beach girl What to wear to a family photo shoot?

Coordinate but don’t match and don’t be scared of colour; but don’t all wear all the same colour.  Coordinate colours and looks and avoid matching outfits.  The secret is to have coordinating colours that compliment each other and the location of the shoot.  Examples to avoid where possible are greens in parks and gardens, and blues in a beach side location.

Rock star.  It can help to have one “rock star” in the photos who carries a pattern or bold colour in their outfit that the rest of the group’s clothing or accessories pulls from, while keeping everyone else’s outfits more simple.

Let children have input to what they are going to wear.  Children who help dress themselves will not only be much happier campers during the session, but you’ll let their own beautiful personalities shine through.

For wide open locations it helps to have some movement and flow in clothing and accessories.  Children are fond of jumping, dancing and being wild.  Nothing better than a twirly, whirly dress to accentuate all that beautiful movement and childhood innocence.  Something as simple as a scarf trailing behind or a playful super hero cape can be fun for the boys.

Layers and textures are beautiful and create interest in photos.  Also, having different layers of clothing and accessories can add another dimension to the overall texture of the image.

Don’t worry about bringing too many clothes, as long as you bring a variety.

Accessorise with scarves, hats, flowers in the hair for girls, jewellery, etc.  Complimenting accessories add to the image.

Think about subtle props that blend with the vibe of the session as well, but keep them simple and meaningful.

Things to avoid include any clothes with logos, graphics, characters, labels, etc.  These tend to draw attention from the subject.

Hats as they can cast shadows on your face.

Clothes that show stains or wrinkle easily.

Bright white socks and trainers unless we’re talking about something simple like Converse or Vans.

…and finally, no sunglasses.