Christmas is just around the corner and this is the time for family portraits.
If you’re thinking about what to wear and feel totally lost, here’s some tips so your shoot doesn’t end up an awkward family photo.
–Think about what feeling you want to convey. Is it fall-ish, summer, do you want to be fancy or casual? Country or urban? I know I wanted a country feel with beautiful sunset light. I also had a quilt that I love and wanted to include a pop of color and a comfortable feel. Think about any props that you could include to add to the “feel’ you want for your shoot.
–Don’t be too “matchy matchy”. Gone are the days of matching white t-shirts and jeans. It’s okay to combine different colors and patterns.
When I was choosing our outfits, I started with the family member that has the least amount of clothing (my husband) and chose what I liked out of his clothing. Then I went to the boys’ wardrobe and picked out the shirts of theirs that I liked. I laid them all out on my bed next to each other and picked the ones that looked good together. After this was done I then chose my outfit, since I have the most options.
–Think about the color wheel and what colors compliment each other.
If they are across from each other, then they are complimentary. For example, blue and orange, which are the colors that I went with. Even if you have different patterns, like we did, if they are in the same color range, then it will look okay. Pinterest is your friend. Feel free to search color combos that appeal to you and go from there.
-Choose clothing with no logos or pictures on them. One year we didn’t plan ahead and threw on clothing and took a quick picture in the backyard. I tried carefully to choose shirts with no logos, but completely overlooked the fact that Jesse’s shirt had a Nike swoop on it. Thankfully my dear friend was able to use her mad editing skills to get rid of it, but it still bugs me to this day.
-Be comfortable. Not to throw all the above tips out the window, but this tip is the most important. I believe that if you’re comfortable, your pictures will be awesome regardless of what you’re wearing. Make sure your clothing allows you to move around. Be true to yourself & your style and it’ll show in the pictures.
My dear sweet friend, Courtney, captured our little family this year and I love her so much for doing it. She got the sweet & silly faces that my boys make and am thankful to have these shots to mark this time in our lives. It was an IDEAL family photo day and they turned out better than I could have ever imagined.
Have you ordered your Christmas cards yet? If not, Shutterfly offers some really cute ones. They also have other photo items that are perfect for gifts. Such as a photo mug for grandma, an iphone case for your husband, or even a puzzle for your favorite great grandma. The options are endless. They even have lots of tips on making your next shoot an ideal family portrait session.
And Shutterfly is allowing me to host a giveaway, so you can get some of their products for FREE!!
All you have to do is leave a comment telling me
“what your ideal family portrait session looks like”
and you could win a $50 code towards any Shutterfly products.
Giveaway details: This giveaway closes December 8th at 11:30pm PST and winner will be chosen at random.
For more chances to win a Shutterfly coupon code, check out:
The Girl With The Smile 