves really well to loose, flowy materials and more natural colors. However, if your personal vibe is paradoxical, then go for it!
*Think about where you'll display your pictures in your home and decide if the colors you choose will coordinate. If you don't care, then wear what you like!
*For older clients who wear glasses... transition lenses are awesome for being outside or working in the garden, but in family photos taken outdoors (and often inside) they can ruin the look of an image. The sunglasses effect hides the most important part of the face- the eyes. If you can bring extra glasses that do not have transition lenses, please bring those instead. If you don't have any extras, a cool tip is to grab a pair of cheap reading glasses with frames that you like and pop out the lenses. No glare, no sunglass effect. Yay!
*Makeup. Matte usually photographs better than glittery shadows, and keeping a light hand is always helpful.
*Hair. Haircuts should be done a week or two in advance if possible. You know, just in case something unfortunate happens you'll have time to let things grow out. Ahem. Not that I would know this from experience. :)
Posing Tips
*Women
My job is to make you look fantastic. Even the thinnest among us can end up with wonky images if the posing is off. The number one top tip I can give you is to keep your shoulders at an angle and not face the camera straight on. This gives a slimming illusion. Placing your weight on the rear leg also helps balance and lengthen, which is what we want. Another secret tip is to keep the arm facing the camera from being flat against your body. Hand on the hip or arm held slightly away from the body keeps your upper arm looking slim. Another big yay! It's always best to lean toward the camera and not away from it. This tends to create double-chin, and last time I checked, no woman I know wants double chin.
*Men
Most men want to look powerful and strong in their images. My husband has told me that most men also do not go for poses that make them feel goofy or weird. Go figure. So, I try to keep men facing the camera straight on so that a sense of power is conveyed and not do uncomfortable poses. Sometimes I'll have you angle slightly to complement others in the photo, but not as much as I would a woman. Sometimes men don't know what to do with their hands. If you have pockets, put your hands in your pockets. It looks good, and it gives a nice bend to the arm that photographs well. It also makes a more masculine stance.
Kids
Kids seem to instinctively know when we want them to cooperate the most and then they act like wild animals. As a former teacher and a current homeschooling mom, I see this happen on an almost daily basis. Please, please, please do not worry if your kids are a little wild on picture day. As long as they are semi contained and not doing anything dangerous, it's going to be fine. Most of the time kids get a little intimidated by the person with the camera, so they'll usually listen to me better. I like to bribe offer kids rewards for doing a great job. Usually this is in the form of Pez candies or Smarties. They don't stain (yay!) and they are small. Both great things in my book. If you'd like to dangle another carrot, please feel free to bring your own bribes for afterwards and I can keep reminding them of what's waiting for them. I also do everything possible to get natural smiles, so just ignore the off-key singing, silly jokes, and me making a fool of myself. It's all part of it.
Information on a what a typical session looks like.
Information about Pricing.
