Have you been unable to sleep at night waiting for part three of my “What to Wear” blog series? I don’t blame you…it has kept me awake at night too. I actually have a huge confession at the end of this blog, and I think I may need an intervention. But before we go there…let’s get to the third and final, but definitely critical part of this series – the details! This is the stuff that is often overlooked because it can seen like such a small thing, but it really can make a huge difference in the overall “look” of your photos. (See Part One: The DO’s and Part Two: The DON’Ts)
1. Layers, Textures and Accessories (Oh My!) This is where it gets fun! These are the things that can really take an outfit from very nice to amazing, but tread carefully here! Too much can be…well, too much. Consider adding a bold accessory (i.e. a bow tie, a glitzy necklace, an big bow or headband) to one or two family members, not everyone! Too many statement pieces can be too much of a distraction, and ultimately they overwhelm the viewer which defeats their purpose in the first place! Layers are really not much different from accessories – adding a vest, scarf, coat, etc is a fun way of introducing that “pop” of color we discussed in part one, or tying in the colors from one family member to another. The camera loves textures! Chunky knits, furs, feathers, lace, sheers, tulle, silk and heavy wools can add a surprising amount of interest to a photograph. I highly recommend you consider adding a variety of different textures when planning your outfits!
Layers, Textures and Accessories done OH SO RIGHT!
2. Shoes, Shoes, Shoes! Oh those shoes! It kills me to see how much planning goes into the clothing and see awful shoes completely overlooked! I think little boy shoes are especially bad – always bright tennis shoes! When planning the details of your outfits, please don’t forget about those shoes! It doesn’t mean you have to go fancy, a clean pair of Converse or even a nice pair of flip-flops can work just fine! Think of how the shoes go with the rest of your outfit – if you are wearing a lovely, feminine summer dress a pretty pair of sandals is probably better than the Tevas you wear hiking every weekend!
You can NEVER go wrong with a great pair of boots in my opinion!
3. Nails, Hair and Make-Up! Another one of those areas where mom’s deserve a little love and attention. You deserve to look like the very best version of you as possible on photo day. I give you permission to get a manicure and drive to the mall for a free make-over from the girls at the MAC counter! At the very least, make sure you have clean nails – no chips from last weeks manicure. Maybe even just a coat of clean polish? I often recommend going a touch heavier with your make-up for photos than what you normally wear. If you never wear make-up, this means…put on at least some mascara and lip gloss. If you are always glammed up, just got a tiny bit heavier (I will personally use ANY excuse to wear a pair of false eyelashes!). The camera has a tendency to decrease the overall impact of make-up and adding just a little bit more can really bring out your natural features beautifully. If you can hire a make-up artist, I think this is a great splurge. They are professionals and they know what they are doing! Same with hair – you know how amazing you feel after a fresh cut? You can go to a salon for a blow-out and style, which doesn’t break the bank but is a great way to feel extra beautiful the day of your session!
4. BREAK THE RULES! Oh my gosh, do you hate me right now? I just spent three entire blog posts telling you what I believe to be the rules….and now I am telling you to break them. Yeah. Sorry. Break the rules, but break them PURPOSELY and INTENTIONALLY! If you all want to wear matching Seahawks jerseys because your family lives and breathes the Seahawks…then do it. If your two year old is totally into dressing herself – which means she is almost always wearing a pink tutu, Spiderman mask, princess crown and rain boots, then let’s see it! Ultimately, we want you to be YOU. If you are not the kind of family who follows the rules, why start now? Breaking the “rules” can be a great way of achieving extraordinarily unique family photos!
The 12th Man Family – and one lonely Steelers fan!
OK, Now here is that confession I said was coming. You know how in part two I encouraged mom’s to spend some quality time picking out there outfits and not procrastinate? Sooooooo, my whole family has their outfits all picked out for our upcoming family photos and I got NUTTIN. Zip. Zilch. I have been searching and searching and I just can’t find anything that works! So, I thought I would share what I have picked out so far and see if any of you have any ideas? There are already a lot of patterns going on, so I want to stick with solids in either navy blue or orange/coral, or a combination of the two. What do you think?
I am still trying to figure out what I can wear! Any ideas?