Hello! It is Mindy writing from behind-the-scenes-command-central. We get a lot of questions about styling for family shoots, so we’ve been working hard to start some Pinterest boards (http://www.pinterest.com/creamncocoa/) for inspiration. I also wanted to take a minute to give my personal styling advice in the hopes that you’ll be inspired for your next session.
The first thing I consider when choosing outfits for my family is the session location. For this session, we were going to an orange grove almost 2-hours from our house. You must consider the ages of your kids and distance to the session. We planned a late afternoon DUSK session and Louie (1-1/2) was able to nap on the way. We let Lyla (3-1/2) wear comfortable clothes in the car – 1) made her happy and she can be overly dramatic, 2) allowed her dress to not be a wrinkles mess upon arrival and 3) allowed her to be comfortable after the shoot and have her normal clothes as an extra incentive for being cooperative.
Next, you want to consider the colors of your location. An orange grove is easy to figure out…but if you are having a spring/summer shoot – think about the colors of flowers, grass, blue skies, etc. If you are having a fall shoot – think about fall colors – bold and vibrant, rustic, etc. This allows you to pick a color. For our session, I based all of our styling on my robin egg blue pants. I fell in love with them and knew the color would pop against the bright oranges…and so it began.
You will see that our style is not about matching 100%. It is about staying within color families and playing with patterns/textures to add detail. It is about finding our own personality in accessories – ex: my extra large earrings, Dave’s purple socks and Lyla’s cowboy boots. Realize that not everyone in the family needs a something special to be something special. For Edwin (5-1/2) – allowing him to stand how he wanted was style enough. And for Louie, a few oranges kept his hands entertained so that it could appear that he was focused during the process.
Most of the clothes in this styled shoot were already in our closets. Edwin’s outfit (shorts and shirt) was from Target and I bought them a few hours before the shoot. Lyla’s dress was from Gap Baby and her boots were from Old Navy. My pants were from Lane Bryant and my tank was from Kohls. Dave’s shirt was from Urban Outfitters and his jeans were from Gap. My point – stick with colors you know work for you and your family. You don’t have to shop at exclusive boutiques to find a style that is all your own. You have to be willing to do a little work. I often carry the base piece in my diaper bag for a few weeks as I gather clothes for other people…and I always check the return policy. Get more than you need and have a family fashion show. My daughter definitely loves helping everyone choose…involve your family…if they love what they’re wearing and feel comfortable, it will make for images that are both natural and powerful.
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