Looking good for your session is key. You've spent all this time planning & money to make sure your photos turn out just the way you like, so it's important to put in that little bit more effort in what you are planning to wear. It will make your photos that much better & will please you to no ends by the final result.
Here are some killer tips to help you with choosing what to wear & how to rock your photo session!
1. Consider Your Surroundings
Try to visualize what your wardrobe will look like in the location setting. If you can't visualize it, or you have never been to that location, I suggest taking a trip out to check it out or Googling images of the location. You might change your mind on the location & it's better to know before your photo day, because rescheduling is not an easy thing.
Will you blend in, clash or compliment with the surroundings? For example, if your session will be taking place in a forested area, try to stay away from green. Navy, cream, and jewel tones such as ruby, turquoise and amethyst all compliment & beautifully lets the subject pop against the backdrop filled with greenery.
2. Resist the "Everyone Must Match" Look
When planning your group session, try to coordinate outfits, but not matching. For example, have mom & daughter where a nice burgundy top, while dad & the boys wear tones of black & grey. Throwing in some more neutral tones like cream & white, will also help you coordinate as well. This will give the photos more variety while being more visually pleasing as well as preventing your whole family from blending into each other & becoming one giant blob of colour. Granted, sometimes it will work out colour-wise with everyone matching beautifully, like the photo below. You just have to be aware of the surroundings & make sure there is some separation in the images.
3. Colour Coordination
Remember that the photos are about YOU and not what you're wearing. Having your clothing as solid, muted tones will help bring out you & your loved one, without the viewer getting distracted by the clothes. Neutral & soft jewel tones work well together. Bright colours such as yellow, orange and red tend to make people look larger than they appear to be, where as neutral tones, such as cream, black & taupe, make you instantly look thinner. Who doesn't want that!?
If you are in a group, try to choose 1-3 colours that are similar tones & in the same colour palette, but not matching.
4. Patterns
Patterns are great to bring interest to viewers in your photo. However, in a group setting, having one member wear a pattern will help tie in the colours from others wearing solid & jewel tone colours. It will give a nice pop to your photo. Avoid having several different patters in your photo (stripes, florals, geometric) because there will be no continuity to your photo & will become distracting the the viewers. Choose your clothing that will be something you will enjoy to look at for years to come.
5. Layers I cannot say this enough. I LOVE LAYERS! Layer all day err-day! Layers are not only the best way to make you look fashionable, but to also give your photo dimension & interest. I encourage you to bring a cardigan or sport jacket to spice up your photo session a bit more & to give more variety in your image selection. It will really help tie your photos together & also give us more posing options. Everyone looks AH-MAZING in layers. I don't care who you are. LAYER IT UP! You will look amazing!
6. Displaying Your Portraits
Take a look around your room. Try to image your photos on your wall. What do you see? You want these photos to look, not only visually pleasing, but something you will want to look at for years to come. When you look at your photos, you want to see faces, feelings, expressions, not distracting & bright clothing. Try to visualize where you would want to hang your new portrait & look at the tones of the room. You want to make sure your image will compliment the area it will be displayed in.
7. Make-up & Accessories
My style is more of a "Lifestyle/Documentary" style portraiture. My goal is to capture YOU as who YOU are. Not who you want to be. I like to keep everything nice & simple, but who doesn't love a "me" day? If you wish to get your hair and make-up done professionally for your photo session, by all means go for it! Try not to go overboard with beauty pageant style hair & over the top make-up; try to keep it so you are still you, just a little bit more fancy.
Avoid the heavy make-up & big distracting jewelry, unless of course, this is the real you. Keeping makeup & jewelry simple and neutral will make your photos more pleasing. Instead of throwing on that chunky play jewelry, try accessorizing with scarves, or layer with a sweater, cardigan or jacket (again, I LOVE LAYERS). This can really give your photos dimension & interest.
8. Details, Details, DETAILS!
Most people forget about their feet. I know I do sometimes. 95% of the time, your feet will show in the photos. Being aware of what is on your feet is always a good idea. Make sure you have some clean shoes & guys, avoid white socks. They are so distracting, your eye will automatically fall to the feet in your photos.
Short sleeves tend to cut off the arm at the widest part. I would recommend that you wear something sleeveless or goes below the elbow for women, and men wear long sleeved shirts or a sport jacket.
Remember. The camera sees all. Detail is my specialty which means, if you forget to shave, brush your teeth, or do your hair, the camera (& I) will know. So my best advice? Don't forget to brush those pearly whites & shave your legs/beard!
Now you're ready for your close-up!
If you have any questions, or would like some ideas, please feel free to contact me & I would be more than happy to help plan our & coordinate outfits for our fun session!