Miranda's Official Portrait Guide
Welcome to my side of the internet, where I can be a bit bossy, but it's acceptable! Picking outfits and styling yourself for your portrait session doesn't have to be a completely overwhelming task, it just takes a few helpful strategies & hopefully you will have some of what you need already hanging in your closet!
When styling my family for my own portraits, I first think about what I want to convey- usually a timeless, feminine, old-world quality. So, I always start by picking out what I am wearing (I'm my toughest critic). My personal go to standard is a cream or neutral maxi dress. This is a great option because it's comfortable and I feel like I won't have too much skin showing; I can really enjoy my session without worrying about how my legs are posed! When chasing small kids around, not worrying about a wardrobe malfunction is kind of important. Basically, if you have to adjust your clothing a lot at home getting ready, it's not gonna be great for portraits that include chasing & playing with your children. I can edit some things, but you'll feel better knowing it's not an issue!
From there I move onto my kids. I have four children, so making sure they coordinate without making them match like the Von Trapp family can be quite the task. I choose two to wear the same color bottoms with light colored shirts.. your creams, tans, blues, greens, grays. Then my third guy out, I have wear bottoms that coordinate with the others shirts and a sort of pop color that is a shade of what the others are wearing. Now sometimes I decide I'm going to go with whatever we've got and make it work. For instance two my boys wore tees and pants for our summer portraits and my middle had a nice white button down. They were comfortable, they looked great.. win, win.
If you have girls I find it a bit easier, having them wear a dress(if they still will!) can make it so you're only thinking of one color for her. I like to have my daughter coordinate with me! So after deciding on a classic white, cotton dress for myself, I found a white cotton romper for my 1 year old. My husband loves wearing jeans, so blue was our second color, and then 2 of my guys have nice tan/off white tees. So we were able to keep our color scheme neutral with blue being our base color. That's what I always recommend: Having nice neutrals and then one pop of color.
Picking Your Color
I like to think of how I'm using my photos. Are you strictly using them for online posting, hanging them in your home, or sending them for the holidays? I almost always hang my family portraits, so I like for our outfits to flow with my homes interior! But if I were doing portraits for Christmas cards and already knew I wanted very classic red and green stationary, I'd go with neutrals with a pop of maroon or forest green, or maybe even gold!
Textures & Patterns
This may be one of the most looked over factor to consider for your portraits. I ADORE natural fibers- I also realize how expensive they can be. The good news is if you invest in quality clothes they will last basically forever. So, if I were to be doing beach portraits I love cotton, linen, muslin, and luckily those fabrics are fairly popular right now! If I were doing cozy fall portraits I'm still going with neutrals, but I'm going to incorporate a chunky cable knit into the mix along with maybe one person in a layer flannel look! Also, look for understated prints, like florals, gingham, and stripes, making sure to pick only one or two to give an extra layer to your photos.
Timeline
I strongly encourage you to start making plans for your portraits as soon as you book. Ideally, you'll have it settled 1 week prior to your portrait session. So, make sure you're getting things ordered with enough time to make adjustments if those items don't work! I am always happy to receive text messages from client with options they aren't quite sure about!
Things to Avoid
Your pictures are just that, yours! But keep in mind when you hire your photographer because you just love their work, you may not be realizing the thought that goes into making those images work starts with the outfits in the portrait. Do you like the breezy, light portraits? Chances are the people in the photo dressed accordingly to fit that specific aesthetic. The same thing goes with colorful, moody, or vintage inspired edits.
I would always avoid neon colors, brands names/logos, graphic tees, ripped up cargo shorts, and oh my goodness- the ball cap. Fellas, I LOVE a ball cap, but if your beautiful wife is dressed in a long dress and put herself through the wringer getting portraits booked, please leave the hat in the car. Well, that last one is a personal preference. But hey, I want you to get the most out of your session with me!
Brands I Love
We all have different resources when it comes to time and budget, but if I could point you in the direction of some great places to shop, I would mention a few...
I love Christy Dawn, Nora Lee, Elegant Baby, H&M, Zara, Baltic Born, Rylee and Cru, Worth Collective, Called to Surf, Gap, Anthropologie, Carters, Old Navy, and any department store that you would shop at for events! Of course Amazon has great items and always works when you need something fast, I've also had great luck at Walmart & Target.
In fact, another resource I love is Poshmark and have heard great things about Vinted! Don't ever feel like you have to spend a fortune!