Gearing up for Family.

It's that time again! Family Portrait time! I know so many of you go in for portraits, or take advantage of being with family on Thanksgiving to knock out your Holiday Images.

Everyone always asks.... What do I wear!

Well... lets talk about what NOT to Wear first......

 Gone are the days of "matching" everyone in the same outfit... it didn't really look good then... and it would be the last "retro" style I would suggest today! This particular example provided by http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/ Also shows a PRIME example of why stripes...  thick distracting patterns in general in an overwhelming amount are a poor choice.

Plus, because two great points are not enough.... lets talk about the color choice! Red... in particular the bright red like this image... BAD. Red close to your face brings out every red blemish and cheek there is, even if your skin tone isn't normally reddish, it will be if you wear it because (as you know, if your a regular reader here) colors reflect light and impact your subject... so if your reflecting red light around the things that it is closest to is going to absorb it... and that means your face picks up that red tone.

So what's a current stylish way to pull of Stripes? Or do something colorful... or even "match" Take a look at this sample I found from Brenda Landrum.... this is a PERFECT amount of color, patten.

By combining neutrals, and adding in pops of color or pattern everyone gets to showcase their personal style in a casual comfortable way... while still matching as you do different combinations during your session.


VERTE TIP: Never buy clothes for a photography session that you wouldn't wear everyday. If you don't normally wear "Sunday best" you wont look good in it for your portraits. It's ok to highlight a personal style... so if your daughter is a little more Rock and Roll, and your a little more Country... its OK! Opposites work! Just toss in something you can both live with, like a good ol'pair of jeans then she can have her leather, or skull shirt and you can be a little more reserved ... and it totally WORKS!

Plus it makes an amazing portrait because it's uniquely YOURS.