Start with one piece of clothing you really love, be it the perfect little lace dress for your toddler, matching holiday hats for the kids, or a bow tie for your partner. Once you have that item then build the rest of the outfits around that, coordinating colors and style around that first item.
Seek out cute items like a plush knit hat for kiddos in fall and winter (b.e.happe Designs is a fantastic handmade-in-Iowa option, Hanna Andersson sells super adorable bonnets that I cannot get enough of, and of course Etsy is always a treasure trove of options).
Avoid intense patterns like stripes and polka dots as they do not photograph well and steal attention away from faces.
Every photographer has a different shooting and editing style. Cozy, saturated colors such as warm/mustard yellow, burgundy, beige pink, mauve, russet brown burnt orange, and olive green pair well with my photography style. Colors such as taupe, cream, and ash are great bases to layer in.
Avoid large doses of black (ie. try not to put anyone in an all-black dress), avoid snow/stark white (cream and any off-white is lovely though!), and avoid anything neon (think: hot pink and fluorescent yellow… if it’s a color that was on your Lisa Frank binder in middle school, then it’s usually best to skip).
Avoid wearing anything that you aren’t comfortable in. You won’t feel comfortable in front of my camera if you’re having to adjust your shirt or tuck a bra strap back into your sleeve every time you pick up or crouch down towards your kids.
Be practical with your shoes. If you choose a non-urban outdoor location for your session and wear a shoe with a heel, then make sure it’s at least a wide or thick block heel so you can walk well in soft grass.
