Great! You booked your session! Now comes the stressful, errrrr, I mean, FUN part … planning on what to wear! What I’ve learned after years in this business is that for most of my clients, the utter thought of selecting — and even worse, coordinating clothing for multiple people (**insert gasp here**) — is enough to break a sweat on even the calmest of people. Here are my go-to tips to help you pick the perfect pinafore!
1. BRITTNEY KLUSE FLICKR. I highly suggest browsing the BRITTNEY KLUSE FLICKR GALLERY to get ideas of what my other clients have worn in their photo shoots. Sometimes seeing a particular color, or coordinating theme can help light some inspiration with you! https://www.flickr.com/photos/brittneykluse/
2. Call in reinforcements: the 2Ps. Take advantage of the fact MANY people out there have already done this work FOR you! Turn to Pinterest and Polyvore! In Pinterest you can use search terms like “what to wear” or “senior photo inspiration” and come up with great ideas of what other people have put together! Polyvore allows you to “build your custom look” by using generic search terms “navy cardigan” or “orange skinny jeans” and showing you a plethora of options to pick and pin from!
3. Nix the uniforms. I call this matchy-matchy and, and a little “2001”. Maybe style gurus will bring it back again in 2021, since fashion usually goes full-circle every 20 years. But until then, matchy-matchy is a no-no. Coordinating however, is a yes-yes! So how do you coordinate without matching? Start by choosing a color group or category. Adobe Kuler is a GREAT resource I use for working with clients to give them some color inspiration. Examples color groups would be: pastels, deep colors, primary colors, earth tones, etc.
4. Avoid loud patterns and graphics. I’m not an anti-patternite. I just prefer clients not choose clothing that draws attention away from their face. After all, the whole reason you’re spending the money on portraits is so that your Facebook peeps can adore your pretty mug, right? I do love using patterns when they are used in the right way! A trendy chevron pattern on a headband, or a mod clover pattern on a senior girl’s skirt. A giant FUBU logo across the chest of their clothing? Thanks, but NO thanks.
5. Accessoriessss?? Yes, pleaseeee! There’s a fine line between adding a splash of color to your outfit and drawing attention to it. For example, if a woman chooses a long, sleek, black sundress – then a wide, red belt is great. A diamond encrusted Buddha-face belt, not so much! For up-close face shots, I like funky, big earrings that add a lot of texture and really add dimension the bokeh of the photo for a tight face shot!
Hats? It’s hard to make a blanket statement about hats. I’ve never once felt like a ball cap enhanced a portrait but, then again, I’ve never done a team picture for the Yankees. I have at times thought that certain portraits’ styles were enhanced by a large-brim hat or fedora because these hats give us insight into the person and their style, rather than giving the impression the wearer simply forgot to comb their hair.
6. Dress for your body, not what the mannequin was wearing! Be comfortable, and when I say “comfortable” I am most definitely not referring to sweat pants! I mean don’t wear something that you will constantly be adjusting (such as a shirt that shows bra straps if not perfectly placed) or doesn’t fit well (like the pair of pants that almost fits perfectly, sans the fact they have to be adjusted after each step to avoid a wedgie). Portrait time is the time to break out the Spanx and iron that shirt! Whatever it might be that you want to “enhance” or smooth out, definitely try to do that with your clothing and your posture. Don’t rely on Photoshop to do it for you.
7. Finally, some DO’s and DON’Ts :
- Do pick clothes that you are comfortable in,
- Do try on ALL the clothes before coming to a photo shoot. Nothing like finding out something doesn’t fit at the shoot.
- Do remember that you want contrast.
- Do have a bright light on when picking out clothes for the photo shoot.
- Don’t worry about bringing too many clothes, as long as you bring a variety.
- Don’t worry if you don’t like something, you can always go onto the next wardrobe.
- Don’t forget to put a fresh coat on your nails – chips will show in the photos!
- Don’t bring clothes that show stains or wrinkle easily.
SESSION SPECIFICS:
Seniors
Let’s get stylish! I love, love, love layers and accessories! Layers and texture (scarves, belts, hats, big earrings, funky shoes, bangle bracelets, headbands, etc), add to the dimension of your images as well as add a fashion flair.
Newborn
In my opinion, babies look best in their own skin! Yup, that means absolute perfection when they wear nothing at all! I have several fun hats and blankets to choose from, but you are welcome to bring your own if you wish. I encourage Moms and Dads to come in black tanks or tee shirts work well to create the perfect “backdrop” when holding your little one!
Individual Children
I love outfits that express children’s personalities. A wildly-patterned pair of cargo pants and hipster tee. Her funky hot pink tutu and cowboy boots. His “superhero” cape. Individual shots give your child a chance to show his or her personality through fashion like no other.
Siblings
Wardrobe choices for sibling shots, like those for family, should be complementary, but far from “a matching uniform.” A tried and true formula for a boy/girl sibling duo includes a patterned shirt or dress for the girl, with the boy in a solid shirt pulled from that pattern.
Couples / Families
In general, for families, I suggest that you pick one basic color and then have the family build around the one basic color in similar tones and patterns. Whatever you do, don’t all match exactly … we don’t do this in real life so why do this for your family portraits! A great tip is to Google “What to wear Wednesdays” then select Images at the top of the page (or click HERE). Photographers from all over know this “term” and submit their ideas for great looking outfits!
Where to shop
Local:BriaBella Boutique, Macys, TJ Maxx, Apricot Lane, Pipsqueaks, Vanity, Maurices,
Online: (boutique style clothing for teens and kids)
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com
http://www.chasing-fireflies.com/
http://www.pumpkinpatchusa.com/
http://www.littlelunablue.com/
