Guys I LOVE styling! In another life I think I would have been a stylist. But since I only have this life, I will stick to teaching my clients a little bit about how to style yourself and your families for classic and timeless family photos EVERY TIME.
Below I have included just a few of my favorite styling tips that will help you (and your photographer) achieve those truly timeless images that you're craving!
1- Wear Solid Colors:
Maybe your favorite shirt is a bright pink chevron pattern, or a crazy awesome pineapple print- but it might be a good idea to leave that one home for a photoshoot. While these patterns are fun in person, oftentimes they tend to look busy in photographs. Sticking to solid colors helps someone looking at your photographs to focus on you instead of the pattern on your pants.
(Pro secret- this is one of the reasons black and white photos often seem more timeless- because too many colors and patterns distract from the subject, while one or two- aka black and white, and varying shades of grey, look more clean)
Another thing to note with color choice is skin tone. If you want to learn more about dressing for your skin tone, or learn what that even is, this article has some great tips!
2- Stick to One Pattern:
If you can’t part with that amazing print or pattern- make sure that the rest of your wardrobe stays more calm with solids. While one print can accent personality and individual style, too many just look busy and jumbled and take the attention off the subject. This is an especially important one to keep in mind for couples and families, or photoshoots with multiple people. Make sure that between the group there are not too many patterns, or that the patterns chosen by individuals will work well together in camera.
3- Mix and Blend:
That being said about patterns, another classic mistake is dressing the whole group exactly alike. unless it's small, matching outfits exactly just look tacky. Sorry, I said it. But it's true! Being too matchy-matchy is NOT natural, and everyone knows it! So if you're working with a large group, let family members mix and match with what they already own. Maybe your color scheme is blue, tan and white- don't make all the girls wear white shirts and all the boys wear blue. A little bit of diversity looks A LOT more natural, and doesn't look like you're trying too hard.
(Another pro tip- if you are using a color scheme, keep it simple-again, too many colors detract from the subjects, so I usually suggest going with one color choice, maybe two, and a couple of neutrals to keep things interesting.)
4-Neutrals:
I am a bit of a minimalist in style, so this could just be me- but classic neutral colors are a sure bet for style when it comes to photography. Not only do a mix of neutrals work well together, they also help to make your photos more clean (If you matched your living room furniture around that green shirt from your family photos and now you want to remodel- I'm talking to you!) This has the same affect as avoiding too many patterns by focusing the viewer away from the minutia and onto the subject of the photo. There's also a better chance that your outfits won't clash with the location you chose.
Just think, 50 years from now would your rather have your grandchildren commenting on how crazy the styles were back in your day, or how beautiful/handsome you were? Where do you want the focus to be?
5-Keep it Simple (Hair and Makeup Styles):
We all want to look our best for a photoshoot, but sometimes we go over the top- getting a drastic hair cut or really changing up our makeup, for women. While the intent is to feel good and fresh, this can often backfire because people don’t feel like themselves and therefore hate the way they look in their photos. I remember at one point in my life I was doing a little bit of modeling and we were doing a shoot for a hat company. A stylist came in and put so much makeup on my face that I felt like a cupcake. While all of the images turned out great, I still, to this day, hate those photos because when I look at the person in them, it's not me! Ladies- if you never wear your hair up, don’t wear an updo for your photoshoot, or maybe do a little half-up rather than the whole thing (this goes for your wedding day as well!) Men- if you always wear a beard, give it a clean trim, but don’t shave it off (unless your wife tells you to.) My job as the photographer is to bring out the best and most authentic version of you, but by making drastic changes to the way you look right before a shoot, oftentimes that authenticity won’t show through in the way you wanted. You won't feel like yourself and no matter how much editing the photographer does, you won't like the person you see in the photograph.
One note for women on makeup however... while you want to feel authentically you, makeup styles tend to dull somewhat in photographs. Oftentimes adding a tiny bit more oomph to your look will help you feel more like yourself. I usually wear very subtle makeup, with no eyeshadow or eyeliner, but when I see photos of myself like that I usually feel washed out and tired. For photographs I will often add eye liner and a soft, neutral shade of eyeshadow with my normal mascara routine to give my eyes a little pop and hide the tired look.
6- Consider the Big Picture:
I live in Utah, and for anyone that's lived here, you know those crazy natives-the ones that wear shorts and tee-shirts in the snow…Don’t be that person! (At least not for your photos.) Dressing for the wrong occasion, or mixing occasion styles between formal and casual in your attire can be distracting from the subject and the moment in a photograph. Unless it's a themed portrait like this one of my friend Connor here and that distraction is what you are going for, take a look at your outfit and the location of the shoot and make sure that what you are wearing not only makes you feel great, but also works with the location and feel that you're going for. (Ladies- do yourselves a favor and leave the heels at home for the mountain shoots!)
7-Keep it Subtle:
If number 1 was a little bit upsetting to you, don't feel like you have to sacrifice your personality to have classic and timeless photos. But maybe just tone it back a little bit! If you have a whole room in your home devoted to cheetah print because you love it THAT much? Try adding in a little scarf to your outfit with that print. Like internet dating, most people feel like they have to share everything about themselves all at once, but it's a whole lot more fun to surprise them, and yourselves, noticing new little details overtime. So don't feel like you have to give up on what makes you you, just keep it subtle and let people see the real you overtime as they keep coming back to your beautiful images for another look.
I really hope you guys liked these tips and that they help you and yours in your next group photoshoot! If you have any questions or comments, I would love to hear them and see how you were able to apply these tips!
And if they did help you, check out the rest of my blog that's full of fun tips and ideas!
Commentaires