What To Wear...

The idea behind What To Wear is to keep the
focus on YOU and not on your clothes.  

  1. Choose colors that go together, but aren't matchy matchy.  That is, if you like whites, mix it up with some off-white, sand or greys.  All white t-shirts were a fad many years ago...  Try to pick a color pallet that isn't too loud, again, to keep the focus on you.  If you like blues, mix in some greens or purples.  If you like reds, make sure it's subdued, more like earth tones.
  2. Avoid too many patterns.  Mostly solid colors look great.  If one person has a pattern, like mom's dress, that's great.  But leave it at that.  Definitely avoid clashing patterns like stripes and plaids in the same photo.
  3. Accessorize.  I know, I know, I'm terrible at it.  But for photos, it really adds a finishing touch.  Same rules apply, keep it simple to keep the focus on you.
  4. Do you have any self conscious areas?  If so, hide them.  A good rule of thumb is the most skin showing should be your face.  That is, more exposure elsewhere draws the attention there.  And if you're self conscious of your arms, don't wear a tank top or tank dress.  Layers look good.
  5. Start with one piece and build from there.  This works best when mom knows what she wants to wear first :)
  6. Keep location in mind.  You don't want to look out of place.  
  7. Even for holiday photos, avoid too seasonal.  You still want to enjoy your portraits into spring and summer and might not want Santa hats on all year round.
  8. Clothes with texture and nice fabric always look great in photos, as well as collars and structure.  T-shirts not so much.
  9. I strongly recommend no t-shirts, unless you really want to look super casual.  Although most people don't put photos of themselves in t-shirts up on the wall.  Definitely no logo or character t-shirts.
  10. Timeless!  I love colored leggings, but trust me, 10 yrs from now, I'm guessing they won't be in style.  Think timeless.