Any family photographer will tell you.
"What should we wear?" is one of the BIGGEST questions we get asked.
Styling for family photos or Maternity photos is crucial in how the end result of your photos play out.
Certain colors give a color cast onto your skin or in glasses that can make your family photos not as amazing as you'd like.
Mismatched colors or patterns can also lessen your love for your family portrait gallery.
A couple weeks ago, I did a "What to Wear at the Beach" post
(you can read that HERE), so I thought since we have many beautiful state parks and preserves in our area, why not do one for the parks too!
In my styling guides that clients receive before their sessions I do go into greater detail AND access to a wonderful online service to help them out, but I will give you a couple of my TOP things to do for family photos or Maternity photos.
1) THINK OF YOUR BACKGROUND
The different parks around town have different looks and amount of plant life, water, all of it. Knowing the colors of the location your photos are will help you better choose the colors of outfits that coordinate! The same color but different tones can be beautiful but if the location has a lot of green, avoid having the whole family in the same shade of green or you will feel like you're blending into the background.
Often times, contrasting colors make for the best photos. Shades of reds or yellows pop with green backgrounds, or go for neutrals to keep an organic natural feel!
2) Mix it up
Gone are the days where everyone must match perfectly. Now we have realized that for a family of 4 or 5 everyone can be in different colors that look well together and photography beautifully (for larger groups sticking with 4 or so colors to mix and match keeps it cohesive, but allows for variety).
(of course there are exceptions to every rule...two little girls in matching white or cream dresses is always timeless like the image below. BUT mom and dad should be in khaki, off whites, champagne or other similar colors that are different than the girls, but complimentary)
3) DRESS MOM FIRST
As a mom I get it. We are rarely in front of the camera and we want to be sure we look our best. So, choose what mom will wear first, then coordinate everyone else around it. That way, you feel your best and will be happiest with your images.
