What to Wear?
Having a family photoshoot is important and something you will all treasure into the future, so it’s worth spending some time to consider what to wear. Deciding how to dress every family member so that the shots come together as a whole might seem quite daunting, but there is no need for it to be so. Just follow these few tips and you can rest assured that you will get great photographs you will be proud to hang on your walls.
Comfortable clothes but not too casual
You should choose comfortable outfits that will help you feel relaxed during the shoot and will add a natural feel to the photographs. This doesn’t mean that you should wear outfits that are too casual; ultimately you want to look your best, so semi-casual or smart casual styles tend to be the best choice. Don’t force people to wear what they don’t want to; if Grandad wishes to wear a suit and tie because that’s what he feels good wearing, then let him. If you want a formal family photoshoot with the men in suits and the girls in evening gowns, that’s fine too.
Keeping it simple
Sticking to a simple colour palette means that your photos will be harmonious. This doesn’t mean all dressing the same. Try to coordinate colours rather than match them.
Choosing your colour palette
Ideally, your colour palette will consist of up to four complementary colours. These will determine the overall feel of the photographs. Although your photoshoot will be in the studio, you might want to create a seasonal feel. For instance, for an autumnal feel, choose shades of orange, rust, brown and yellow; a spring colour palette might include blues, yellows, oranges and violets; for a natural feel chose a palette containing blues, beiges, and olive shades.
Combining neutral colours and accents
A combination of neutral colours with colour accents and highlights can add pop to your photos. For example, you might select beiges, ivory, and greys as the neutral colours highlighted by a primary colour such as red, blue or yellow. Don’t have everybody wearing the highlight colour; for instance, you could have the males in neutrals with highlights provided by colour splashes in the girls’ dresses. As long as the patterns aren’t too intense, combining colours with patterns can also be effective.
Highlight your special dress
You might wish to base your palette on a specific item of clothing, perhaps a special dress you have chosen for the photo session. Choose the other colours to help complement your dress.
Accessories
We love accessories as they can make a great prop which can add pop to the photographs, but don’t over-accessorise so that they become dominant.
Things to avoid
There are some things that are best avoided, in particular:
Avoid large logos, pictures, busy patterns and bold stripes; some patterns are fine as long as they aren’t too dominant.
Ideally you should try to avoid everybody wearing matching colours such as just blue jeans and white tops; similarly, don’t have everybody wearing exactly the same colour; such looks might have been popular in the past but today they are out-dated.
Avoid uncomfortable clothes. A family photoshoot should be a great deal of fun; stuffy uncomfortable clothes will make you look uncomfortable in the photographs. As we have said, semi-casual and smart casual tend to work best.
Don’t have everybody wearing trainers, in fact, avoid trainers altogether if possible.
Finally
Your family photoshoot will be fun for every member of your family, and everybody will want to look their best, so use these tips to help you choose your outfits and guarantee a fantastic day with fabulous photographs to hang on your walls.
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