Looking Your Best

The goal of any fine arts portrait is to direct the viewer’s eye to the subject’s face. All other elements should be secondary. Not sure what to wear during your family portrait session? It’s a lot to consider – after all, these prints will hang on the walls of your home forever. Here are 5 tips to help you and your family look your best!

• Be Timeless
  Clothing can easily date your portrait. For that reason we often suggest simple clothing with a timeless cut and style. Long-sleeves work best for most portraits, taking attention away from the arms and keeping it on the faces and expressions. Jeans can be timeless and casual. Darker clothing recedes in the image and can appear slimming.

• Coordinate
  Family portraits are an occasion to look your best. Try getting everyone to wear variations on the same color or a similar style of clothing for a cohesive look. It looks great when everyone’s clothing works well together. The emphasis then becomes the relationships and faces of those in the portrait, not the clothing you’re wearing.

  Bold patterns and bright colors can detract from a portrait but if it’s your style you may want to consider pairing bold patterns with solids.

• Accessorize
  Scarves, hats, bows, bow ties…they can all add a little ‘fun’ to your timeless style. Accessories are also a great way to coordinate looks, and props can help express your family’s unique personality.

  How about showing off your hobbies and interests? If your family enjoys playing music together, bring your instruments to your session. Bring items that represent who each individual is AND who your family is collectively. If it’s your family’s ‘thing’, we can find a way to work it in.

• Layering
  Layers will not only provide more visual interest in your photos but they will also allow a lot more variety in your shots and poses. Layering also lets you easily and quickly vary your look: simply add a sweater, jacket or hat and you have an entirely different look.

• Comfort Counts
  Our goal is to capture your family as they are NOW. We get it: kids will be kids! They run, skip, dance and jump around during photo sessions -- to expect (or want) them to behave any differently would be a disaster! Choose clothing they love to wear and that accentuates their natural energy: skirts, hats, scarves, or knit sweaters allow for natural movement. If your child wears a pair of rain boots everywhere he/she goes, let him/her wear them for pictures as well. The same goes for adults. Wear clothing that YOU feel
  good in and your pictures will emanate those feelings.