family pictures + what to wear post

If you've been around her for a while then you have probably heard me mention my fabulous photography friend molly from willow brandt photography
well lucky for me, I am able to have a friend that will photograph my family and let me do some pretty silly things that work about oh 50/50 I'd say. 

recently, my friend molly did Presley's 3 year photos as well as our family, and let me just say that I have the cutest dang daughter she has done it again and these photos melt.my.heart.

and yes, I have the cutest dang kid ever... Yes! biased!  So besides showing off my little family, I thought I'd share with you a guest post I did recently about what to wear for your family photos. 

and Yes, I still have a few Christmas DIY posts left as well.  I'll get back on that, k? forgive me!

could you not just eat her up.
she is adorbs!

melting!

daddy's girl

mommy's BFF

my little family...

 

 my dress // francesca's. cardi-target. boots-macy's. leapord belt-target

his sweater// oldnavy. button up-gap

her dress // pocket full of lovelies 

{yes, I made it}

watch for similar dresses very soon!

 

enough about what I wore,

let's talk about what you should!

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Today, I am here to talk to you cool cats about {what the heck to wear for your family pictures}
Why am I credible to talk on such a subject? Well, I am not really, but I like photography, and I like clothes and sometimes I get a vision..
call it what you will, but sometimes my mind thinks in photo shoots... {or blog posts, or tweets, ahh}
alrighty peeps, onto the topic at hand!

* inventory your house! what the hey does this have to do with getting your family dressed? well, it has a lot to do with it. I'll explain. why do we get pictures taken? because we want to display our beautiful selves all over our house, right? for other people to see when they come over and they can say, "dang, girl you look so good in that pictures" why, yes I do! thanks! so, look around, where are these pictures going to hang or sit? is your room formal? casual? what colors are in your room? take this into account when picking out outfits...
* another word of advice... research your photographer people! if you like sit-down-smile at the camera portraits, then pick a photographer that does those types of photos. if you like candid-maybe I am smiling, maybe I am laughing, maybe my butt crack is hanging out {no really, mine was in one of my pictures, no joke} then pick a photographer that has that style...
* the days of everyone looks the same in white shirts and khaki pants are long gone my friends... instead, try and pick out a few colors that everyone can incorporate in their outfit and coordinate not match... don't be afraid to mix unexpected colors and use accessories. COLOR is in folks! one of my {go to places} when I am trying to decide on Color is design seeds ... check it out.. you can search for palates and a pretty picture is included to help you if you are more visual like I am. you can search by palate, like autumn, summer, and so on! this is a good place to start... go there, like NOW! but come back and check out the rest of this post, m'kay?
* coordinating your outfits... this is huge. it's ok to mix patterns and colors, right? but don't put the same color and pattern on every person. pick outfits that encompass your
color palatte and then divi up those colors... if your scheme is mustard yellow and gray with pops of turquoise, put baby in yellow with a bold turqouise headband and yourself in a great gray dress with a pop of bright teal jewelry on your wrist and a mustard scarf and put dad in a plaid turquoise or shirt and dark gray wash jeans...
* scan your closets... pictures, as wonderful as they are, well, let's face it, can get pretty spendy by the time it's all said and done. well worth it, yes! look through your closets, do you think your husband looks hot in that shirt you bought him to wear to dinner last month, or maybe the baby looks darling in the new blazer you bought for grandma's birthday party {yes, they make blazers for the baby, too dang cute}. use that fave piece of clothing to help inspire the rest of your family look.
* use props... some of the time, your photog will have some for you to use, but if you are using these pictures for birthday invitations or for christmas cards and you want a specific look or feel, buy it and bring it, and communicate this to your photographer. check etsy or your favorite blogs for ideas... check your house, that special quilt that has been in the family for 100 years, bring it and sit on it {it washes} and you'll find your pictures not only look amazing but have a little bit of sentiment as well. believe me, photographers, {bless them} and their super cool editing skills, have a way of making aunt betty's ugly blanket look awesome in the photo... {I don't know how they do it, but they do}
* and last, we all do it, spend countless hours scanning pinterest. get inspiration from what other people have done. do me a favor and {wait for it} actually click on that super cool picture that you like and go to that blog or website and look around.. you may find more inspiration than you knew possible. seriously, if you like that one picture, chances are, you'll like the rest of what you will find after you click to the new page! try it, k?

well, take from it what you will. I hope someone draws some inspiration from this little post and has some crazy good family photos in the near future..

I have to get my roast out of the crock pot, and make my instant mashed potatoes before the hubbs gets home and figures out my secret! {I almost sounded domesticated, huh?} but seriously, the best choice garlic instant mashed potatoes are bomb!
you're welcome...

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thanks for listening lovelies
I'll be back soon!
xoxo