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

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.

what to wear on a photo shoot, styling a family photo shoot

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.

netjungle.com

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?

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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).

  1. 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.
  2. 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.  akward family photos
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

Read on for the shoots that I styled with Danny Weiss and also for Molly Magnuson! Here for more inspiration!

And follow me @fabgabblog on Instagram for outfits of the day, fashion flatlays and daily fashion inspiration!

Petite Parade Kids Fashion Week Spring 2015 NYC

  • NYFW

Nothing gets me as excited as Fashion Week in NYC.  Forget my birthday, forget Christmas and the rest of the holidays – it’s Fashion Week that I look forward to.  And as a mom with a 19 month old toddler, Petite Parade and their Kids Fashion Week really speaks to me.  What could be more exciting than babies and minifashionistas showcasing the latest fashions?   It’s like regular fashion week only wayyyyy cuter and without the attitude.

 

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I like to be cheesy and dress a little matchy matchy with my mini-me sometimes.  Okay so maybe a lot.  Forgive me.  It’s pure girly fun.  For the first day of Petite Parade, I went with little black dresses for the both of us topped off with some fall fur.  My husband was worried that I might get cold without a true coat on but I knew that chasing after a toddler would more likely have me sweating than shivering.  I was right.  My Calvin Klein short sleeved dress was the perfect balance to my new fur and quilted leather vest.  Thanks to Scout in the City, another mommy blogger for shooting the below candid of us.

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Who knew that I’d end up getting GoGo SqueeZ all over my fur before the end of the night.  Thanks a lot for the SqeeZ, baby J.  You left me feeling both fashionable AND fruity.  This is her I’m guilty look.

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minifashionista at ny fashion week

As you can see, I’m still smiling ear to ear despite having been squirted with baby food.  And that’s because my minifashionista, Juliet had just walked the runway.  No she wasn’t a hired model.  And no I promise I did not put her up to it.  All I did was let her roam the row knowing that it was best for this social butterfly to walk around saying hi to her fashionable peers than to try and restrain her on the wobbly director’s’ chair for the 30 minutes before the shows began.  Here she is making some fab new friends.

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People always ask me how I get Juliet to keep all her accessories on.  (My girl is always accessorized to the max…just check her out on my Instagram account @FabGabBlog!)  It’s not like I trained her or anything…the 19 month old just loves her purses, jewelry and hair pieces.  The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.  Besides.  Would YOU ever let go of such a fab purse???!

Then she gave me this mischievous look.

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And she was OFF!  Off to the runway that is! My little diva thought that was where she BELONGED.  And before you know it she was strutting her stuff in front of 100 people, sashaying and shantaying like nobody’s business!

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 My mouth dropped and I stood still – in awe.  I could overhear people in the front row remarking how she is still clutching her Chanel like she was Carrie Bradshaw.  And then she stopped and posed for pictures at the end of the runway like a true model should.  IMG_0834 IMG_0836

At about this point, I had caught up to her and was about to whisk her away but the photographers stopped me and demanded I let her do her thang.  So I did.  And to my utter shock, she modeled her outfit up and down the runway, straight down the middle with a casual, over-the-shoulder look thrown in every once in a while.

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Juliet loved her 15 minutes of fame! But then there did come the time when enough was enough.  (Really? J?  10 x up and down the runway isn’t enough for you??)IMG_3627

And so there goes, Juliet’s first runway debut.  Petite Parade, I’m sure you’ve never had such a petite model but if you ever need one, you know where to find us!

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More reviews and outfit posts from Kids Fashion Week, Petite Parade Spring 2015 coming up soon!  Til then, you can see all my runway videos on Instagram @FabGabBlog.

Thanks for reading!

 

Click here for my baby Juliet’s first fashion show experience when she was just 7 months old and yes, again wearing fur…

 

 

 

 

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