You always want to look your best for your portrait session. Well, what does that mean, clothing wise? Regardless of your skin tone we want the emphasis to be on your face. Jewel tones work best (blue, green, purple, maroon, rust, brown, etc.). Stripes, plaids, checks and other busy prints draw your eye away from the face. Straghetti straps often make people look heavier and draw your eye away from the face.
Newborns -- often nothing is the best choice, their clothes are too big and make them look lost. A hat, headband, diaper cover or bow makes a great prop.
What should parents wear for newborn sessions? For newborn sessions we recommend that both parents wear black, long sleeved, avoid tank tops and spaghetti straps. The emphasis for this session is first and foremost on the baby and then on the faces and hands and all three of you. Mom, don;t worry about any leftover baby fat, it won't show. Think about going shirtless too, a newborn with a shirtless Dad can be awesome! And a newborn with a tastefully bareskinned Mom can be timeless!
Babies -- diaper covers go a long way! For babies that can sit up (or stand up) on their own some naked tushy photographs are great!
What should parents wear for baby sessions? Simple color coordinated tops work best, both of you in the same color family. Long sleeved shorts tend to work better than short sleeved shirts. Jewel tones are very flattering for skin tones (blue, green, purple, maroon, rust, brown, etc.). Avoid busy prints that will draw your attention away from the baby. Also *Always* bring a plain black (preferably long sleeve) shirt to your newborn session
Children -- something fun, something simple, something formal.
Siblings -- coordinated and/or matching. Fun!
Families -- coordinated, but not necessarily matching. Wearing clothing with similiar tonal ranges is more pleasing and prevents one person from looking heavier or dominant.
Couples -- coordinated, but not matching, Again, jewel tones work best (blue, green, purple, maroon, rust, brown, etc.). Wearing clothing with similiar tonal ranges is more pleasing and prevents one person from looking heavier or dominant.
Individuals -- color clothing and styles make a difference -- you want to look timeless. Stripes, plaids, checks and other busy prints draw your eye away from the face. Straghetti straps often make people look heavier and draw your eye away from the face.
Headshots and Business -- here it is especially important that your face dominates so you want your fact to be the brightest thing in the photograph.
Seniors -- anything goes, express yourself, what makes you unique? Bring as many outfit choices as possible! Something simple, something formal, something traditional, something funky, something different, a dress or two for the ladies or a suit jacket for the guys, jeans and a t-shirt, a winter coat with a fur hood (regardless of the time of year), sports or hobby outfits, etc.
This is what we recommend to wear to a portrait session
- Wear solid colored clothing
- Choose muted tones that are a bit subdued, Jewel tones work well (blues, greens, purple, maroon, gray)
- Choose similar tones for your top and bottom (both dark or both light)
- Choose 1-3 colors for your group portrait, ones with similar tones that go nicely together and have everyone work within that colour palette. For example: dark green, navy, and burgundy – all dark jewel tones. OR tan, a lighter olive green, and denims – all lighter, softer tones.
- Choose a top with sleeves at least to the elbow
- Choose long pants for men/ladies or a skirt below the knee for ladies
- Choose dark socks and footwear (unless it’s a barefoot photo on the beach)
- Keep jewelry simple
- Do your hair the way you’d normally do it while wearing these clothes
Rationale
- Wear solid colored clothing so
that we see all of your faces and no one person stands out. If you wear
stripes or flowers, you will stand out from the rest of your group.
- Choose muted tones that are a bit subdued so that you are the subject not your clothes and you don’t stand out from the group. Bright colors project (especially reds, oranges, and yellows), which also makes you look larger.
- Choose similar tones for your top and bottom (both dark or both light) so that one doesn’t look bigger than the other. White top, dark pants will make your top look bigger. White pants, dark top will make your butt look bigger.
- Choose 1-3 colors for your group portrait, ones with similar tones that go nicely together and have everyone work within that color palette. For example: dark green, navy, and burgundy – all dark jewel tones. OR tan, a lighter olive green, and denims – all lighter, softer tones. So that we see the people first and your portrait looks stunning. Wedding group photos look so good because they’re all wearing the same colors and the people stand out!
- Choose a top with sleeves at least to the elbow because your arms take up more skin area than your face and will draw attention and it may also make your arms look larger
- Choose long pants for men/ladies or a skirt below the knee for ladies so that your legs don’t take attention from your faces, and you will be able to sit and bend without showing too much leg
- Choose dark socks and footwear (unless it’s a barefoot photo on the beach)because white just sticks out like a sore thumb and that’s all you’ll notice in your portrait
- Keep jewelry simple because too much draws attention from your face
- Do your hair the way you’d normally do it while wearing these clothes Your portrait will be more timeless and represent more closely who you are, not just what you look like.
