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“But Mom, I have nothing to wear! [for photos]” We hear this all the time, and so do moms, but don't worry, we have a plan for you... check out these 4 simple rules and tips to getting your wardrobe right.
[Excerpt from "Prepare for Your Perfect Portrait" available on Amazon]
Rule #1
Coordinate, don't "match." Thankfully it is no longer in vogue to “match” your tops and your bottoms so you look like you are in a uniform. Portraiture is about sharing your individual style and personality, while still looking like you belong as a family, so go ahead and wear all kinds of different combinations, but lay them out together in a grouping on the floor of the room where you’ll put the photo. Consider that no one set of clothing should stand out from the others, and that your faces need to pop, versus the clothing. Do this by coordinating “palettes” of color that intermix with one another, but NOT by doing all the same exact color.
Caution: by different "styles" I don't mean that one person can be dressed in a fancy dress and another in denim. Pick a style, from casual to formal, and stay within the same feeling. Decide as a family if you want to all look like you are going to church, or going to a barbeque, and then look for palettes that coordinate.
How to do this without being a professional stylist? Even if you hate shopping, here are some tips to help you pick out clothing choices that will work for your personality:
TIP #1! Use Pinterest as a guide, not the rule.
Pinterest is a social site that acts like your own personal cut-and-paste “bulletin board.” In the past to gather ideas for inspiration, you might have clipped ideas out of magazines, and taped them into a book or pinned them onto a bulletin board. There is now an internet version of the same method. “Pinterest” allows you to “pin” any photo that you find while roaming the net, and save it to an “interest board.” Categorizing different ideas this way, you find and gather all kinds of things that you can refer to later when you need them. Most users incorporate this idea for a) recipes they find and like, b) travel photos of places they are hoping to visit, c) fashion ideas, d) weight-loss ideas, e) makeup ideas, f) art inspiration, and g) for planning a portrait, to show your photographer ideas you found online that you like, and h) planning what to wear for your portrait. Caution: please don't treat Pinterest as ideas to simply copy, but as inspiration, and also follow the other rules in this chapter.
How Pinterest Works
If you are not computer savvy, save some time and have a friend who loves the internet help you with this, but in summary, it works like this: get a Pinterest.com account. Now create a category called “family photo ideas,” Google search “family photos,” find things that you like and “pin” them to the board. Now create a category called “family outfit ideas,” within your Pinterest account and Google search for “family photo fashion” or “casual clothing solid colors,” or “formal family outfits.” See what you can find, and pin things that you like from other people's pins. Now you have a reference gathered for when you go shopping, and you can hone in on just those things when browsing racks of clothes, and hopefully save yourself a lot of time in the store hunting for things that not only work with your color scheme, but will have the fashion and style that resonates with your different personalities.
At The Imagery we have already gathered Pinterest ideas for our clients, as well as PDFs of photos with clothing combo ideas, but it is impossible to come up with something that is all-inclusive. The options, especially when you don’t limit yourself to “matchy matchy” are limitless. We share Pinterest ideas from all over the internet, not just photos from our studio. The idea is to expand your typical thinking to beyond your everyday wardrobe, and help you to think in terms of what will look best together as a grouping for the finished photo.
TIP #2! Hire someone to plan your clothes for you.
If you are not technically savvy, or simply don’t have the time, you may want to consider investing in a professional wardrobe stylist to help you create a collection of ideas. This is not as intimidating as it may sound, and stylists are more accessible today with various options for anyone’s budget. A stylist will take you a step beyond the general information and tips that a photographer will supply. Stylists are pros and get to know your body type and your skin type, and help you select things that will work best specifically for you and your family. This can be invaluable if you struggle with your own wardrobe, much less getting everyone coordinated for a portrait that will last for generations, hanging on the wall. You can go as far as having them shop for you, or you can have them come to your closet and pick out clothes, or simply have them do a consult over the phone. We work with a stylist that gives our clients an exclusive discount for working with her. Your photographer might have the same offering, or do an internet search for “wardrobe stylists” in your area.
Rule #2
The old adages of, “Keep it simple,” and “Less is more,” apply in planning clothing for the family portrait. The expression on your face is the star of the show, not the clothes. Even though we say “layer and texture” for a photograph, you still want to keep things fairly simple where no one person might have been trying too hard and “over-dressed,” versus someone else in the group. Layers can flatter, but they can also add bulk if done in the wrong way. Look at the clothes in a full-length mirror. Does what you’re wearing widen your body anywhere? Are you leading your eye to an area that you want it to go, or drawing our attention down into the clothes rather up to your face?
Rule #3
Solids vs. plaids and stripes. However, do not “matchy match” (see rule #1), but keep to solid colors on each person. If you layer, and we often suggest that you do, you can add slightly darker or slightly lighter shades from the same color to add depth and interest, i.e., add a scarf, add a jacket or vest, place a tee underneath the sweater or shirt. Moms are usually better at this than dads, so be sure to pre-plan, and you might have to shop a little bit to add dad's "layers." You don’t want the body to flatten and widen, which can happen if you are wearing just one color and one layer.
“But Mom, this is so not ‘us’”
Rule #4
Make a clear decision on how you want to “be,” and get on the same page with everyone in your group. In other words, as I cautioned earlier, decide on casual vs. formal. Now that you’ve have a color scheme in mind that you love, are you going to show a playful side of your personalities or perhaps you want to have a setting where we show everyone at their most “stately” in a portrait—then make it consistent throughout everyone in the group. You achieve beautiful results either way. Portraits can be done with formal tuxedos on the men and ball gowns on the women, and the result is a timeless look that gives you an old-mansion traditional feel of the portraits done in stately homes of Europe since the dawn of portraiture. On the flip side, maybe it’s a fun portrait for your family room, and every time you look at it you want to smile and laugh seeing the casual interaction of your family. In that case, everyone in jeans and different tops (within the same color palette) would be more appropriate.
Caution! Don’t take this step lightly and just say, “casual,” or “formal.” If you want to do either, everyone in the family must be prepared to tell the same story and look and be completely on board as to how they will act in the photo session itself. Too often everyone is dressed in jeans, and then dad in khakis and a button-down shirt, and the dad doesn’t match the rest of the clan. Conversely, everyone is dressed formally, but one of the men doesn’t have a tuxedo, or doesn’t own a tie, and he is the only male in the photograph just in a dress shirt. Don’t let anyone in your family “stick out,” or they will always be drawing the focus of the viewer—and that member of the family will always hate you for putting that photo on the wall. Keep the peace. Plan accordingly, and rent a tux if you have to, or go and buy someone jeans and a casual shirt so he or she looks part of the family. The extra effort will be well worth it.
Rule #5
Have fun with it. If you aren't being YOU, and the photos don't look like YOU, then no matter how great the photos look, something will just not be 'quite right'. Get the input of everyone involved in the portrait... and if it is a HS Senior, make sure you have something the HS Senior wants to wear, and something the mom or dad wants them to wear, and bring them BOTH to the session. Keep the peace.
Order the complete tips book on Amazon: Click here to pre-order the complete book on Amazon
More tips: Pinterest Link for more ideas
More tips on Google+: What to wear for special interests