STYLING

Finding Your Inspiration

Kay Dee Photography

HOW TO DRESS YOUR FAMILY

Choosing what to wear to your family photo session is no easy feat and trust me when I tell you- I know the pain of it all too well! Through my experience, I have put together a guide which may help you along and offer some tips and inspiration for selecting the right look for you and your family!

First... decide what kind of feel you are going for. If you've made it this far then you have probably already decided that Emerald Maple's style is for you! EMP's editing style consists of warm and natural tones and heavy contrasting. In keeping with this style's mood, you should look for pieces with a warm color palette. Consider mustard, brown, rust, cream, burgundy, and taupe. If you want a lighter feel, choose clothing that is neutral and light toned. Colors that would look great for this are cream, white, beige, gray, or rose. If you are looking for a more dark and moody look (love), choose some moodier colors, but mix in some lighter tones or simple patterns and accents as well to keep it from looking TOO dark.

When in doubt....go with earthy and natural tones and/or shades of nude!

Second...start with choosing an outfit for the pickiest or most difficult one to style in the family. Once that person's outfit has been chosen, it becomes MUCH easier to style everyone else around it.

DO! Choose well-fitting clothing and something that you feel confident in. When looking for a dress, choose styles which are fitted in the waist but support movement and flow as well. Lighter fabrics such as gauze, cotton, and muslin provide beautiful textures as well as a dreamy flow. Throw on an extra layer such as a textured shoulder wrap or accessory to turn up any style that you think needs a little more pizzaz! For your family, you want to coordinate and compliment eachother's styles, but not match. For example, I wouldn’t recommend just saying “We’re doing rust colored with jeans,” and then going out and getting four rust colored shirts for everyone. Instead, try a textured or simple-patterned knit sweater in rust, a brown shirt for another, add in maybe a cream floral dress with mustard accents, taupe and rust for another person, a mustard lace dress for another, etc. See where I'm going with this? The goal is to look good together without being matchy-matchy. Change up textures and prints.

DON'T! Avoid thin stripes that are close together, buffalo prints, small plaid, and busy patterns (it has an odd effect in photographs). Please avoid large logos, cartoon characters, or words on your clothing, as it distracts from the main subject of the photo: YOU! Stay away from too many super dark colors, as it makes photos look dull. While on the topic of colors to avoid, do your best to stay away from blue hues (aside from jeans). EMP's personal editing preference consists of warm hues and tones and while blue (cool) tones are beautiful- the clash of tones throws off the white balance and creates artistic conflicts during the editing stage. Also, when are neon colors ok to wear to a photo session? Never. Well, unless you're doing an 80's themed birthday party and then (and only then) will exceptions be made;)

The color that neons cast onto skin is not pretty!

Lastly, Don’t forget to coordinate shoes! This is usually the thing most people forget about, and it can really make a difference in your session. Know what always looks amazing? Brown shoes or no shoes at all. Do your best to stay away from athletic sneakers (unless they are new with a simple design) and shoes with neon colors-even if just on the soles. Wear shoes that go with the style you are wearing. Unless your session is in your home or on the beach, and in that case, ditch the shoes!

HAIR

Quick note on hair. Keep it loose and flowy, rather than tight and pulled back. I’d rather your child showed up in 2 day old braids than tight french braids. Messy hair is more inspiring and fun to photograph than perfect hair! But really, if it looks good in wavy curls, then do it because that’s going to photograph the best. And if it’s windy, it will look amazing! For boys, just do what they normally do!

WHERE TO SHOP

Family:

Asos

Amazon

Target
H&M
Zara
Amazon

J.Crew

Babies & kids:

Joyfolie
Bailey’s Blossoms
Lenny Lemons
Roolee
Alice and Ames
Jamie Kay
Noralee
Lali