Having your family portrait taken is a big thing. For one, when done properly, it can be a bit of an investment, but mostly because you are going to be looking at this portrait hanging in your home for years! You really want it to stand the test of time and not date within a couple of years. This is why it so important to consult your photographer on what to wear because they have an eye for detail and are experienced when it comes to coordinating clothes to reflect your personality and style, while making sure your portrait will be enjoyed for years to come.
So why should you do that?
You see, your photographer will know what to look for to compliment you and your home, as well see what is distracting to make sure you avoid that.
They will guide you to wear clothing that suits the style of your home, your personalities and the location you will be photographed in - whether it be the beach, a park or your home.
Your photographer may come to your home, layout what you intend on wearing and will most likely swap items around that will work better, or remove items that will take away from your portrait. They have an eye for detail to make sure everything is perfect.
Here are some great tips that I suggest when planning what to wear in your family portrait:
1. Start with choosing your style -casual, neat-casual, formal, etc.
2. Decide the colour palette you want - earthy tones, blue tones, pink tones or something else, then stick with a colour palette that is complimentary. (Keep in mind, the style and colours of your home)
3. On your bed, layout what each family member will wear so you can see an overall view of the outfits together.
4. Ask yourself “Does anything look out of place or catches your eye and doesn’t work?” If so, change that to another item until it looks good.
Things to avoid:
1. Bold stripes or patterns - they can be very distracting and dates quickly.
2. Having one person look completely different to everyone else (i.e. an extreme example would be that everyone is in blue, black and grey tones but one person is in yellow), that yellow will draw your eye to them every time in an unpleasant way.
3. Everyone wearing exactly the same colour. By doing this, you loose the individual personalities of everyone in your portrait (plus it looks a little kitsch) :)
You will find examples on my Pinterest page of complimentary colour pallettes, clothing suggestions and patterns that work: https://www.pinterest.com.au/teageapea/coordinating-clothes/
What did you think? Were these tips helpful? Let me know in the comments below!