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I am often asked by clients what they should wear for a portrait session. Although my main piece of advice will always be to wear something you feel comfortable in - the following hints and tips may be useful if you are planning to book a portrait session:
Babies and Children
Most babies have beautiful skin and photographs of them in their birthday suit or just a nappy can be gorgeous. Little ones can sometimes be overpowered by clothing, which can draw attention away from the most important part of the photograph - your beautiful child.
All or mostly white clothing is a popular choice for classic child and baby portraits.
The usual advice is to take care with vivid colours on adults or newborns. However, they can look good on young children. A talented Australian photographer friend of mine suggests "brights, whites but no stripes" for children. I think that is great advice.
Adults
Try to avoid loud patterns, bold checks and stripes.
Remember that both logos and fashions can date a portrait. If your portrait is destined to hang on a wall for several years - this is worth considering, as what is highly fashionable now may not be in later years. There are portraits of myself in flares that I wish my mother would burn.
In general, avoid bright reds and bright oranges - they will draw attention away from the main focus of the photograph - YOU!
Darker hues tend to be more flattering than light shades of colour that are similar to flesh tones (e.g. peach, beige). I have heard the view on several occasions that the best colours for portraits are medium shades of blue and green and natural tones such as browns, burgundy, and rust.
If you are having a family group portrait - try and select clothes in the same tonal range (i.e. don't mix very dark with very light clothing) and also try to have everyone wearing complimentary colours. Your outfits don't have to be exactly the same colour (unless you want them to be!), but you may not want to have four members of the family in blue and just one person in bright red.
The above points are general hints and tips. My main piece of advice will always be that you should wear what you feel comfortable in, otherwise you will find it difficult to relax.
Other Tips
Don't be afraid to bring a change of clothes with you to your portrait session - especially for little ones!
Bring your child's favourite toys, games, snacks, drinks etc with you. I have plenty of cuddly toys, but sometimes a favourite teddy or doll can make the difference between a sad face and a beaming smile!
When booking your appointment, take into consideration your child's best time of day. Do they usually have a nap in the afternoon? Are they happiest in the morning? I will never rush your sitting and will always break for a while if little one gets fed-up, but it is better to try and book your appointment around their needs as much as possible.
If you are unsure about anything please don't hesitate to call me and I'll do my best to help.
Lorraine.
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