Navigating the wardrobe waters for a family photo session can be a bit like trying to sail without a map, especially when the seasons change their coats. Autumn in the Catskills and Hudson Valley spoils us with a tapestry of jewel tones, making outfit choices a walk in the park. But then spring waltzes in, and suddenly, we're left wondering how to dress our families in a way that complements the fresh, bursting life around us.
My secret sauce? I let the shooting location be our muse. I examine the canvas of colors that will surround you, and from there, curate a palette that's the exact opposite.
For example, Poppy Red. It’s not just any red; This particular red, which leans a bit orange, absolutely pops against a backdrop of newly sprouted greens (which tend to have blue undertones.)
Then we accent our protagonist color, Poppy Red—think peaches, deep navies, and ivories—creates a palette of colors that not only stand out but also belong. It’s about striking that perfect chord where every note complements the next. This level of palette curation is what will elevate your portrait and give it an intangible quality you can't quite put your finger on.
For a less bold look, there's something quietly profound about the softer side of the spectrum, a palette inspired not by the loudness of colors but by the subtle, earthy tones that communicate a bit more quietly. Oddly enough, it was my chickens, who have most recently inspired me. One afternoon, after collecting their daily bounty, I noticed how beautiful all of their eggs looked together. Colors I might not have realized worked together, painted a beautiful picture right before my eyes. Olive green, baby blue, muted teal, a greyish jade, mauve, alongside the traditional tans and whites made a lightbulb go off. These were the colors I loved to see together when I'm making portraits.
Can't you just picture your family in this palette? You'd look like you just stepped ou tof a painting. This approach to selecting your family photo wardrobe doesn’t just aim to stand out; it seeks to belong, to blend beautifully with our surroundings.
My muse often wanders through the natural world, finding inspiration in the most unexpected places. I spend hours on Pinterest, looking at still life paintings and old masters' renditions of an English garden or a provincial French lavender field and immediately find myself curating new wardrobe pairings for the families I work with.
Drawing from these natural and artistic points of inspiration, we can be more intentional about something that may otherwise seem unimportant when it comes to designing our family portraits. It's about more than looking good in photos; it's about capturing the essence of who we are, in harmony with the natural world. So, as we prepare for your family's session, let's think of it as painting our own canvas, where the colors we choose help tell the story of our connection to the world and to each other.