How to dress for your family or maternity session with Kelley Renee

Family Portraits

Feb 6

Whether you’re shooting your family session in our Richmond Hill Photography studio, or outdoors in the surrounding areas of Savannah, I’ve got some tips to help dress your entire family for success!

Moms

As a mom myself, the best piece of advice I can give you is to plan your outfit first! It’s then easier to coordinate everyone else's outfits around it. You want to make sure you're the most comfortable heading into this session since I’ll need your help with the kids!

Some of my favorite suggestions are below; mostly think about the areas you love the least and plan for it!

Maxi dresses, maxi skirts, etc. They are a perfect options for mothers because they're flowy, they cling in the right places, flow in the right place, and they create great texture within your images.
3/4 sleeves or long sleeves if you are self-conscious about your arms.
Shirts that are form fitting around the waist, but have a little bit of room in the tummy work for those that are self conscious of your stomach.
Layers! Layer a jean jacket or a sweater over a cute top! The added color and texture photographs great!
Style your hair naturally and comfortably! If it’s windy that day and you should maybe pin the front up a little so it’s not in your face.
Watch for bra or panty lines if you’re wearing a thinner material or silky top/dress.

Richmond Hill, Savannah, Fort Stewart, Brunswick Family Photographer

Dads

Keep it simple for the dad's, we know they don't want to be there anyways!

A casual shirt + jeans is perfect
A nicer polo or button up with khakis if you’d like a more formal look
No logos or graphic tees
No weird line patterns as that will cause a moire pattern in the camera and on the pictures
Something that moves well with younger kids so dad can hold them comfortably, and even toss them around for some candid shots!

Kids

Girls: Skirts + tops | maxi dresses | sandals - not flip flops
Boys: Casual shirt | jeans/khaki pants | casual shoes - not sneakers
Babies: keep it simple, especially if they can't walk. Yes, I understand there are some super cute outfits out there, but it doesn't do any good if it's bunched up around their face with their belly showing, you know what I mean? Big poofy dresses should be avoided as they do just that. One piece rompers are totally in right now, and I'm not talking about those plain cotton onesies, unless they're a newborn.

A few helpful tips!

Texture over patterns -

A good rule of thumb: choose one person to have the patterned outfit, and then pull solid colors from that for everyone else. This will tie in all the colors, and not make it seem too "busy."

Choosing your color palette -

What season is it? Where is your session location? What colors are furnishing your home with? Definitely think of how your portraits will look displayed throughout your home.

Avoid: bright/neon colors - they don't photograph well, and they create color casts on skin. As previously mentioned, busy patterns, logos, and also giant bows on babies.

Wear nice, but comfy, shoes -

You have kids, assume that you will be playing and chasing them throughout your session! Yes, we're aiming to get those classic family images, but my main goal is to capture images of you just being mom and dad with your babies - because there's nothing better than looking at a picture and just hearing your child's belly laugh.

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