What to wear???? That is hands down the biggest obstacle for planning your family photo session. And let’s face it, they are SO much work, so it’s important that the pictures turn out and capture memories that will last a lifetime! They are also quite an investment which is yet another reason I always get so stressed out. Here are some tips for styling your family to get the best photos possible!
- Figure out what you are going to do with the pictures. I knew that I wanted a gallery wall in our living room with our beach shots. I chose our outfits to match our room. My living room is gray, blue, and cream so that became our color palette. If you are using the pictures for a Christmas card or another specific thing, pick your colors based on that.
2. Pattern mixing- I am big on pattern mixing in photos. This creates more interest and personality to your pictures. Don’t be afraid to combine florals, stripes or any other small to medium prints. I personally don’t love huge prints in pictures.
3. Multiple textures- This is more for fall/winter pictures, but I love layering textures for our family shots. Fur, metallic, corduroy, the more textures the better in my opinion!
4. Avoid matchy match. Let’s face it, that’s just boring. White shirts and khakis just don’t say much about your family or their personalities
5. If you are stuck, pick one outfit you really love and choose the other ones around that color palette. For instance, I really loved this maxi dress for beach pics, so I matched everyone to me! That might sound selfish, I know!! 🙂
6. I like “actions” shots, the kids playing, running, etc. Ask your photographer for a variety of “lifestyle” shots so you get a variety of pictures to choose from. With my family, action shots are about all we can get anyway!!!
7. Keep it natural. I want our photos to be a genuine representation of who we are. So don’t fix your daughter’s hair super fancy if she never wears it that way and don’t wear totally different makeup than you normally would. However, I do always wear lashes for pictures. They really makes your eyes pop. I wear the natural length by KISS.
8. Look at your photographers work ahead of time. Photographers have totally different editing styles and this can totally affect the colors of your pictures. For instance, our photographer produces very warm photos which I love.
9. Wear clothes that are comfortable and easy to move in. Our photographer had our kids running around and we walked quite a bit, so keep that in mind if you are doing a lifestyle shoot.
10. Our photographer, Lauren, gave me a wonderful piece of advice. No matter what your kids are doing, keep smiling! Levi was terrible at our photo shoot. He missed his nap and was literally throwing tantrums on the beach. She told the rest of us to always be ready and smiling, then she could capture the few seconds he actually cooperated!
I hope these tips will make your next family photo session a little less stressful! Please let me know if you have any questions. How often do you get family photos?
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Photos taken by Lauren Folk of Folk house Creative 850-376-7566, @folkhousecreative, www.folkhousecreative.com
