4 DOs and DON’Ts when Choosing What To Wear for a Photo Shoot

May 12, 2016
Life , Parenthood , Style

When styling a photo shoot there are things you absolutely MUST consider when choosing what to wear for a photo shoot. If you’re paying for these pictures and you’re freezing and recording this moment in time, no matter how carefree you are in daily life, or no matter how little you care about fashion, you need to take note of these DOs and DONT’s. Coordinate without being corny, else risk endangering yourself for submission into one of those akward family photo sites.

photo from akwardfamilyphotos.com
You’ve been warned. Personally, I don’t mind a matchy matchy look for a mommy and me shoot if done well.. But I’d suggest avoiding any bright ideas of wearing the exact same outfit between your entire family. I.e. no all khaki’s and white shirts or all denim on denim.

photo from netjungle.com

While it may have been the trendy thing to do for family portraits back in the day, it looks very dated now.

Without taking matching that far, think about coordinating and complimenting outfits. Here is an example of a Valentine’s themed shoot that I styled which consisted of 2 girls and 1 boy. Notice how everything stays within the holiday theme and strictly within the color code of navy, red and white?

Each look could stand alone with enough interest or be matched up with any or all of the other models and fit right in. To help guide you, here are 4 Styling DOs and DONT’s when planning your next photo shoot outfit(s).

DO keep theme / purpose top of mind. This may seem obvious but most people lose sight of it when overwhelmed with the task of finding outfits for the entire family and while shuffling through their wardrobes. Never losing sight of the final objective and placement of the final photo should guide your every decision. Edit your styling decisions with this final idealized photo in mind. Is this for a Christmas card or other holiday card? If so, let that guide your color choices. Is this going to hang in a specific room? If so, you’ll want to make sure you don’t conflict with the decor already there.
DON’T be too trendy. Dying to show off your fashion-forward style? That’s fine and understandable. You wanna be you and stay true to your daily style. It is possible to do modern touches to classic looks. To stay confidently timeless though I’d suggest you veer more towards classic looks possibly with a tiny twist. Remember signature 80s fashion? You don’t want to cringe 20 years from now looking back on your fashion choices.
DONT wear logos, oversized labels or graphic quotes. Your husband may love the Knicks but now is not the time to advertise his utmost fandom to the world. Similarly, your dinosaur obsessed son who prefers playing at the playground in tees featuring his favorite animals should be veered away from making styling decisions come photo shoot. You want the focus to be on the people not the blaring letters, or oversized logos and cartooned characters.
DON’T Clash. I’ve said it before. Coordinate and compliment. Don’t have half the family wearing pastels and the other half in primary colors. Otherwise, the photo won’t have the professional polished feel that you are paying for.