One of my favorite (and sometimes most stressful) things in life is “What will I wear?” Years ago, I was so upset when my sister chose a bright plaid for our Christmas card photos. However, the more I have my eyes behind the camera, it is less about telling you not to wear a specific color but rather balancing your gallery.
My top three tips for picking outfits:
• Avoid large labels and designs on tops. This is about YOU, not the name brand.
• Be careful with black and navy. Heavy colors create heavy photos that make it hard to distinguish between different people.
• Aim for outfits that coordinate but diversify. Whether individuals, couples, or extended families, you want to bridge the gap between unique and uniform.
For seniors:
It’s just you, but sometimes that is more daunting. Your outfit shouldn’t distract but rather add to your personality. When seniors want multiple outfits, I tell them to pick a casual, fancy, personality, and basic. A casual outfit for girls means jeans and a fun top, or a sundress. Fancy would mean that banquet dress you’ve only worn once or the business attire of your career. A personality outfit is honestly whatever you want it to be. When I graduated, I wore a college sweatshirt and white jeans, but for some, it is their favorite top with bright patterns. Lastly, basic: A white top and blue jeans are always a winner, but anything that is neutral and solid frames the person for feature-focused shots. Sometimes the simplest outfits create the most stunning photographs. Boys tend to find fashion a bore and don’t want to change multiple times. Creating an outfit that shows personality can include the Birkenstocks that are worn every morning before sports practice. Boys honestly just need casual/personality and formal to create a perfect album ready for a resume and mom’s lock screen.
FOR Families:
Large groups are not about matching but rather coordinating. Neutrals create the most timeless photos. Instead of diversifying the family in bright colors, use texture and tones to define each family member. For example, in the fall, I love seeing the tall brown boots. For the wife’s tall boots, match a brown with the son’s polo. Maybe a husband has a waffle knit cream Henley shirt, and the baby girl has a lacy white dress. Neutrals don’t have to be boring. Blue jeans count as a neutral and often break up a boring outfit. Also, most of the time around Christmas card season, the leaves are changing, and the scenery (at least in Mississippi) is green. Girls, accessorize and style the outfit instead of just wearing it. For boys, look for high-quality materials, collars, buttons, pockets, etc.
Ultimately, photography is just a 2D image if you don’t feel anything. A somewhat simple outfit can bring so much to a photo if you allow the personalities to do the talking. So, what I tell my clients is: whatever feels like you and works with anything around you, wear it!
