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location

location is key

Location - Do you want a beach location? Trees and greenery? A cozy photoshoot in your home? Maybe a snowy background? It’s best to decide this and PICK a location before you do anything else. This will help lay the foundation for the entire shoot so it’s easier to make the rest of the decisions.

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What’s your location got to do with your clothing? Well, you want to imagine the setting and the style you’re going for. Start with a vision you have, and go from there.

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For example, if you’re going to shoot at a beach, chances are everyone will be barefoot. Maybe you picture everyone being casual with their sleeves/pants rolled up, long flowing skirts or dresses that can blow in the breeze, etc. Or if you want to do a city shoot, maybe everyone is dressed with a little more “edge.” Get a sense of the vibe you want your pictures to have before you start selecting apparel.

After having these pictures taken, I sure hope you will want to display them (and not just in your holiday card). I’m a big believer in displaying family pictures (whatever “family” means to you).

 

Not only do personal pictures make us feel at home, but I think when kids can actually see images of love and laughter all around them, it only helps reinforce that they are growing up in a loving, supportive environment.

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So let’s say you have a blank wall in your family room, and you are hoping to hang some large canvases from your photo shoot there. The clothing you choose should look nice with the color scheme in that room. You don’t want to end up with some really special pictures that would be perfect to enlarge for your home, only to have nowhere to hang them.

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Keep in mind that enlarged prints don’t have to be “matchy-matchy” with your home, but you don’t want them to seem wildly out of place either. Hopefully the colors you’re wearing in the pictures will provide a nice pop of color that you could accent with pillows on your couch, a vase, etc. or perhaps you stick with clothing that has more neutral tones that could blend in well with just about any color scheme.

put 'em on display

start with you, sis

Choose YOUR outfit first.

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Ladies, let’s be honest: if we don’t like ourselves in a picture, ain’t nobody going to see that thing. Ever. So be sure you love what you’re wearing and that you feel comfortable in it. Always start with what you want to wear, and then work your family’s coordinating clothing around your outfit.

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Try these tips when picking something for yourself:

  • Wear a dress. Trust me on this one. You’ll feel prettier, and it’s more flattering than anything else you can wear.

  • Pick a dress that’s figure flattering. I recommend any kind that has a fitted waist. Skip the shift dresses and swing dresses because one gust of wind and you suddenly look twice as wide as you actually are.

  • If you’re not a big fan of dresses, choose a skirt and top combination. But again, choose one that’s an A-Line style (fitted in the waist and flows out over your hips). I promise it’ll be 1000x more flattering than anything else you could pick.

  • Wearing something more dressy than your everyday. T-shirt material doesn’t hang as well as chiffon, rayon, linen, double knit, or silk, and could look cheap and unflattering from some angles.

  • Choose the color you want to wear and build from there. We all know it’s hardest to get us dressed, so start with yourself instead of fitting yourself in at the end.

styling the fam

  • Choose your color palette.
    Now that you’ve picked your outfit, it’s time to figure out the entire color palette. I created a Pinterest board with a TON of family picture outfit ideas that will help you decided which direction to go. Or maybe you’ll need to start here and that will help you pick your outfit and location. Either way, there’s tons of inspiration there for indoor, outdoor, neutral, festive holiday, beach, snowy, etc.

  • I’d recommend choosing 2-3 colors for your color palette, and then have variations of those colors, like darker or lighter shades of blue.

  • If you look through the Pinterest board I created, you’ll notice that most of the outfits have solid colors. If you’re going to do patterns, keep them subtle, and in small doses. The point of family pictures is for your beautiful faces to show, so don’t let them be overpowered by large, loud patterns.

  • Also play with layers like vests, jackets, or sweaters (stay away from scarves cause they’ll get in the way and look bulky in photos!), or tall socks under boots, so you have more opportunity for incorporating your colors and adding texture and dimension. Your outfits will feel more complete if everyone’s in something more than just bottoms and a top.

real is perfect

  • THE PEOPLE MATTER MOST

  • Finally, when photo day arrives, just take a deep breath and let things happen. I have learned to have zero expectations. You can have ideas and poses in mind, but let yourself be flexible enough to move on to plan B.

  • And if your child won’t cooperate? Try pictures where you’re running or playing in some way. Have a tickle fight. Blow bubbles that he/she tries to pop. Fly a kite. Or even take a break (sometimes candy bribes work!) and try again. I often find that if I just say, “Where do you want to stand?” that helps. And then the rest of the family kind of folds around that one who’s having a hard time. Our youngest loved getting to stand on this stump, for example.

  • Don’t forget that the whole point of the photo session is to capture a shot of the PEOPLE you love most. 

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