Alright guys, it's almost fall and that means PRIME photo session time. Everyone loves the fall colors, and I don't blame them because I do, too! Mustard, cream, olive, burgundy, navy, and denim are staples for fall sessions - these are a few of the colors I used in my own family photos below!
TIPS ON STYLING:
Stick to a color palette of 2-3 colors (you can add a cream or denim as a neutral base). This is help outfit building and coordination. Shades of a certain color do not have to match perfectly and honestly I like when there are various shade of the same color as long as they are the same tone (i.e. do not mix a pastel baby yellow and a mustard yellow; DO mix a light mustard and a dark mustard). If this is hard for you, try finding a clothing item with all the colors you'd like to include and go from there - this would be my romper in that case. Also think about how your home is decorated, too, if you plan on printing and hanging on walls.
Use a mixture of solid, pattern, and texture. In my personal images below, I am wearing a floral pattern with a denim jacket, my boyfriend is wearing a solid button down with distressed olive pants (notice, NOT DENIM - I would have had to change my jacket if he wanted to do denim pants, I would have done an olive or brown jacket if this was the case to keep outfits broken up), and my step daughter is wearing a solid textured corduroy jumper and a simple pattern maxi, both in a smilier shade of mustard.
YOU CAN MIX PATTERNS. The art of mixing patterns does not come naturally to me but I have come up with a simple recipe. When in doubt, mix a floral or flannel with a simple pattern like a large stripe or polka dot. Also take into consideration the size of the print; microprints do not photograph well unless if they are super simple. Also, do not layer too many large prints. If you want to give the illusion of pattern layering without looking busy, add a distressed denim, a texture like lace, velvet, or corduroy, or even fur!
IF everyone is wearing denim pants, make sure they are varying shades of denim. If you all were the same shade, it's going to look like you're all conjoined... no bueno.
Amp up your outfits with accessories - jackets, hats, socks, tights, and jewelry are always cute!
This is personal preference, but make sure makeup is applied a little heavier than normal; it's going to look more natural in camera. I always recommend false lashes and a good lip color if you want a more glam look. My step daughter and I are wearing the same shade of nude lipstick to define our lips and give some color to our faces. She's also wearing a little gold eyeshadow and some mascara to enhance her natural beauty - makeup is a fun bonding activity for us and she wanted to document that in our photos, so sweet!
TIPS ON POSING:
Mom and dad should always be the base, then add kids. "Belly button to hipbone" is a favorite couples pose of mine, so I normally pose mom and dad that way and layer kids on either side.
ALWAYS get individual photos of each kid, and all kids together, then photos of kids with mom, photos of kids with dad, and then make sure to get a photo of just mom and dad. Parents often get over looked and feel really special when they get to shine without the kiddos.
Some other go-to posing prompts I use are piggyback rides, hold hands, twirling, dancing, being a Boomerang, hold like a baby, hug from behind, and sit on the ground like a mermaid.
Nine times out of 10, mom is going to be the pickiest and most critical of the photos. Sometimes I will ask mom if she has any "problem" areas, and pose her accordingly to help her feel more confident. If mom loves all of the photos, including the ones with her, you might be able to up-sell her to buy more digitals or prints!
My new favorite pose is with a blanket! I sat my step daughter down on the blanket and we picked her up to make a hammock. She LOVED this and we got so many good candid photos from this pose. I have also had mom and dad play parachute with the blanket and have kids run underneath.
These photos of me and my family I took myself with my Canon 6D Mark II and a Sigma 85mm lens mounted on my tripod - I used my camera's built-in interval timer to make this process much faster than using a remote. I am going to do an IGTV video on my business instagram, @erinkayphotography, on how I did this. Make sure to follow me to stay updated! I will also be posting behind the scenes footage on Instagram to my personal page, @erinfeldmeyer.
As a photographer, my main goal of a family session is to capture everyone's personalities... so come ready with your best silly face and lots of giggles for your session! BOOK YOUR SESSION NOW!
