Photoshoots are fun, most would think...right?
Let me tell you that the number one thing I hear come out of a client's mouth when they first walk in or meet up with me is "Man, finding outfits for everyone and what looks good together was STRESSFUL!" Now, some may be a rare breed, like myself, who find picking out and coordinating outfits "fun". Besides dragging the man in your life with you to photoshoots and having to use more bribery for him than the children--picking out outfits can be pure torture for some.
So I put a poll on my instastories last week and asked if compiling tips and tricks to coordinating outfits and my favorite vendors I've found for littles would be helpful and it was almost a 100% YES. So here we go.
First let me preface this by letting you know that these are only my opinions. First and foremost I want YOUR style to be shown in your photos. I love when clients will show me ahead of time or send me a picture of what they have picked out. And I LOVE helping people if they ask for it. It helps me get a vision for your photoshoot before we even start. So don't hesitate to reach out!
Tips for Family Photo Shoots:
Number One--Find one piece you LOVE
The number one thing that I have found to help me personally pick out outfits for the family is to find one piece that you LOVE for one member of the family and feed from it. For instance, if I found a patterned piece for my daughter that has a few different colors in it, I will then pull all of those colors from it when picking out the rest of my family's outfits. Say it has blue, golden yellow and gray. I will go digging through the rest of our closets for those colors.
Number Two-- Layer
Once you have decided on colors, find multiple coordinating pieces with those colors and layer them up. If we're in the fall, layer cardigans and scarves. For men, layer a sweater over a button-up. Jean jackets, leggings, etc. to layer up kids.
Number Three-- Research
If you're completely stumped on colors you want to even start with, I highly recommend searching Pinterest. I mean, who doesn't these days?? If you type in colors for family photos, etc., many options will arise and you'll be amazed with what sparks your creative juices.
Number Four-- Comfort for Kids
If you have kids, you know their personalities. If you find this ADORABLE dress for a girl that you just have to have, but its itchy and makes them grumpy to even try it on, my advice is not to force it. Its not worth the child being grumpy for photos simply because of what they're wearing. In the end, a happy kid is what we need for great photos! Just keep in mind their personality and let it shine too. We want the photos to be YOU.
Number Five-- Things to Avoid
There are a few things as a photographer of 10 years I've seen that I'd recommend straying away from. First is to limit patterns. Pattern is GOOD, but too much clashing patterns is bad. It can end up distracting from the main focus of the photos--YOU! This is why I highly recommend layering as much as possible and plain pieces so it gives depth without being too much or too distracting. Along with this, avoid the "matchy-matchy". When I first started shooting, I had no idea what worked well for photos. But I found after a few shoots (my own family for one), dressing everyone is all white was not the best case scenario. You end up being a big blob and washed out. Now don't get me wrong, there's a time and place where this is okay. Example being in the studio for a newborn session. I always highly encourage my clients to wear all black. Moms especially don't feel their best right after delivery, and black hides a lot when I pair it with my black backdrop.
Another thing that is best to avoid are logos. They can also end up being distracting. Under armour or nike logos, etc. Sometimes that's all people have, and that's OKAY! If they're on plain shirts, I can usually remove them if asked. If you're doing a sports theme or this is just the style that is your family--wear it! I'm not trying to make people be unnatural.
The last thing that is best to avoid are neon colors. Neon colors will always reflect onto the face. Especially outdoor, so its best to keep this fact in mind when picking out clothing for your shoot.
Since I shoot mostly babies and children, and often in my studio, I've been trying my best to keep up with the latest and greatest things. I have to do things a little at a time to build up, but I'm so proud of what I've built in 10 years and its only the beginning of the dreams I have!
I've been trying my very best to gain a selection of things for babies to wear at my studio if they choose in a variety of sizes. This helps mainly because if I choose it, I know that it will photograph well, but also takes the guesswork and stress off of parents knowing that I have some things available here for them. I don't have a ton yet, but I am always adding to the pile. My clients are ALWAYS welcome to use anything I have in my studio for their photos. This also sometimes helps with expense. When you want boutique looking photos, but find it silly to pay the price for an outfit simply to wear for ONE photo, I like to have those options here because they'll get used multiple times.
I've been slowly but surely building my unique prop and backdrop stash. I never want people's photos to look the same, so I try my best to change it up. There are favorites I have or ones that clients request that get used regularly. I try to mix up my backdrop choices with fun patterns but also plain ones as well. And here's why.
Most of the time, I have no idea what parents are going to bring for their baby/child to wear for their shoot. It's something I have as a goal this year to be better at. Planning ahead with my clients before their shoots. But so far what I've found that parents gravitate towards are patterns for their children to wear. This ends up with us having to use a lot of my plain colored backdrops to avoid clashing. This is FINE, totally fine. But here's a few tips for your next visit and they go along the same lines of the tips at the beginning of this post.
First, try your best to find solids that you like. Then, layer. You'd be shocked that some of the most darling photos end up being a baby boy in a pair of jeans without a shirt, or even a plain little white tee (or any color) paired with or without suspenders. Then just keep adding to make it even more fun. I would add a little hat that I have here, or a fake pair of glasses for an even more fun touch. Its all about your personality and what you like for your photos. For girls, a ruffle tutu bum cover (I have many!) paired with one of the countless bows that I have available for any clients to use. We can even add a string of pearls for and added fun touch!
I do not want you to think that pattern is bad. We will always get good photos no matter what you decide to wear or bring for your little! I have plenty of things to go with a variety of outfits. This is simply advice that I hope can help! Never hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have regarding what to wear!
Along with this, I have been researching a lot trying to find the best boutiques at all cost ranges for those looking for adorable clothing items for photos. I am going to list my favorites below of some of the favorites I've seen for babies and kiddos.
1. My Modern Kid-- www.mymodernkid.com. She has so graciously offered a code to give to any of my clients for a discount! So if you're coming for photos, I'm happy to share this code with you!
2. Bailey's Blossoms-- www.baileysblossoms.com (a lot of the items I have available in my studio come from this site)
3. Better Baby Boutique-- www.betterbabyboutique.com
4. Little Blue Eyes Boutique-- (this is my DEAR friend, Amanda who recently just started and her stuff is just DARLING, new releases weekly and super affordable). You can find her on Facebook and Instagram.
5. Baby Bling Bows-- For the little girls only--sorry! With having my own little baby girl, I gravitated towards these bows. They are so stretchy and don't leave marks and the patterns and styles are just DARLING! I became a vendor for these bows, I love them that much. So these are available to purchase here at my studio!
I am still researching, but these are just a few that I have found that I love. If you're a small boutique owner, contact me and I'd love to chat with you and see what you have!
For families, I always have great luck at Old Navy and Marshall's!
I hope this was helpful. Again, I just want to say that these are TIPS! I truly just want to capture the true YOU. Be yourself, wear what makes you feel great and I promise to capture it.
If you found this helpful, please share and comment and let me know. I hope to do more posts like these if I know people are enjoying them and combining my love for writing with my love for photography. Also, I highly encourage you to find us on Instagram. @infinitejoyphotography. I post behind the scenes, tips, and overall just me doing my thing on a day-to-day basis!
XOXO
Emily
0 Comments