How to Coordinate Portrait Attire

When preparing for your family portrait session, deciding on what to wear can be very overwhelming. It may be easier just tell everyone to wear a white top and jeans and be done with it! But gone are the days of matching family portraits! Instead, we encourage you to coordinate your attire with two or three coordinating colors.  Take a look at the pictures of the sweet McKinney family we recently had the pleasure of photographing. They did an awesome job coordinating, and it shows in their portraits. Here are some general tips to help guide you through choosing your outfits for your next family portrait session: 

General Tips:

• Bring a few different accessory options that would bring a pop of color or texture (examples: tie, handkerchief, scarf, hat, vest, etc.)
• Wear a top with at least 3/4 sleeves (even if you have great guns, bare arms rarely looks flattering)
• Be careful when wearing stripes! They can be visually distracting and unflattering to the figure. 
• Coordinate two to three colors that work well together, keeping in mind the location of where your portrait will be displayed. For example, if your wall portraiture will be hanging in a living room adorned in neutral, light colors, you may want your attire to also include light colors, complementing the living area.
• Avoid all white or all black clothing.
• Shoes are super important! Tennis shoes are distracting; choose clean, well-polished shoes.
• No logos or graphics, please

Getting Started! 

• Once you've decided where you want your portrait to hang and what colors would look best in that location, start with one person, such as Mom and build outfit choices based on her attire.
• Stick to one outfit per person! If you want to add to your overall look mid session, bring a hat, scarf, vest, different shoes, etc. It will be a quick change. Doing so will add a new pop of color or texture and can dramatically change the look of the portrait! 
• Choose two to three colors to coordinate between family members. For example: tan, olive green and denims would be a good lighter, softer tone. Dark Green, navy and burgundy for darker tones. 
• Limit patterns. You can definitely throw in a patterned dress that has all of your colors in it but try to have only one loud pattern mixed with solids or subtle patterns.
• When preparing for your Photography By Misty portrait session, lay your clothing choices out on a bed to see how well it goes together, take a pic and send to Photography By Misty (Jenny@PhotographyByMisty.com or Misty@PhotographyByMisty.com) for approval and advice!