Hey there!
Katie here! (The better looking half of Protzman Photo.) When finalizing photo-session details with clients the question always comes up, “What should we wear?” I immediately envision Jim Carey as the Grinch stomping around his cave shouting half dressed “WHAT WILL I WEAR?!” and after he has tried on endless outfits he proclaims "THAT'S IT I'M NOT GOING!" We definitely don't want any grinches in your photographs so here are some very simple tips to avoid outfit frustration for your upcoming shoot!
#1. Be Comfortable
Comfort over all else. Not comfort as in sweats and a t-shirt (unless you really want to), but comfort in how you feel about what you're wearing and how you look in it. The confidence you have in yourself and your outfit will be the first thing anyone notices in your photos. You should come to the shoot feeling GREAT about how you look.
A lot of our shoots incorporate movement, walking, playing around. Wearing a button down, tie, and sport jacket, or a short skirt and heels is going to have you thinking twice with each step. Pick clothes that will let you run around carefree, get dirty, and not have to think about it.
Being uncomfortable or unfamiliar with your outfit can take away from you living in the moment that we are trying to capture.
#2 Do not assemble a reject box of crayons
Remember your color wheel from 4th grade art class? Not much has changed in color theory since then, or really in the past forever years. Colors that work well together are considered complementary, analogous, or several other options. You can check out some examples of color families on Pinterest by clicking here.
I am personally a big fan of solids, neutrals, and earth tones. I think they are flattering, photograph well, and are often comfy. However if vibrant, off the wall colors and patterns are your thing, please do not stifle your personal style. (This would be a violation of #1, be comfortable.)
#3 AIM FOR COORDINATED NOT "MATCHY MATCHY".
Avoid wearing identical pieces like the same shirt, or pants. Try not to match colors, focus instead on coordinating or complimenting. If you have a blanket, onesie, a favorite dress, or something else you want to incorporate into the shoot that has color in it, consider using it as the basis for looking at palettes. You can look up all sorts of color palettes on google/Pinterest - earthy, blue tones, neutrals, pastels, etc.
#4 Colors in your home
Almost all of our newborn sessions take place in your home, so it is important to coordinate with the rooms that we will be working in. Think about your style, the color of your rooms. Do you prefer light and bright? Dark? Colorful?
Thinking about these things still applies even if we're shooting outside somewhere (engagement photo session, family photo session, etc). If you plan to hang the photos in your living room it's still important to think about what would be complementary to the paint on the walls, the color of your furniture, your style, the frames you are going to put them in etc.
Last Minute Tips:
- Ladies, be sure your bra straps are tucked, along with those annoying hanger strings (who even uses those?!)
- Gentlemen, belts are encouraged, but only if you are comfortable in one.
- If you opt to wear a hat, know at some point you may be asked to take it off - briefly we promise.
- Shorts under dresses allow for little ones to be more adventurous during shoots.
- Avoiding logos on shirts, hats, accessories
- Shave, trim - be groomed
- Leave the wallet, keys, phone, purse, gum, change, bottle caps and anything else in your pockets in the car (or just not in your pockets). If we're doing a shoot outside somewhere, we can throw your stuff in our bag and give it back at the end of the shoot.