It’s not always easy figuring out how to shop to create the best photo session styling, especially for mom. Have you ever found yourself planning a session for the family only to realize the dress you purchased for yourself doesn’t work? Or that once it’s all together, everyone feels too matchy? Here are my 3 best-kept secrets to photo session styling with mom in mind.
Start with You
It’s pretty normal for moms to think of themselves after they take care of everyone else. For your photo session though, you need to do the exact opposite. Find a dress that fits perfectly, you love the style and makes you feel beautiful. Then you can build out everyone else’s attire. If your dress is a solid color, find a small pattern that includes that color for one of the littles, or pull the family solid color options from the lightly patterned dress you found for yourself. If I said “pattern” and you started to get nervous… keep reading!
Textures and Patterns
Texture
Adding clothing items with texture helps to add depth and dimension to your photos, in other words, it creates visual interest. Textures could include lace, buttons, crochet, layering in the skirt, or a flowy sleeve on your dress.
Here are a few great ways to add texture to your photo session styling for mom!
Dress 1 – Baltic Born | Dress 2 – Morning Lavender
Patterns
Don’t be afraid to include a pretty print in your photo session. There are a few things to keep in mind when styling prints:
- Keep the contrast low. Don’t select patterns with dark colors against light colors.
- Stay away from fabric with repetitive detail (dots, lines, checks, stripes) which create an effect called moiré. It produces a wavy pattern that looks very weird in photos.
- Smaller prints (but not too small, see above) tend to photograph better, when you can make out detail in the flower on a dress it will pull focus from the other details.
Dress 1 – PinkBlush | Dress 2 – JessaKae | Dress 3 – Impressions
Now there are always exceptions to these guidelines. For example, I love this dress that has a large pattern. BUT following number one, the contrast of these colors is low. If the flowers were not perfectly muted and instead they were a dark navy blue it would be a hard pass for me. In the second image, the contrast is higher with darker reds… but the pattern is not overly large!
Dress 1 – Henley | Dress 2 – Nothing Fits But
Think Neutral Colors
Stay away from bright bold colors. Timeless photos are created from styles that will stand the test of time. I always prefer neutral colors but if you are a color person, I recommend going for more muted colors or pastels. Pastels are perfect for photo session styling, especially in the spring, photograph beautifully.
Bookmark this page to refer back to the next time you’re planning your family photo session styling.
