But Natalie, What Will We Wear?

Hello All, and welcome to the next installment of the Bubble Fish Photography Blog! I am so excited you are here, so let’s jump right in!

One of the questions I hear most often from my Mommas is “What should we wear?”. It may not seem like that big of a deal to some (I’m looking at you Dads ;) ) but what you wear for your Family Photo Session really does matter. These images will (with my help) end up on your walls and coffee tables and the walls of your families’ homes as well. Not to mention social media! You want the look you have to speak from the heart of what your family loves, does, and endures.

I had a special chance to experience this from the perspective of a client when I hired a photographer for my own family photos! Shocker, I know, but it has taken me forever to give up the control of shooting my own family photos. Then came the daunting task of picking out the clothing for all 4 of us! Eeekkk! Thankfully, I had chosen a photographer not only for her amazing skill and vision, but because she offered wardrobe assistance. She helped me pick out every outfit all the way down to shoes for my wild ones! The experience of being in front of the camera for once has led to some firsthand knowledge of how hard it is to dress everyone! I have also learned just how crucial a helpful photographer truly is in this process! Hence, the creation of this post for you!

Step One

Pick your outfit first Momma. This is indeed the most important step no matter how many members are in your family. What you wear sets the tone of the entire session. From what activities we do, to what message comes across, to how you interact with your family. We aim for Momma to be comfortable and radiant. This is where you ask yourself, what outfit brings me joy and confidence? It is crucial for you to comfortable in your own skin for this session. Not just trying to look a certain part. This can lead to dragging your favorite outfit from your closet or purchasing a new one. Whatever you decide, this is a great place to start!

Step Two

The next step would be to pick the bottoms for the rest of your family. You do not need to match (i.e. all denim) but coordinating and playing off each other works well. For ours, I put hubby in dark slacks and our two children in jeans. This was mostly due to what they hadn’t grown out of. Our tiny humans seem to grow out of their entire wardrobe overnight and at the worst possible times! Just as with your outfit, your littles and hubby need to be wearing clothing they can move and be free in too!

Step Three

The next step is picking out the tops for the remaining family members. Three elements to include in your family’s outfits are thus: solid pops of color, solid neutrals, and a pattern that doesn’t make people dizzy. When choosing the outfits for your family only one pattern and one pop of color is needed. For our family I chose mine to be the color pop and hubby to have a neutral color with a pattern on it. This way I could compliment his pattern with the solid color shirts for my boys. I know that I could not match the color of my dress with the clothes I had for the rest of us, so I was the only one not in neutrals. Which for our family is pretty fitting (or did the bright blue hair not give it away?). I chose the black and grey out of hubby’s shirt to be the solid colors for our boys. When adding things like color pops and patterns, you really don’t need too many of them. Imagine if your color was teal and everyone in your family had on a different shade of it. Those images might make you happy that day, but soon the abundance and mismatch of that would become aggravating.

Step Four

Shoes! This is probably the most overlooked step ever; I know it was for me! I had planned on us being barefoot so none of us had neutral or even matching shoes. We all had different color neon sandals. It was horrendous. Thankfully this is easily avoidable. Firstly, going barefoot is always great. But trust me when I tell you to bring neutral colored back up shoes if you are aiming for barefoot. Heck, even if barefoot doesn’t speak to your family, neutral comfortable shoes are a must. Your shoes are not the spotlight of your session, your family is!

Step Five

This is THE MOST IMPORTANT step of all! Be sure to book a photographer who offers wardrobe assistance and helps you convey the right message for your family. For instance … ME! *Insert shameless business plug here*

But in all reality, I am here to help. From helping pick out each outfit, to offering accessories, I am here to help you! Whether you need help on an outfit shopping trip (virtual or in person) or you need someone to dig through your closets with, I’ve got your back Momma! You can send me photos of outfit ideas or even a Pinterest board. I will not leave you out to dry and just hope you come to your session dressed most wonderfully. I will not look you up and down and scream in my head about the atrocious outfits. I am here to help you love your session and the images we create from it!

Here are some things to avoid!

Mixing different patterns, neon colors, and brand logos are some of the biggest and easiest things to avoid. Also, wearing truly uncomfortable items will not end well! If you, hubby, or tiny humans are uncomfortable it will show in your images! And none of us want a grouchy family on your walls!

Love you much Momma, and we will talk soon!

Love,

Natalie with Bubble Fish Photography

P.S. - I know this post probably seemed like a plug from my own family session. But I promise it has more impact than that! I am just happy to finally understand what my Mommas go through when they are prepping for their family session. And now that I do, I know just how to help solve your problems!