A year ago our family was preparing for a holiday in Florida and I booked a much delayed family session with a photographer in Florida. In the run up to the holiday I had our wardrobe scattered on the floor to try and decide what outfits we were going to wear. 

I knew that I wanted one vintage inspired outfit and I wanted one whimsical yet classic outfit. So with my wardrobe on the floor and a number of shopping trips I finally settled on outfits. I had never thought that choosing clothes for a session would be this hard.

With that in mind I decided I would write a blog about choosing clothes for your session. I had in my head a way I was going to talk about it, it should be structured, I should talk about topics and share outfit choices. But reality is, I am not really sure what angle this will take. If I am honest I would say that choosing an outfit for a session is a very personal choice. From the days I started off photographing I have always said to my families to be true to yourself, wear the clothes that you feel comfortable in or something that represents your child. If your child is the boy who likes to be a superhero and run around in his pants and wellington boots, lets see if we can work with that character and then also do a few images of this little boy in a more formal outfit. 

For family photos, a big do not is to wear matching clothes. Instead put everyone in items of clothing that represents them but wear complimentary colours. So what colours compliment, what works well? I just had a child free week and at the weekend I was sitting out in the sun and looking through a pile of magazine that I have purchased and never had the time to read. Even looking in interior magazines you get a huge inspiration with regards to colours that go well together. What about subtle creamy tones with blue or a splash of bright colours. Or how about combining Blue, purple and yellow or for autumn go with rich autumn earthy colours. The colour red always stand out in a photo but again you don’t want every member of the family wearing red. 

I have a deep green sofa that I can take to the beach which would work perfect with a cream dreamy look or even with the denim and subtle earthy tones.

When we travelled to Orlando and had our family photos I wanted a retro / vintage location for my first part of the shoot and for the second part I wanted a green park location. When I picked our clothes I choose outfits with the idea of them fitting the setting we were going to get photographed in. So when you choose an outfit, consider the setting they are being photographed in.

Dreamy, vintage elegance and whimsical
Imagine white, cream, antique pin, lace, fabric that flow, ruffles, innocence, purity. The dreamy look works really well for girls and women.

The dreamy look works well in a multitude of locations both in studio and outside. It can be a trip to the woods, park, field or the beach. The little girl wearing that white dress will stand out regardless of where she is. She will be the centre of that image and you will be drawn to her.
For cold winter days, the classic grey coat is always lovely on little girls wearing a pretty classic dress and tights. 

The colours that spring to mind is white, cream, pale blue, red and brown. Pretty A-line dresses, shorts, collar blouses, braces, hats and bows. Why not put together an outfit of blue and red or brown and cream. Where all items of clothing has an element of vintage. For family of four it may be an idea to split mix and match colours to ensure you all balance each other out.

Brown and beige
Brown and beige is a nice and clean look and works well together with the dreamy, vintage and whimsical look as well as the bright autumn colours and the moody blues. The brown and Beige might in particular be a popular choice for little boys and men. For a vintage look you can go with little braces, shorts, shirts and add a six pence hat. On colder days, add a classic coat, a warm knitted cardigan matched with classic hat and scarf.

Bright Autumn colours
The bright autumn colours add vibrancy to a photo, think of the colours you see at autumn and the colour pallet available on the trees. You get combinations of yellow, orange, brown, red and green, on a rainy day these colours are set against a grey sky and on a sunny day, you will see these colours against blue. The autumn landscape is stunning and it will be equally as stunning to combine these colours on a family during a family shoot or why not mix and match colours on your children. 

The red coat is always having an impact on photos. Everyone looking at the image on the wall will be draw towards the red coat and then the person. Regardless of how nice the scenery is around that little girl, the red coat will be the one thing that helps frame a girl in the landscape.

Colour pallet
This is returning to the magazine I was mentioning earlier and how even looking at how a room is decorating you can pick out colour pallets that work nice together. Whether you want to go wild with colour or just match colours that are subtle but complement each other.

Moody blues
Mix and match the moody blues the dark demin with the light blue shirt and a cardigan. Mix it up with the dreamy, vintage and whimsical look finding a nice top or go with the brown and beige. Denim can be matched with most colours and work well in most location.

A rainy day
Rainy days can be fun days for photography whether it is summer time or autumn. Being out in the rain catching children get wet, holding a cute umbrella, jumping in puddles are all part of childhood and it is sweet to capture these images. Do you maybe have a bright raincoat with a cute hood… I do enjoy the outdoor lifestyle shoots where I watch the kids have fun. I once picked up my girl from nursery and she was wearing a pink tutu skirt and matching pink cardigan. I stopped at a local farm road and let her go out wearing her wellingtons and jump in muddy puddles. These are images the represents the innocence of childhood.

Childhood play
This title represent the category of the outfit that represent childhood play. It is outfits from companies like Me Too, Catimini, Matilda Jane Clothing, Alba*Baby and Katvig just to mention a few. These are brands that use bright colours, they might use retro patters or mix and match colours and patterns. It is clothes that represent childhood and has a fun element to them. They work well in photo session especially during studio portrait sessions.

Time for fun
When having a photo session it is ok to have some fun, let the children wear their favourite dress up outfit, take a long a football, a skateboard or just wearing their ballerina tutu and show me some dance moves. What about a trip in the woods dressed as a little fairy, or just having a tea party with the favourite teddy bear collection? Why not make a little tent and be an indian for a day or take a rocking horse into the woods with us. Do the fun session appeal but you want portrait photos, don’t worry as you can combine both.

Footwear
The footwear can help you set the outfit apart. Don’t be afraid to wear a dress with boots, or some high heel shoes with bright colours. Wear classical shoes for the classic image or for the bright and colourful look don’t be afraid to wear your red converse. Children can work most footwear, depending on the final look. Bear feet, sandals, dressy shoes, boots or even their wellingtons.

I hope you found this interesting read, maybe it helped you choose what to wear for your photo session or maybe it has inspired you to book a session to have some portraits done of your precious little angle or your family.

If you want to book a session and are interested in location shoots, please do get in touch to discuss.

As I go along I will work on adding photos to this blog and keep you up to date when I do.

Here is a couple of outfit images to get started on.