Middle Tennessee has had some seriously bizarre spring weather so far.  One week it’s cool, and the following it’s in the mid-80’s.  While we’re clearly getting closer to summer now (and thus, more consistent warmer temps), you just never know what our weather will pull.  Kind of like the unexpected last minute tornado warning in Franklin one evening last week as I was getting Matthew (my 2.5 year old) ready for bed.  Yep, we ended up spending close to an hour in our shelter in the basement!  Like I said, middle Tennessee has unpredictable weather.  Because of that, it can be hard to plan what to wear for a session.  I get asked about clothing choices a lot, so  I wanted to show you two new style boards with spring-friendly outfits for the whole family!  While I’m at it, I’ll go ahead and address some common questions that I hear.

One question that repeatedly comes up is “Should we match?” 

I’d recommend that you aim to coordinate.  Look at the collections below, for example.

In both, one person (the little girl, in this case) is wearing a patterned dress.  Each of the other family members then has a shirt/sweater in a color that directly comes from that dress or coordinates with it, which ends up giving you a really cohesive look.  One of the shirts could have easily had another small pattern or stripe, as long as it didn’t really compete visually with that dress print.  There’s no rule about only having one pattern/print in a group.  I wouldn’t recommend two different, large floral prints, though, and I also wouldn’t recommend that anyone wear identical shirts.

A lot of families like the classic “jeans and white shirt” shot.  That is totally fine, and I have done that for many clients.  While I have seen other photographers say that they refuse to photograph families who wear that (no joke!), I understand that it appeals to many people.  I’m good with that.  Of course, that being said, I do think that pops of color really make a big difference in terms of adding energy to a photo.  If given the choice, I’d always suggest choosing outfits that tell about your personality!  Maybe pick a color that really brightens your eyes– my eyes are a blue-green, so that is one of the reasons I tend to wear a lot of blue/teal.  Some people choose to change outfits during a full session, which would provide you with an opportunity to do two different looks, if you so desired.

I will readily admit that I don’t think the “khakis and white shirts” family shot on the beach will ever get old.  That is one that I could probably photograph every day and still love.  Alas, I do not live by the beach…