{Jackson, TN wedding photographer, family photographer, child photographer}

I am by NO means a fashionista. I wear yoga pants or jeans and t-shirts most days and my shoes consist of flip flops, tennis shoes and two pairs of “church” shoes. There are many reasons for the way I dress but that’s not what this post is about. *whew* thank goodness I’m off the hook this time…

This post is about you and what you’re going to wear. You’ve researched the best photographer to fit your style and that you are confident will “get” you and do a marvelous job. You’ve gotten a hair cut that you actually like (but not too soon before your session…more on that later). You’ve saved your pennies so that you can invest in the art of this particular photographer that you love. You’ve inquired about the availability of that photographer and got your session on the books. Then you begin to panic. Your palms start sweating and you begin to dial the number again to cancel your session, but before your scared, illogical self can dial the number your mind takes over and you put the phone down. You have a session and you’re going to capture some great memories whether or not you have something appropriate to wear. Because really, you DO have something appropriate to wear. You just need to take some time to figure it out.

Consider the time of the year -There is always seasonally appropriate attire. You wouldn’t wear a sundress and flip-flops in the fall or winter and you wouldn’t wear a big cozy sweater and cute boots in the summer. It’s painfully obvious but it just has to be stated. Consider the colors of the seasons as well. A bright lime green and pink dress may be perfect for that beach session but it will not look the best in front of a gorgeous fall colored background.

Consider the decor in your home – If your home is filled with traditional furnishings you may not want your photo session to happen downtown or in an alley while wearing bright colors and loud prints. If your home is modern and edgy you probably don’t want your family all dressed the same and standing in a field of tall grass. So think about what your photos will say about you when you proudly hang them on your walls.

Coordinate your outfits - I know that “matchy-matchy” used to be very popular and it is still okay in some circumstances but is not necessary and just not natural (for most families, I do have some exceptions). Pick a color scheme that goes with the time of year and your home decor. Pick one or two colors and at the MOST three that will coordinate well. It’s okay to think outside the box. If no one ever thought outside the box we wouldn’t have the great color combinations that we have now. If it is a color combination that you LOVE and it works for you then it will work for your photo session. You will look great because you feel great in what you are wearing.

For summer think coral and olive, red and teal, yellow and gray, the options are plentiful. For fall think cranberry and cocoa, plum and navy, deep orange and gray. The great thing is there are so many different shades of each color that you can work in those different shades without having to pick a whole different color scheme. Scour the internet, your favorite stores, and the ads in the newspaper to get ideas for your coordinating outfits.

Let’s have the “matchy-matchy” conversation. Personally I love to make outfits for my kiddos that match. I think it’s cute. But I probably wouldn’t have them wear matching outfits for a photo session because it simply does not represent us. The kids do not wear matching outfits on a regular basis, so to have them in matching outfits for a photo session just wouldn’t be real. I want their individual personality to shine and if they’re all dressed the same that gets lost a little bit. I have a dear friend from high school who has six beautiful children (5 girls and 1 boy) with another boy on the way. She dresses her children in matching clothes a lot more than I do. They have many options when it comes to matching outfits. So, when doing a consult with her for a photo session would I tell her “don’t put them in matching dresses”? No way. Because that’s what they do and they do it well…so like I said, I do have some exceptions to the “matchy-matchy” rule of thumb. “Matchy-matchy” CAN work so don’t be totally scared away from it. If it’s done right, and in the right situation, it’s beautiful.

Prints and Patterns - You may think that prints and patterns are a “no no” when trying to coordinate your family session. But prints and patterns are great when they are used appropriately. The size of the print should be in scale with the size of the person wearing the print. A small child should not wear something with a HUGE print on it, it makes them look even smaller. A grown person should not wear an all around small print as it will make them look even bigger. Does that make sense? A proportional size print for the person is great! That being said, everyone that is in your photo session should not have a different print on. That will look confusing and will distract the viewer of your images from seeing your family. They will only be looking at the patterns that are all over the place.  Pick one or two patterns that go with your color scheme and stick with that. If more than one person has the same kind of pattern on (eg. stripes) that’s okay, it can work quite nicely.  For family sessions it’s great to have the little ones wearing the pattern and then the grown ups or older siblings find solid color clothing that goes with the color scheme of the patterned piece.

Textures – Textures photograph well and add a lot of depth to a photograph. Think about layering your clothing choices. Don’t forget to add jewelry, scarves, hats, whatever suits your family and your taste.

How to start… My advice would be to pick the hardest outfit first… if someone has a limited wardrobe and you don’t want to purchase new clothing for your session go through their closet first and pick something out that fits the parameters of what you are looking for in your session. My friend Anna told me that when she was thinking about her family session she started with her daughter’s dress that she loved and then put everyone in coordinating outfits to go with that dress. It worked out beautifully. Usually dads have lots of solid color shirts so it’ll probably be easiest to pick dads outfit last. Lay all your choices out on your bed so you can see what you’re working with. Ideas in your head sometimes look very different in reality.

You can even take it a step further…grab your digital camera and snap a shot of all the outfits laying out so you can get a good idea of what it may look like from the cameras perspective. I know that you’re not a professional so the image will look different than what your photographer captures but it will give you an idea if something is really off or if it looks good together. I even did this before my families mini session a couple of weeks ago.  I couldn’t decide which shirt to have Micah wear so I laid out all the clothes on my bathroom floor and took some photos…the lighting was bad, the image wasn’t great but it made it painfully obvious which shirt he should wear. The camera sees things differently than our eye so if you have time and are concerned about how something might look this is an option…but please don’t feel like you HAVE to do this. Consider the details - Ladies, remember to have the correct under garments on…no florals under white shorts/pants/skirts if you know what I mean . If you wear a watch and lots of jewelry every day by all means make sure to wear it for your session. If you’re like me and hardly own any jewelry consider borrowing something small for your session, it’s like the icing on the cake. Accessories can really add a finishing touch to your photograph. Make sure to have your nails taken care of for your session and don’t forget your toes if it’s a summer session or if you’re going to wear open toed shoes. Don’t get your hair cut right before your session…just not a good idea. What if you hate it? Then you’re stuck and you’ll always remember that bad haircut in those beautiful photographs. Even for the guys, I suggest that if you’re going to cut your hair do it a week or so before your session. Otherwise a trim a few days before is just fine. It’s all about the details.

The most important thing!!!! Be YOU!!  You are unique, an individual, God picked each of your traits, characteristics, and qualities just for YOU. He also picked your family just for you…so embrace who you are! Don’t try to be something you are not. Don’t dress in a way that is completely different from how you’d normally dress. Sure you can dress it up a bit more but don’t go too far out of your box. My job as a photographer is to capture who YOU are…not who you think you’d like to be. So be YOU!! And be proud of who you are and what you have to offer and your session will reflect that.

Here are a few samples of well styled family sessions!

Anna did a great job of styling these two photo sessions that I did for her family. She picked a color scheme and didn’t go crazy with prints and patterns. See how all the boys are wearing stripes in the bottom photo, it’s the same pattern with different shades of the same color so it works…and besides it’s sorta their unofficial family uniform

Some families will choose to go with one color for boys and one color for girls and that can work out really nicely also. Here are a few examples.

I hope that I’ve helped  you with some ideas for your next photo session and that I didn’t scare you away from getting your family photographed. Just remember to be you and that will shine through clearly in your photographs!

I had the great honor of meeting Daniel yesterday.
He’s a soft spoken, kind, young man!
I’m so excited to have him as one of my Class of 2011 Reps!!!
Yay Daniel!

Before the session even started I realized that I locked my keys in my car,
(what a way to start a session)
but Daniel’s mom Karen called a mutual friend of ours and he came out to help.
In the mean time, I got Daniel in front of my camera!!!

Here are a few of my favorites from his session
at Brackenridge park!

Thanks for the fun photo session Daniel!!
Thanks also for helping Aaron pop the lock on my car!!
Still can’t believe I did that!

JT Photography is currently looking for Senior Class Representatives from area highschools from the class of 2011!!

Please send me an email if you are interested!
jamie (at) jtphoto (dot) org

What’s in it for you?
*A discounted session fee
*Rep cards to pass out to your friends
*Great referral bonuses for getting your friends through my door
*Great discounts on prints and products

Hey Seniors! Carry your wallets in style.
Your friends are probably carrying around little plastic bags,
or little cardboard boxes…
but you my friend can be the talk of the town,
with your very own personalized, custom wallet box!

These awesome boxes are complimentary with your
order of 50 wallets or more after your session!

I had another great senior session tonight.
I got a call from Cathy on Saturday,
she had purchased my certificate at
Lutheran High School’s Auction a while back,
and wanted to get Danny’s senior photos done
and ready for the graduation announcements!

Graduation is coming up so fast!
Where has the year gone?

Danny is a very polite, handsome, kind, young man.
I hope you are able to see that in his portraits.
Danny just got a new camera…
so we got to talk “shop” for a bit!!!

We took his photos near his home at Las Ruinas park.
What a gorgeous setting for his portraits.
I hope I get to work there again someday!

Danny, thanks for taking this evening to come out and get shot!
I hope you had a good time, I sure did.
I’m really diggin’ these photos and hope you’re pleased with them too.
Thanks again and I hope we can work together again soon!
Enjoy your sneak peeks!

I was so excited to get a message on facebook from Kayla’s mom this week.
She wanted to schedule Kayla’s senior session and we knew it had to be fast.
Kayla and I have some things in common,
not only do we go to the same church,
not only were we both seniors at some point (now for her)
but we’ve also both been on synchronized swimming teams…
Kayla just happens to still be on one.
Which means, Kayla’s weekends are BUSY!

But on a beautiful Thursday evening we were able to get her session in.
Not only was the weather beautiful, but so was the location, and the senior!

Man, I’m so blessed to do what I do.
I love capturing these special times in peoples lives,
and the people I get to photograph are beautiful,
inside and out and that just makes my job that much easier!

Enjoy a few sneak peeks of Kayla!
In the fall she’ll be headed off to
Johnson and Wales University to study Culinary Arts!
When she comes home I’m gonna make sure she bakes for me!!!

Kayla, thanks for the totally fun evening!
I’m so glad we were able to get this session scheduled and done so quickly!
You are as beautiful inside as you are outside and it is my honor to capture these memories for you!

I love finding new places in my city for photo shoots.
Elizabeth had some GREAT places in mind.
We went to San Pedro Springs Park (which is the 2nd oldest park in the nation)
and although it was a bally 35 degrees outside, Elizabeth was trooper.
We also went to the Central Library which is a HUGE library with 5 floors and it’s downtown.

I had so much fun working with you Elizabeth.
I had to get to these photos right away because they are all so beautiful.
I’ll have your proofing gallery up very soon,
but for now, enjoy a few sneak peaks!
I can’t wait to hear what you think!
Thanks for allowing me to capture this awesome time in your life!

She’s going to make one cute English teacher!

These last two are two of my favorites!