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When it comes to capturing beautiful and timeless family photographs, one crucial aspect to consider is choosing the right outfits. What you wear during a family photo session can greatly influence the overall look and feel of the images. In this blog post, we will provide you with some helpful tips and ideas on what to wear to ensure your family looks their best and creates memories to cherish for a lifetime. COORDINATE COLORS, BUT AVOID MATCHING: Coordinating colours among family members is key to achieving a cohesive and visually pleasing look. Instead of matching everyone's outfits exactly, opt for a colour scheme that complements each other. Choose a primary colour and then add in complementary shades and tones. This allows each individual to express their personality while maintaining a unified aesthetic. CONSIDER THE LOCATION AND SEASON: The setting and season of your photo session should play a role in determining your outfit choices. If you're having a beach session in the summer, consider lighter and breezy outfits in pastel or vibrant colours. For a fall session in a park, earthy tones and cozy layers can create a warm and cozy atmosphere. Adapt your clothing choices to the surroundings to enhance the overall ambiance of your photos. DRESS COMFORTABLY AND BE YOURSELF It's important to feel comfortable and confident during your family photo session, as it will reflect in the final images. Avoid wearing clothing that is too tight, restrictive, or uncomfortable, for outfits that allow freedom of movement and make you feel like your true selves. When you feel at ease, it's easier to capture genuine emotions and candid moments that truly represent your family's bond. AVOID LOGOS AND BUSY PATTERNS: While you want to showcase your family's unique style, it's best to avoid clothing with large logos, busy patterns, or distracting graphics. These elements can detract attention from the main subjects of the photo—your family. Instead, opt for solid colours, subtle patterns, or small accents that add visual interest without overwhelming the composition. LAYER AND ACCESSORISE: Layering can add depth and visual interest to your outfits. Consider adding complementary pieces such as scarves, jackets, cardigans, or hats. These layers can be easily removed or added throughout the session, allowing for versatility in your photos. Additionally, accessories like jewelery, belts, or hats can provide an extra touch of style and personality to your overall look. Timeless vs. Trendy: While it's tempting to embrace the latest fashion trends, keep in mind that your family photos should stand the test of time. Opting for timeless and classic outfits ensures that your photos will still look great even years down the line. Neutral colours, simple silhouettes, and classic styles are always a safe bet. Save the trendier pieces for everyday wear, and let your family's genuine connection be the focal point of the images. Conclusion: Choosing the right outfits for your family photo session can greatly enhance the visual appeal and overall cohesiveness of your images. By coordinating colours, considering the location and season, dressing comfortably, and avoiding distracting patterns, you can ensure that your family looks their best and creates timeless memories to treasure. Remember, the most important aspect of family photography is capturing the love and bond you share, so let your clothing choices complement that genuine connection.

GENERAL ADVICE HAIR – If you’re getting a hair cut for your shoot, do so about two weeks beforehand, just in case it goes wrong – you just never know. For men, a fresh cut a couple of days before the shoot is fine. HAIR ACCESSORIES – If you’re shooting outdoors, be ready to put your hair up and make it look nice in case of a windy day. Bring bobby pins, hair clips, headbands or any other favorite accessories. GLASSES – If folks wouldn’t recognize you without glasses, you want to wear glasses in your shoot – however, the glare on glasses can detract from your eyes in photos. You can have your lenses removed from your frames for your shoot (don’t worry, it’s what Hollywood does to avoid glare in movies), ask your eye doctor to loan you a pair of similar frames, or you can also visit an inexpensive company online like Zenni Optical and buy a suitable pair of duplicate frames on the cheap. RED EYES – Visine is your friend. Not getting drunk the night before your shoot helps, too. [Don’t think I kid, I’ve shot plenty of hung-over clients.] LIPS – You will probably wipe or lick your lips during your shoot, so bring fresh lip gloss or lipstick to do touch-up. Use lip balm for a few days in advance of your shoot to make your smoochers look their best. TEETH – If you want to brighten your smile, start your treatments about two weeks before your shoot. Breakouts – Start using African Black Bar Soap for a week in advance of your shoot to help reduce and limit pimples and blemishes. Equally important, don’t cake on a lot of make-up to try to hide blemishes – it’s almost always easier to Photoshop away pimples than to clean up overdone make-up. For fever blisters, avoid getting them in the first place, then use Abreva if one pops up anyway. MAKE-UP– A subtle application of make-up can really soften your skin and accent your facial features. But make sure you know what you’re doing, and make sure it matches your skin tone, or your face may look orange compared to the rest of your body. FACIAL HAIR – Men, be freshly shaved with a new razor, shaving cream and a moisturizing after-shave lotion to avoid bumps and redness. Trim up your board, sideburns, moustache or goatee, especially looking for wiry stray hairs. Ladies, even if you have some light facial hair (particularly around your lip or chin), indulge in a waxing in advance of your shoot – even barely-there light facial hair will be noticeable in your photos. Men and women both, pluck and clean up those eyebrows. Moisturizer – Dry skin can really detract from a great photo shoot. Start moisturizing nightly a week in advance of your shoot. When you get out of the shower, dry off until lightly damp, and slather on moisturizer. Focus on your arms, shoulders, neck, face, hands, anywhere you’ll be exposed to the camera. This includes your legs if you’re shooting in shorts or a skirt. ProTip: For dry skin on your face, especially around your nose, use a sugar scrub. Mix a cup of sugar with about a quarter cup of olive oil, or just until it looks like wet sand. Scrub your face with it anywhere you have flaky skin, wash it off, then wash with soap to remove the oil. The sugar paste shouldn’t be oily, just wet enough to moisten the sugar. Also, be sure on your face to use a facial moisturizer, not a thick body moisturizer, or you could break out. [Us men, of course, are most in need of this advice, especially around the face and hands.] NAILS – A fresh coat of nail polish will make a world of difference in your photo shoot. Pick a neutral colour that won’t distract in your shoot or clash with your outfits. Freshen the morning of the shoot, then be careful not to scuff it while prepping. [I see this most often with high school senior girls, to whom half-gone nail polish seems to be a popular fad.] Your photo shoot is a great excuse for a fresh manicure, but if you can’t go to the salon, make sure your nails look tidy and clean, including the cuticles. BLOATING – Ladies, avoid high salt and high fat foods for two to three days in advance of your shoot. Being bloated will sap your confidence and comfort in front of the camera. UNDERGARMENTS – Bra straps won’t do anything to help your outfit look its best. Be sure you bring a set of bras and strap-adjusting accessories to work with any outfit you want to shoot in to keep those straps well-hidden. SUN BURNS and TAN LINES – If your shoot is booked for Saturday, don’t go to the beach on Friday. If you plan to tan before your shoot, do so at least a week beforehand and don’t get burned. Be mindful of clothing tan lines, sunglass tan lines, hat tan lines, etc. IRONING – If you iron, iron the night before and then hang the clothes for your shoot. If you’re wearing something that wrinkles easily, don’t wear it in the car on the way to the shoot – just change at the location. SHOES – Ladies, can’t go wrong in heels or wedges. Men, clean them up! Dress shoes are best [or boots down here in Texas], but as with most things, let your momma or your wife decide. Here are some specific suggestions for certain types of shoots: CHILDREN Clean, clean, clean – clean nails, clean hair, wipe away eye boogers, clean feet (sandals on kids = black feet!), wipe snotty noses, fresh-scrub teeth. The cleaner the kid, the better their photos will turn out. If your child is still of napping age, make sure they nap before the shoot. It is perfectly okay to bring bribes to a photo shoot – given a stage and being the center of attention, it’s like our kids know exactly when to act their worst. Some cereal, smarties or other candy that won’t stain teeth can help a short photo shoot go by smoothly. Avoid colourful drinks or lollypops within 24 hours of your shoot, don’t let them eat or drink anything that will stain their face, teeth or mouths. Wardrobe – For girls, you can’t go wrong with cute dresses, rompers, and dainty hats or headbands. For boys, jeans and polos or a button-up shirt, or a T-shirt with a button-up over it can be very cute, as well as overalls on the right age and personality. For siblings, the children don’t have to match perfectly, just coordinate. You can’t go wrong with dark, rich monotones, which drive the attention in photos to sweet faces and darling expressions instead of loud prints or colours. If nothing else, pick a colour that compliments your child’s eye colour. FAMILIES Dad – Have a fresh shave or trim, and use a new razor with shaving cream and a moisturizing after-shave lotion to limit bumps and redness. Make sure nails are clean and trimmed. Wash your hands. Clean up your shoes. Moisturize and scrub away flaky facial skin (see above General advice). When you wash your face, pay attention to eye boogers and sleep crusties. For wardrobe, go for jeans or pants, tucked polo or dress shirt with a belt, or go casual with just a T-shirt or untucked polo, button-up short sleeve, etc. In general, whatever your wife tells you to wear. Again you don’t have to perfectly match the rest of the family, just wear something that coordinates. Mom – Women know what to wear, but in general, unless you are extremely thin you may want to wear something that covers your upper-arms. Long- or 3/4-sleeve tops are very flattering. If you wear jewelery, aim for subtlety, and be aware of it twisting or turning. Kids – Same advice as above, but again, everything needn’t match, simply coordinate with the parents’ outfits. If Dad’s in a T-shirt, don’t put the kids in dress shirts – make it make sense. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS The biggest tips for seniors are to have an even tan, don’t get sunburned, clean and freshly-paint those nails, and moisturize and scrub away dry skin. Bring a variety of outfits – cap and gown, something casual, something stylish, ladies slip a dress in there to throw folks off, fellas try a formal look to impress. Wear what you think you look best in, but take the opportunity to also try a new look, just to surprise folks. Bring props that recall your high school years – band instrument, sports gear like a volleyball or baseball bat, your beloved (or cursed) high school car, letter jacket, sunglasses. Most of all, rep your style, whatever that may be. Your senior photo should be unique to your life and personality.

Yes. It is absolutely worth printing your photos. When you display your photos, viewing them becomes an experience. In this modern era of the endless scroll, it’s easy to get our photos taken and post them on social media then wait for the likes to roll in. Then, in a few weeks - we’ve all but forgotten them. They get too far back in the phone’s gallery, and so we stop looking at the images that we spent our hard earned money and even more precious time creating. The Experience When they’re printed, photos are an ever-present reminder of what is important in our lives - with prints and albums, we can leave them on the coffee table, or hang them across from the couch. That way, when you sit down with a glass of wine or a warm cup of tea you can look at your photos and remember loved ones and special moments. Photos can turn a house into a home and bring back forgotten memories, and while digital images have a place - they’ll never completely replace the real thing. Technology is Imperfect (but then, so are prints) Nothing is safe, and everything can fail. All it might take is a big thunderstorm during storm season, your computer not on a surge protector, and suddenly your computer is fried and your images gone. Or a family member passing and not leaving their passwords and suddenly you don’t have access to the cloud storage anymore. Having your photos printed is an added level of protection. Yes, your house might burn down in a freak accident, but that’s why you should have your photos stored digitally AND printed. We buy house insurance because we want to protect ourselves from possible loss - printing our images is another form of insurance. For the Grandparents Many grandparents (my own included) are actively intimidated by technology. They don’t like computers, tablets, or smart phones and they don’t use social media so unless you print your photos, your Grandparents might never see them. Even if you simply choose to print your photos through Kmart or Big W (though I strongly recommend all clients print their images through professional print labs to ensure quality), having a photo that can be hung on the relatives’ fridge is far more meaningful than sending an email with a photo attached. And there you have it dear Reader, here are three reasons that I discuss with clients as to why it’s a fabulous idea to print your photos rather than just leaving them to the digital archive that you might never look at again.

WHY HAVE A PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT TAKEN. Trust me, a wedding is not the only day worthy of commemorating in gorgeous photographs. We grow up, we grow older — our faces and bodies change. How amazing would it feel to watch your journey through life in beautiful images! 3 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD TREAT YOURSELF FOR A PHOTOSHOOT 1. Confidence boost. We always think it’s a hair cut or a new dress that will raise our confidence… These are great options, but imagine the level of confidence boost when viewing gorgeous images of yourself! Having a portrait taken is an experience. During every photoshoot I see an incredible transformation: shy and slightly awkward at the beginning, proceeded by a rockstar attitude at the end of the photoshoot! You can take your experience to another level by getting pampered and glammed up by a professional makeup artist. 2. Let’s celebrate YOU! Professional photography is not only for celebrities and fashion models — it’s for anyone who wants to feel empowered and confident. You are worthy of being photographed; you are perfect right now. Did you know that you can instantly look 20 pounds lighter and 10 years younger with just correct posing? Celebrate *you* by treating yourself to a photoshoot experience. Is it your birthday, an anniversary, or a milestone of some kind? You are worthy and deserve to be celebrated. 3. Legacy. When was last time you were photographed? Do you exist in photos? Will your children find photographs of you when you’re gone? This is what we all do when someone passes away – we look for images of them. Have your portrait taken with your partner, children, parents. You never know what tomorrow will bring. “Why do I need a professional portrait taken with a high quality phone camera in my pocket?” First thing’s first – it’s not the camera, but a person behind it. A photographer is not only there to click a button, but to direct you to the most flattering poses, capture the perfect moment and complete this magic with a few editing tricks. Mobile images are great, though phones get broken or lost — it happens. Having your files backed up, or better, professionally printed will eliminate the pain of losing all of your memories, if the unexpected happens. What about you, why do you want to have a professional portrait taken? Get in touch and let’s plan your dream photoshoot!