Captures by Lisa – The Blog » Photographer specializing in maternity, newborn, baby, child, high school senior and family portraits.

Captures is now closed through January 3rd, 2012 for the holidays. Orders placed before Dec. 16th will be processed, but orders placed after this date will be processed after the first of the year. Sessions are being booked into January. To schedule a newborn session, please leave a message at 978.490.6820 or email at lisa@capturesbylisa.com and I will contact you as soon as I can. All other inquiries, calls and emails will be returned after the first of the year. Thank you and I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season!

This little darling came to see me this morning. She slept away the morning, but let me know that her feet are VERY ticklish! She was such a joy!

With Autumn in full swing, and the holiday season right around the corner, it is a very popular time for the family portrait session. For some this includes everyone as well as Fido. For others, the goal may be wrangling the kids, just hoping to catch them all in the same frame. Whatever goal you have for your session, one questions I often get asked is “What should we wear??” Below I give a few helpful tips in choosing clothing for your session, along with some fun ideas for when that button up shirt just won’t do.

The first goal is to decide what you want to focus on, the faces of your loved ones, or the logo t-shirt your son wears daily, or the green nail polish your daughter is sporting this week.  There is nothing wrong with any of those, but deciding what your goal is before your session will help ensure portraits that you will love. If the goal is to capture your kids just as they are at this age, then by all means, let them be who they are, logos, polish and all. If your goal is to capture a timeless family portrait, then you may want to give a little thought to the outfit choices you are making.

While not a complicated science, taking a bit of time to plan the outfits for your family session, or kids session, will help the end result.  As a professional photographer, if you choose a studio session, I will even try to take outfit coloring into account when choosing a background for your session.  The best advice I can give to start is KISS, Keep It Simple, Sweetie. Casual always works well. But there are times you may want a more formal look. Whatever style, simple lines work well, not a lot of accessories like belts, large jewelry, big hair bows, etc. Long, clean lines are always flattering, slimming, and keep the attention on the subjects, not the outfits. Darker colors are slimming, lighter colors can add weight to a portrait. Of course jeans or khakis and white shirts are very popular, and a fine choice for timeless portraits. But you may want to shake things up a bit and choose another color for shirts such as blue, brown, green, ivory, etc. Whatever color you choose, try to stick to no more than 2 coordinating colors per family unit. I also suggest solid colors work best, but a small print is usually ok, especially if only one person is wearing it, with others wearing coordinating colors.  Keep in mind bottoms as well. Try to have everyone wear similar colored pants, either khakis, denim, black, blue, etc. You get the picture. If one person has on khaki pants, one has on denim and one has one white capris, the eye will travel around the portrait, not knowing where to settle, again, taking away attention from those beautiful faces.

Next, keep in mind the details. Some suggestions on lines can go a long way in creating portraits you are happy with. Make sure shirts are long enough, you  may be sitting on the ground, walking or holding a child. While standing in front of a mirror, lift your arms, bend over, make sure your covered.  The next suggestion, wear sleeves. No matter how fit or thin a person is, sleeves are more flattering than sleeveless. Certain poses and angles can make arms look bigger than they really are. If wearing a wrap style shirt, make sure it stays in place if you bend, sit, or lean. If wearing a button shirt, check if the buttons pull when your sitting or bending. I, myself, hate to look at the size on a shirt at times, but a shirt in a larger size, if the buttons don’t pull, will be more slimming than a smaller size with pulling buttons, or stretched fabric. The same goes for pants. Wear what fits well when you sit, stand, walk and bend. Don’t worry about size, because when something fits well, it is always more slimming and flattering than an ill fitting garment, no matter the size.

Also, plan the outfit for the environment. Are you heading in for a studio session? Heels and skirt may work ok there. The park or the beach? You may want to rethink the 4 inch stilettos. Think about the style of portrait you are going for. Do you want casual? Lifestyle? Posed? Formal? Plan clothing according, everyone will be more comfortable and more likely to cooperate. Your photographer can help you decide what style you want by asking a few simple questions. I include this in my pre-session consultation.

It is all in the details. Sometimes. When it comes to portraits, don’t forget the small details, like shoes and socks. You may be sitting on the ground and your shoes may show. So letting Sally wear the hot pink Crocs, well, lets just say that may be a battle worth fighting if you don’t want them in the picture. If your going for lifestyle portraits of Sally just as she is now, then by all means, bring the Crocs.  If you want a timeless portrait in the park, with the whole family, those Crocs will be the focus of your attention before you rest your eyes on any faces. And socks, can’t say enough about socks. Try to make sure they coordinate. Again, those striped tights may be perfect if we are out capturing your little darling’s colorful personality, but not so much if great grandma is in town and we need to capture that one extended family portrait for the generations.  Often I suggest we stay casual, and even go barefoot! But simple shoes, flats, etc can also look great in portraits. Just realize they are very likely to show up in the portraits and plan accordingly. Jewelry is another area that can make or break a portrait. Too much is distracting, too big is distracting. A few simple, well chosen pieces can totally add to an outfit. Small hoops earrings, studs, simple small dangling earrings, coordinating necklaces, and bracelets can work well. Multicolored bangles, large hoops, 4 inch long dangling earrings, large art pendants, all may not work well in portraits. Again, the goal is to see those beautiful faces.  This also goes for watches, do you it them in the portrait? If not, put it in your pocket. Hair bands and scrunchies are another one. Many of us wear then on our wrist to put our hair up. Hair bands don’t make good bracelets. Belts, again, same idea. They can be slimming, but less is more. I usually suggest avoid them, but if you must, stick to coordinating colors and avoid large belt buckles. Longer, slimmer lines for clothing are always more flattering,  no matter what size or shape you are. Belts can tend to cut in half, and add another detail that may not be necessary. Glasses are another area to think about. There is a chance of glare, which will be noticeable and will block seeing the person’s eyes. If the person always wears glasses, you may want them in the portraits, it is who they are. While I try to take a once over and check details before I snap a picture, I may not always catch something like glare. It is helpful to mention glasses to your photographer, that helps us to remember to help you place them on your nose at a slight down angle to help avoid glare. Some have even taken their glasses to their eye place, had the lenses removed for portraits and replaced after. Using an old pair for a few days may work well since most people want to use their current glasses. Again, this isn’t necessary. We can do portraits without the glasses, or place them to avoid the glare issue.

The other details. Hair. While Photoshop can be our friend, I can’t cover your 3 inches of roots that are showing because you forgot that latest color appointment. So make the time for that appointment if you do not like the current state of your hair. Your investing in portraits, the details do matter to an extent. Again, if we are in the apple orchard, your wearing a baseball hat, this is who you are, we are likely going after lifestyle portraits, then fine, don’t worry about the hair.  Just take time to check out all subjects from head to toes before your session. Has Sally used a ton of product in her hair from the dance last night? Do your roots need retouching? Does dad really need a haircut? This is a good time to take care of the roots, bed head, haircuts. You will be happier in the end. Your money is better spent on the salon visit, than paying for extra time to retouch things that are an easy fix before hand.

Some suggestions to bring to the session are makeup, lipstick and powder, best if oil free, brush or comb, lip balm for those little chapped lips we often see in the fall, hair clips or barrettes for those little bangs that may fall into the eyes, tissues, travel container of baby wipes, etc. Just a few suggestions.

Lastly, you think you have the outfits all picked out, you think your home free. Lay them out on the floor or bed, tops, bottoms, even tights and shoes, if necessary. Make sure you like the look of all of it. Take a picture with your phone and send it to me if you are unsure. I am more than happy to help! If your out shopping and see a cute sweater, but aren’t sure, take a picture and email it to me. We want your family to look like your family. We want everyone to be as comfortable as possible. Maybe ask for input from the kids on their outfits. If your daughter refuses to wear dresses or skirts, lives in her jeans, it might be easier getting her into a nice pair of leggings or dark washed denim. Try to be flexible and keep an open mind. If you have issues with kids refusing to wear certain items of clothing and want alternative suggestions, let me know, I can help.

Sometimes it is great to make a portrait session about fun. If your trying for the family holiday card, instead of stuffing Sally into a dress and George into a button down shirt, maybe put on jammies and do a Night Before Christmas theme. Or have your photographer over for an on location session and bake some cookies. Take a walk around town or the park, let Sally wear her striped tights and pink tutu with purple sunglasses, or go to the apple orchard with your favorite photog in tow. You can captures some beautiful pictures while enjoying family time and documenting your family just as they are today.  These are just a few ideas if you cringe at stuffing the kids in itchy clothes and making them sit still while telling them to smile naturally while trying to convince them they are having the time of their life, all the while praying for the session to end.

The idea is this: you are investing in capturing memories of your family as they are today. With a bit of careful planning, and some help from your photographer, we can create portraits that you will be thrilled with and will enjoy for generations.