It's that time of year again! Time to gather the troops, slap on some
coordinating (but not matchy) outfits, and bribe the best smiles out of
them. Like most things, it's not as easy at is sounds. Today, I'm
sharing my Simply Cumorah SEVEN XMAS PIC TIPS with you, and BONUS: I'll
provide shopping links to the clothes I curated for our recent beachy
Christmas shoot.
Credit for the skilled
photography, and for waking up SUPER early on her vacation in order to
shoot our pics
goes to the one and only: Tisha Barlow - based in Queen
Creek, AZ - @tishabarlowphoto
1. CHOOSE A COLOR SCHEME
I've never done our family photos in traditional Christmas garb, and I decided it was high time. Honestly, I got giddy about juxtaposing a warm, gorgeous beach with bright Christmas colors. Those reds and greens pop against the tranquility of the ocean...and, I like how I look in green...which is important. If you're in charge of what people are wearing, YOU get to choose a color that looks good on you, and build around it. That's the way the world works, people.
2. FIND A STANDOUT PIECE
When choosing family outfits, I find one dynamic piece in the right color scheme, and I build from there. I knew I wanted red and green, but which shades? Would we go lime & brick, hunter & burgundy, kelly and candy apple? The color question was answered as soon as I found the standout piece. I was looking for a dress with a large, bold pattern and I came upon the red & white stripe dress from Liligal. Yep. That was it. This dress was the jumping off point for our shoot.
3. GET THRIFTY
I waited for that darling dress to arrive on my doorstep, and then I hit the thrift stores. I love utilizing second hand stores for occasions where I'm looking for particular colors, because all of the clothes are organized BY COLOR. It's a super efficient way to find what you need. At Once Upon a Child, I found the cutest green reindeer sweater you have ever seen (which answered the question for our green shade), the white collared shirt, the boys' shorts and the red gingham button up shirt - in the perfect shade of red to match the stripe dress!
Amazon.com Alex Stevens Reindeer Sweater $25 (I snagged mine, used, for $4!)
The Izod, red gingham shirt was purchased at a second hand store for $5, but I found a similar one online for a tad more.
Next, I hit up Goodwill, on the off chance someone had donated a perfect white or green holiday dress, and wouldn't you know it, Jackpot! Some sweet soul dropped their Calvin Klein white, petal cocktail dress at the Goodwill, and I snatched it up for a whopping $16.
I've searched the web,
and can't find the exact dress for sale...but this one by Adrianna Papell is
pretty dang close.
4. PERFECT YOUR PAIRS
While I want the overall family colors to coordinate - I also know that I'm going to want pics with just my man and I, so I ensure that our outfits work together, and that we don't wear predominantly the same color. I mean, how embarrassing would that be if we both showed up in plaid suit coats?
5. ACCESSORIZE
Accessories are a fabulous way to spread your color scheme across every person in your pic. Caution! It's easy to get carried away with this. Not every person needs an accessory. I've made that mistake before - and it turned into an overly stylized - matchy-matchy mess. The use of accessories should look well placed, and effortless - like something that person might actually wear in real life - not like you forced them to wear it to match the family. (I admit, that is how Bella felt about that poinsetta scarf...but I think it worked, and sometimes you just have to take one for the team.) A well chosen hair bow, neck tie, bracelet or belt can be the perfect little thing to bring it all together.
6. MIX & MINGLE
Don't be afraid to mix patterns! It gives depth and interest to a photo. In these photos we have stripes, checks, plaid, print, floral and solids. That's a lot going on! Scale is the reason it works. The geometric patterns don't compete with each other because the stripes are a large pattern, the plaid is medium sized, and the checks are small. Be sure to balance pattern with solids & use different types of patterns to keep it interesting.
7. LOCATION! LOCATION! LOCATION!
This is a tip that isn't exactly about choosing outfits, but it is such a huge part of your family pics - I'm going to include it. Choose a location that is either meaningful to you, or that you find beautiful. For me, this beach is both. And, huge perk, no coordinating shoes to buy. Barefeet are the best feet! We don't live by the beach, but we love to vacation there. While it takes some extra effort to set up a photographer on location - it is lovely to have your photos professionally taken in a place where you have built lasting family memories. Take your photog on your family's favorite hiking trail, or to the outdoor seating area of your favorite restaurant, or the park where your kids grew up playing flag football. As my kids get older, I feel an urgency in capturing their youth. In holding on to what we have right now, today. Truth be told, it's not about the perfect outfits, or the perfect smiles, or the perfect lighting, it's about capturing the best of who we are, together.
2 comments:
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