What to wear during a family photo session
You might find yourself running around the house looking for outfits only an hour before your family photo session. This article is here to help you prepare and to avoid this stressful situation from happening. An outdoor family photoshoot is meant to be adventurous and fun -- and it will be! But, you also want to look at the portraits afterward and love how you look! Before deciding what to wear, you should first think about the location selected.
Park Photoshoot
Park locations often have lots of greenery in the background which may result in more warm tones in photographs. So, for these locations, I would recommend wearing colors like magenta, maroon, yellow, orange, dark-reds, or neutral colors like beige, tan, or brown. For holiday themes, patterns like plaid photograph well as long as everyone is not wearing the same pattern or color.
Beach Photoshoot
If you have portraits taken at a beach location then pastel colors such as light blue, light pink, teal, or even neutral tones like a light brown photograph really nicely. It is not recommended to have all the same colored clothing as all white or all black. Family portraits are more interesting when there are different tones or patterns that complement each other.
Urban or Artsy Photoshoot
A photo session in the city in creative districts or hip tourist locations allows you to be more fun or eccentric with your wardrobe knowing you won't be covered in sand or have to hike around a park trail. This is a location where ladies could wear heels or more form-fitting clothing. Men can wear dressy shoes knowing they won't be taking them off to take photos at the beach. If you are looking to wear something more "glam" and artsy, a location like this may be a better fit for your style.
What not to wear
Overall, regardless of where you are photographing here are some points to be mindful of. These are the top 4 most common occurrences during photo sessions.
1. Big Jewelry
For portraits, you want to have as much attention drawn to faces rather than accessories. Accessories like watches, over-sized necklaces, or earrings may be too distracting from your eyes. This includes oversized watches or bracelets that men or women may wear.
2. Clothing that has a logo or large symbol
Any t-shirt or tops with a logo or any wording can be distracting from the portrait. Many times this also takes away from your professional portraits. You might be inclined to show off a fancy t-shirt or belt,
3. Clothing that needs to be adjusted often
Nothing is more time consuming than having a clothing item that often needs to be adjusted. Sometimes people wear tops that need to be re-adjusted after slightly moving their arms or turning. A clothing item like this will likely result in photographs that you are happy with but are distracted by either a strap showing or the top being unadjusted.
4. Things in the pockets like wallet, sunshades, or phone
At the beginning of each photo session, it's recommended to empty your pockets and put away sunglasses. Things like keys, glasses, wallets, and phones are noticeable through clothing material and may appear unflattering. It can be easy to forget to remove sunglasses sitting on top of your head, so it is best to just put it away.
Wear what you will feel comfortable and confident in!
At the end of the day, the photographer will know where or how to photograph you based on what you are wearing. So, if you want to wear a bright red top with black jeans at the beach - then you rock that bright red top and jeans on the beach! The photographer will work the angles and colors to help balance the overall look. Colors and tones are an essential part of portrait photography and this article is only intended to help guide your decision making. I hope this helped you decide on what to wear at your next family photoshoot outdoors!
0 Comments