What to Wear for Fall Family Photos

What to wear almost one of the most asked questions I get for inquiries on photo sessions! (Number One is always--can you make me look skinnier!)....but....alas, this post isn't about making you skinny--it's about making you dress to impress!

What to wear is always one of the most stressful parts of anyone’s life, starting when you have to make 17 phone calls to see what your friends are wearing before you head out to your first day of high school. It seems that you can have a closet bursting at the seams with clothes that you LOVED in the store, but now that it’s time to get the kiddos in their Sunday best for some photos, there’s panic at the disco.

Here are a quick couple of rules for you to keep in mind:

• Big companies are always thrilled when you spend dollars on clothes with their big logos. It’s free advertising for them. Don’t let your living room wall become a billboard for the brand names. Steer clear of big logos and opt for fun colors and patterns instead. A couple of phrases that might drive this point home for you; AE, Randy River (had to throw that one in there, LA Gear. Nike...etc

• Coordination does not mean matching. Take a look at any store display the next time you are in the mall. Unless it’s Khaki and White at the GAP, most stores are showing you several different outfits in the same tones so that their display looks cohesive and pleasing to the eye. Rarely will you see 4 mannequins wearing the exact same outfits. Learn from this and mix it up a little.

• There are several laws of the universe you can’t dispute. Cats land on their feet, toast lands jam side down, flat tires happen on rainy days, and kids outside get dirty. While it’s nice to want to preserve that heirloom outfit your great grandmother’s grandmother lovingly hand knit for baby in photos, the park is not the place to do it. If it’s expensive or special or something you don’t want to ruin, leave it at home. You will have a much easier time relaxing and letting the kids have fun and be themselves in something comfortable and relaxed.

To give you an idea of what I mean about coordination vs matching, I have scoured varies sits and brought together some of my favourite family "mall window" pictures. Here are some photos that should give you a great idea of what I mean. Try to stick to the same color palette or the same tones for all of the outfits. All of the shirts don’t need to be primary color polo shirts, nor do all the shirts need to be white and all the pants the same shade of khaki. However, if Henry is wearing something with orange, it’s not a bad idea to have some element of Henretta’s outfit have orange as well.

Some clothing stores try to make your job easier by having a kids section in their store--ei. Old Navy, Mexx, Gap...etc....

I hope this helps some of you!

Have a great last week of summer and can't wait to capture all my families this fall!

xo
Shirley