Tip: Go for Tone in Family Portrait Wardrobe

Here are some tips from Attlee Weddings and Portraits for Moms planning the family wardrobe for an upcoming portrait session.  Its not so much about matching colors that makes a good looking portrait; its all about tone.  When you get past selecting two main colors that harmonize with your intended portrait session background, go ahead and vary the tones in the colors a bit.  You don't all have to be wearing the same thing!  But the tones, meaning the relative lightness and darkness of the colors, are what need to be in sync.  You want the viewer's eye to go to each person equally and not key on one person whose clothing is very light or very dark compared to the others.

In the above example, my client Cindy decided to dress her family in combinations of neutrals and blue, a perfect choice for a summer portrait by the blue sea on the beige sand.  Cindy selected a cute dress from the Jones New York, Jessica Simpson line for herself.  She balanced that by dressing her husband and son in blue shirts and khaki shorts, but notice how she varied the tones of the colors of their shirts and shorts while staying within her selected color palette.  Cindy topped off the wardrobe color harmony by accessorizing herself in a necklace that again plays off the main colors she selected for the session, blue and beige.  Take a lesson from Cindy for your next family portrait!  In fact, see a "sneak peek" of her family portrait session here:    http://video214.com/play/GZMGvbNPXtNBo0MdlKAjyw/s/dark

Tracey Attlee of Alexandria, VA and Spring Lake, NJ is a former White House photographer who specializes in weddings and good quality portraits of families, high school seniors and executives.