Why is dressing for photos so hard?!
I completely get it. You decide to book photos, you get all the ducks in a row and then it's time to decide what to wear and BAM. Anxiety, frustration, confusion.....HOW do these families on Pinterest look so perfect??? I'm sure they spent a thousand dollars on a whole new wardrobe for everyone!
just me?
I doubt it ;)
Keep scrolling and let's talk about it, and take a look at real clients who nailed it!
I promise, it doesn't need to be that stressful. You just need to know where to start and how to build. Let me help.
First things first, some general guidelines.
ALWAYS START WITH MOM FIRST. I'm assuming I'm talking to her right now so I'm gonna talk directly. Mama, it is the MOST important that you are comfortable and feel good, so you are easily the best place to start. When you start building your plan for your beach photos, lock-in your outfit first, and then the rest can easily fall into place around you. Also, having one outfit complete makes the rest easier because you're following the same process for each piece. When you sparkle, everyone else, and your photos, do too.
+Layers. The beach can be chilly depending on the time of year, even if it's a reasonably warm day. Layers are also visually interesting.
+Texture. This can be the knit and weight of a piece of clothing, or just the pattern printed on it. Both create a "feel" to your photos. Waffle knits, linen, lace, chunky knits. Stripes, gentle plaids, etc.
+Balance. WHERE you place your colors and textures does matter. Top vs bottom, pattern mixing, etc.
These are the bones of a great set of outfits. Let's look at them in practice, along with some of my favorite color palettes to incorporate for the beach, specifically!
Color Set: Beach Classic Khaki and Cream
What I Love Here: Take this classic beach color palette and elevate it to the modern day. Instead of the khaki pants, white shirt of the past, this family went with creams instead of white. The girls are in cream dresses that are similarly toned to the boys cream tops. Dad's printed shirt is a gentle stripe with tones that slide right between the khaki and cream, and stands alone as just a little touch of visual interest. The lacy texture of the dresses and ribbed linen texture of the shirts give the clothing a feeling of warmth and comfort.
These colors work BEAUTIFULLY on the beach for a reason...our sugar white sand during golden hour has a definite warm tone that is super creamy and in the same vein as this cream and khaki combo. Take a closer look at these details here:
Color Set: Beach Classic Blues
What I Love Here: Another incredibly classic beach outfit color palette, but elevated to today. A lot of people think of blue jeans and white tops--this takes that good idea and makes it GREAT.
You'll see here again, this family chose just one piece--Grandma's pants-- to have a noticeable print, which is fantastic. We have some lace in the youngest girl's dress, flowy linen pants, ruffles on a skirt, and colors that alternate top or bottom. Tons of breezy fabrics that move gorgeously with you.
I think you know why these colors match the surroundings here....we're channeling that blue sky, blue water, white caps and clouds in the most GORGEOUS way.
Color Set: Tropics
What I Love Here: This palette is venturing a little more into the fun zone! These colors are definitely brighter, but bright colors can absolutely POP off the beach, in the best way! Here again with this family, mom is clearly the focal point in her heavily printed dress, but we also see a print on their little one that is more muted, so it works without competing against mom's print. Her dress has a lot of movement and ruffles, and is a light flowy fabric.
This is a stunning choice of palette, just remember to use the brightest shades intentionally and in smaller doses. If you can find a print that incorporates both of the brighter colors and then can balance that with more neutrals, even better! These colors mimic the colors you see out on the beach in the middle of the day, and they just scream "happy" don't they??
Color Set: Seagrass Greens
What I Love Here: This is a palette not many think to try...but spoiler alert, it's actually my FAVORITE.
Green can look SO stunning on the beach, especially paired with blue, because our gulf water is actually emerald colored! Add in dunes and seagrass and you've got yourself a gorrrrgeous photo. I love that this family chose two of its smaller members to wear a visible but gentle contrasting prints. Mom has a bit of knit texture in her lightweight sweater, the littlest is in night lightweight knit as well, and Dad's shirt has a linen feel. It's all very cozy and warm feeling but lightweight and perfectly beachy. I also love that Mom went casual with her seater and shorts--ladies you don't HAVE to do the dress if you don't want to!! Definitely not a requirement.
I hope this was helpful for you to not just see photos of great beach outfit colors, but to also see the textures that really elevate the look of your photos!
I am always here to help give my advice or opinions as you're planning out your outfits, just fire a quick email or text to me and include some photos and I'm happy to chime in!!
You're gonna be GORGEOUS, I promise!
xo, LJP
