Senior Photo Shot with Chels!

What to Wear

Step 1:

Choose clothing for one person first

You don't have go out and buy all new outfits for your photo. Most times, you can get a great look by building your clothing around one person's outfit. It's usually best to start with the person in the group who has the least amount of clothes or who is hardest to pick an outfit for. Look through their closet for a great piece you want them to wear for the photos. You might also consider buying an outfit for that person and going from there.

Step 2:
Build the rest of the group's outfits based on the first person

Now that you've got one person's clothing done, you can build the rest of the group's outfits. Go through your closets and find those matching sweaters, skirts, scarfs, and hats, etc.

General rules to remember when choosing outfits:

Keep in mind where you are going to be shooting.  

Are you going to be indoors or outdoors? Is the area paved, muddy, rocky, or grassy? What kind of colors would look best in that setting? If you will be outside, it's a good idea to wear clothes you would be comfortable sitting on the ground in. There isn't anything as bad as a baby freezing cold because they aren't dressed right! Red noses running with boogies.  Ew.      

Stick to one style.   

Make sure everyone in the group is wearing one style of clothing such as classy (formal wear, suits, dresses, etc.), casual (shorts, t-shirts, sandals, etc.), or contemporary (a mixture of classy and casual--like a dressy top with jeans and heels).

     

Avoid loud patterns or huge logos or words on an outfit   

Smaller patterns on part of an outfit look fine, but keep it to one or two people in your group. Patterns should compliment each other, not draw attention away from the main subject of the photo, you!        

Colors don't have to match, but they do need to go together.    Clothing from the same color palette or based on colors in one outfit tend to create a cohesive look without feeling too "matchy." I love fun and vibrant colors; they help the portraits "pop" off the screen or print, but remember, the emphasis of the photos should be on your faces, not your clothing.      

Think about shades of black and white. 

Since you may want images in black and white, you will want to think about how your outfits would appear in those shades. All White and All Black shirts lead to less appealing BW photos, in my opinion.  (Looks great in color though!)  Just sayin'.      

Bring accessories and props that pull together the outfit.   

Using props and accessories is a good way to get different looks out of a single outfit. Think about things that characterize you and your personality: scarves, purses, shoes, items from your line of work, hobbies, and interests. Props and accessories are especially useful in spot color photography (you know where the photo is black and white but one thing is color!)

Hands and Feet   

Often, I will take photos of details like hand-holding, rings, and family feet! Remember to clean and trim nails for these shots. For feet, if you have matching shoes or shoes in the same shade, that's a plus. Of course, who doesn't love bare feet?!

Hope that helps!

Of course, you can always go shopping and buy new clothes, because that is fun too!

WHO SHOT THESE??

Frequently, my camera gets passed around at family functions, and in this situation,
I had these three photos that I thought were pretty good.
So whomever took this photo--Chelsie? Blake?--Well Done!