“Clothing can make or break the shot.”
Tamara Lackey.

When you are getting ready for a black tie event - the rules of clothing are simple and clear cut: black stylish designer gown, suite and a tie for your hubby. Parents night out? A little black dress (or better yet - a striking red one!), sleek looking shirt. Getting ready for a stroll in a park with your family? No brainer: comfy jeans and a sweatshirt. Family dinner? Flowery dress for you and your dearest is pulling a striped polo, sweater with lozenges from a closet. Kids can pick up their favorite graphic shirts - common, that’s who they are, grandma will understand.

And now comes the photo session: which one? All of the above? A mish-mash combination? And what about the kids?!

Actual answer is: none of the above. I love designer dresses, comfy jeans, and my kids’ closet is filled with colorful graphic shirts. When it is time for photographs, my closet simply would not work.

Before I totally freak you out, let me assure you in 3 things:

1. It is not that complicated!
2. I am here to help you at every step. Yep.
3. If you finish reading this and still unsure, feel free to give me a call me, text me, email me, send me a snapshot and I’ll be thrilled to give you a hand. Still not sure? Bring it all. Lay it out on a sofa and we’ll sort through together before the beginning of the session. Things that would not work as well, we don’t have to photograph. Things that you don’t bring, I can’t photograph.

Are we good? Then we can jump right into the basics, and once you are done, feel free to review our Pinterest Clothing Guide for inspiration!
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Quick and Easy Dressing Dos and Don’ts

These are some good things to keep in mind as you are putting together your family’s outfits. In the end, if certain colors/patterns/clothes attract you despite all these precautions, bring it on! If it is special for you, true to your personality, I’ll find a way to make it look good in a shot.
 

5 Quick DOs: DreamComeTruePhoto - Dad and his sons : two adorable boys.Here it was the boy's closet that created the inspiration for clothing of the whole family: both boys and a dad had wonderful solid and textured items in a blue-grey color scheme that complements their neutral home color scheme very nicely.

1. You can pick as many outfits, changes of clothing as you like.
2. Find things that you love, make you feel good, stylish, fun - whatever the feeling you'd like to portray. Feel free to go shopping - it is fun; you can even return it later. No need to cut the tags - we'll hide them in pictures.
3. Please stick to one color scheme - clothes can be as much fun as you'd like, but it is YOU guys that are the most important. Contrasting colors distract from faces. Feel free to pick brights, fun, anything that suits you and your family, but stick to one color tone for a more homogeneous family look. Vary the TEXTURES, not colors.
4. Get layers - t-shirt, shirt over it (as an option), tanktop underneath, sweater... more variation - Use the colors in your home for inspiration! Thinking of spaces where your artwork can be displayed in your home can help you integrate your clothes style and color scheme with your favorite interior design decisions.
5. Keep it simple!  You want to enjoy looking at these clothes 10-15 years down the road.

2 Easy DON’Ts:

1. Please skip patterns, stripes, letters and trends. Stripes and patterns create optical illusions. Logos and letters are really-really distracting. Minute trends date the images. I’d like to create images for you that are as pleasing to the eye in 10-20-50 years from now. Timeless. Emotional. Touching.
2. When it comes to colors, avoid extremes: too bright, too white, too dark. Anything lighter then your skin color, or just very bright, or too contrasty - distracts from the face. And blacks are easy to lose detail. Again, these images should be about you.

DreamComeTruePhoto: Family Photograph in light/white colors incorporatedThis family wanted a white color scheme to match their home decor. Off whites, to be exact. Honestly, the only piece of clothing that really stands out - is the shirt, that turned out tooooo white. Otherwise, their clothing blends with the background and makes their beautiful faces, their love for each other stand out.

Got the basics, let’s get some specifics:

DreamComeTruePhoto - Mom and a newborn baby family photographWe chose a wrap for mom in her favorite color and the is already wearing his most adorable outfit! Dressing for your Newborn Session

• This little guy (or gal) is the easiest: newborns look so precious when they are naked, and so lost in the clothes, that their wardrobe doesn’t need any fuss.
• Based on our Pre-Consultation discussion and the answers to your Questionnaire, I’ll bring everything the little one needs, you can just relax and enjoy.
• On the day of the shoot dress your baby into loose fitting clothes to avoid clothes lines on the body.
• I do believe that less is more when it comes to such little precious darlings, as your little one. Yet if you have some super special accessory that you would like to incorporate - a headband you just fell in love with, a tutu skirt that melts your heart, a hat that grandma knitted just for him - I’ll definitely find a way to incorporate it into a shoot.
• Mom: don’t worry about extra weight and the lack of sleep! We’ll wrap Mom in some fabrics for extra special shots with your baby. As for your own clothes - non-baggy solid/neutral color tops with sleeves will make you look slimmer. For everything else - there is posing, lighting, and in the worst case scenario - Photoshop.
• Dad: bare chest images make dads look super close with their new babies. For everything else there is… no, not Photoshop this time: please pick soft colored tops with no buttons, not to scratch the baby when you hold him so closet!

 

 

Dressing your Kid or Senior

• If you have a toddler, then please Check out Dressing your Newborn section. All of this still applies.
• Certain clothes look terrific on babies: jeans, corduroy pants, knitted dresses, tutu-skirts, overalls, sweaters. Same principle: less color variations, more texture.
• Hats, hats, hats! Hats look great on babies, dads, moms, sisters - they really add character. Love hats.

DreamComeTruePhoto - Laughing Boy in a hatWhile I am not a big fan of the bright white color of his tee, the hat and the tie add the image a fun glimpse of his personality.

Dressing the whole family DreamComeTruePhoto - Family with a dog PhotographWhile usually plaid, stripes would be usually very destructing, on the all inclusive family picture they can help coordinate everyone's colors.

You’ve got quite a job to do! Common, it is fun: now you have a legal excuse to hit those stores - yes, you can return it later, and yes - we are creating timeless pieces.

• First, look through Dressing Do’s and Don'ts again.
• Now, Do’s and Don’ts are actually easier and more lenient for families: while logos, trends, letters are still distracting, stripes and patterns can suddenly offer a much needed variation or bring other family member’s colors together!
• Keep everyone in the same/similar color scheme: one daughter in purple dress among grey-sweater brothers can look like she doesn’t belong… add a purple scarf to mom’s grey dress and a purple shirt sticking out from older brother’s sweater - and it all comes together very nicely. You don’t have to (and shouldn’t, if it is not yours!) limit yourselves to a single color, but limiting their numbers and avoiding contrasts make the group look related, creates a connection.
• Avoid matchy-matchy - all the same clothes often make people look like orphans on a stroll. Despite all my reasoning still wish to hit the whites as a “safe choice”? Substitute the white shirts for everyone for a some textured dresses, sweaters, scarves… and, of course, now a shirt would be a great option for one or two family members. Variation helps everyone preserve their individuality.

Best tip: how do you know it goes together well?

Lay it out everyone’s outfits on the sofa, squint and let them blur together. Do they all mesh together? Or does one or two pieces strikingly stands out, as a bright orange pumpkin the middle of a green grassy field? Neon green skirt (one of my favorite colors, really!) among soft and sweet olive counterparts?

You changed things around and the top you really would love to wear still jumps out at you? Please, wear it.  Yep, absolutely! Just... throw a scarf or cardigan on top to blend it to everyone else’s look and try to add a dash of this color to someone else in your family - a ribbon in your daughter’s hair? A scarf or a vest for your son that will also cover those graphics?

DreamComeTruePhoto: Photoshoot Preparation - cloth coordinating, tealThis collection is built around mom's dress it is a shame not to! Knit texture, monochromatic color scheme, little splurs of color to help incorporate other family member's closet favorites.

Review more clothing ideas on our Pinterest Board!

That’s it! Really!

Here are some samples of color combinations that I've created:

DreamComeTruePhoto: Photoshoot Preparation - cloth coordinating, blue

Still stumbled? Time to give me a call: 732 595-2121.