Sound familiar? You’ve decided you’re going to book that photographer you love and finally get some dang photos taken, come hell or high water! And then you open your closet door and that resolve dissipates entirely. I would love to tell you that it doesn’t matter, that you should all throw on t-shirts & sweatpants and leave the stress behind. Unfortunately, that is not what this blog post is about. This post is all about how styling can literally make or break a session.
I recently had a family photo session in Telluride, and they came so perfectly styled, my jaw dropped. I knew the photos would be stunning and man was I right! You don’t need professional hair & makeup, you don’t need to spend hundred on clothes, but you do need to pay attention to a few key elements!
The stunning Telluride family in question.
Hi, I’m Stacy London and this is…. (anybody?) Anyway…there are a few things that are pretty much a hard no in my book and it’s probably not what you think.
Unahppy kiddo to drive the point home, however he was perfectly styled & comfy here!
Pick a few colors for your color scheme and select clothing based on those colors. This method allows for more creativity and individuality. Mom may want to choose what she is wearing first and ask the rest of the group to coordinate around those colors. It’s also important to consider the theme. Are these Christmas card photos? Fall portraits? Wildflower minis?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but long, flowy dresses & skirts almost every single time photograph better than pants do ladies.
Neutrals always photograph beautifully. I am also partial to picking a statement color & working around that. I recently had a friend take my own family portraits in Ouray, Colorado (shoutout Sarah Hall Photography) and I picked out a gorgeous rust orange velvet dress and matched everyone around that. Since the orange was pretty loud, my husband & son wore neutral earth tones to compliment it. Our color palette ended up being rust orange, sage green, forest green, cream & khaki. Different shades of the same color usually look amazing together!
Mixing textures helps create visual interest, and bringing a few outer layer options can help create a few different looks. Hats make great accessories!
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