outfit

Bin Bin Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

What To Wear For Your Family Photoshoot – A Step by Step Guide

“What Should My Family Wear?” We’re asked this so frequently that we’ve written several articles about it (Click on the thumbnails to read more!):

However, if you’re still having trouble after reading the articles above, here is a simple step-by-step guideline that will hopefully help you get your family photo ready.

Step 1: Decide if you’re going formal or casual

To ensure that everyone in the family is on the same page, decide the level of formality of your photoshoot. Are you planning a casual shoot or would you like everyone to be more dressed up? Dressing up doesn’t have to mean wearing something extremely formal; it can just mean going a little further than normal, like wearing a nice dress for the ladies or a fitted shirt instead of a t-shirt for men.

When deciding the style, do consider the location of your shoot as well. For example, a grand hotel lobby could be an ideal backdrop for a formal photoshoot, but if you’re doing your shoot at home or in a park, a more relaxed style might be preferable.

If you’re planning to shoot in our studio, we will be able to set up according to either style.

Step 2: Decide your base colour

In your next step, choose two to three colours for everyone to select from and request the family to stick to the same range of colours. To achieve this, decide on the primary colour you want for your photo session. This may be based on the outfit you wish to wear or just the colour that the majority of your family members may likely already have.

Step 3: Coordinate colours

After selecting the main colour, use the colour wheel to select complementary colours. Complementary colours are hues that are directly opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as yellow and purple. You can also select colours next to each other such as blue and purple as adjacent colours on the wheel also blend well together.

Should the above prove too challenging to coordinate, you can opt for colour shading, which involves selecting lighter or darker shades of your chosen colour. Therefore, if your primary colour is blue, your family members can then choose a variety of blue outfits that may range from navy to pastel.

If all else fails, neutrals such as blue, cream, khaki, or white are popular choices and you can’t go wrong with these.

Step 4: Ensure there is variety

Having a variety of outfits such as blouses, shirts, jeans, skirts and long dresses will create more dimension to your photos. Encourage your family members to wear clothing that expresses their individuality and sense of style. Use different textiles, such knits or lace, to provide texture. You can also incorporate texture by layering – such as throwing on a shirt over a plain tee, a cardigan over a dress or a shawl over your blouse.

If you’re not sure about your selections, feel free to bring an extra outfit to switch up on the day of the shoot.

Some final tips!

Avoid clothing with large graphics, brand logos or too many patterns.
Ensure your clothes fit properly. Do try on your outfit before the shoot to check that it fits well and that you can not only move around comfortably but sit comfortably as well.
Steer clear of clingy fabrics that may highlight unflattering areas.
Make sure to iron out the wrinkles in your outfit prior to the shoot.
Don’t forget to think about your footwear.
Comfort is a must!

If you need more help in this area, feel free to drop us a message and we can discuss more!

Bin Bin Tan In At Home, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Newborn, Portraits, Studio

What To Wear For Your Family Photoshoot

“What should my family wear?” is generally the first question most families have when arranging a family photoshoot. It’s a valid question! After all, your images will most likely be displayed someplace in your home, and you’ll want to make sure they’re not only beautiful but also timeless.

Based on our experience of photographing many families, here are some tips for choosing your outfits!

1. Coordinate, not match

Rather than having everyone show up in the exact same shade and style, consider instead outfits and colours that complement each other. Think cohesiveness rather than being “matchy-matchy”. Begin by choosing a colour palette of two to three coordinating colours and select your clothes that will fit into this colour scheme. Coordinating colours are colours that are found opposite each other on the colour wheel. If you’re unsure about which colours complement each other, this handy tool from Canva can assist!

2. Consider Colour Shading

If colour coordination feels too daunting, go for multiple shades of the same colour instead. You can’t go wrong with a light natural palette – think earthy tones and hues of cream, grey and blue.

Having different shades of the same colour doesn’t just mean going light and dark. Shades of green, for example, could include olive, mint, turquoise, and even teal. Throw in a bit of neutral colours like white and grey to mix it up and you’re good to go!

3. Have Variety

Discard the all tee-and-jeans look and replace it with a variety of khakis, skirts, and even long dresses. Allowing this range will let each family member dress in a way that reflects their unique personality and will result in far more interesting family portraits.

4. Don’t be afraid of prints, patterns or even bold colours

While you can’t go wrong with solids for everyone, including a pattern or print in the mix can assist to draw attention to your images. A splash of colour can also do wonders. When styling with prints and patterns, it is important to note that not everyone should be such styles. With aesthetics, typically less is often more. A good idea is to have majority of the family in neutrals with only a few members in pattern or colour.

5. Textures and accessories are your friend

Choose garments with a range of textures and fabrics such as lace, tulle, chambray, knits and others to add depth and character to your images. Layers and accessories can also be used to apply textures. Not only can these help pull your look together and assist with outfit coordination, they can also be used as styling props in the photoshoot – think a jacket slung over a shoulder or a tulle skirt being twirled around.

6. Be yourself

Ultimately, your family photos should represent who you and your family are. Don’t dress like someone else just because you saw an amazing outfit idea. Being comfortable in your chosen outfits and enjoying your projected look will help you love your photos more.

To enquire more on our packages, contact us here.

Sarah Lim In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Maternity, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

How to Style Your Family for a Photo Shoot

Family gatherings are a perfect opportunity for a photoshoot, whether its a birthday party or festive gathering. However, getting a great family photo sometimes requires a little more than just smiling at the camera. There’s some prep work involved and it’s called “styling”. You don’t have to be a professional fashion consultant to do this. In fact, it’s quite easy! Here are four ways to start having better looking photos with just a little bit of styling done right.

1. Consider your location and backdrop

If your photoshoot coincides with an event such as a birthday party or a dinner, think about how the location will look like: What colour will the wall or backdrop be where your group will be standing? Here’s a good rule of thumb you can follow:

Plain background – You can wear either plain or bright colours, and outfits with more patterns. However not everyone should be wearing prints or else the patterns might clash, making overall photo look too messy.
Busy background – It’s best to wear outfits with plain colours (no patterns) that complement the background. Eg. A green leafy background can go with full white outfits or white and khaki colours.

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Nathan & Ayu: Berlulut

Photographers: Grace & Mark
Location: The Westin, Langkawi

This has got to be the wedding of the year! I have so many beautiful photos to show from this wedding that it has to span across 3 blog posts! This is the 2nd part to Nathan and Ayu’s wedding. After the akad nikah in KL, we headed for the sandy white beaches of Langkawi. Specifically, the Westin, Langkawi. When I first found out that Nathan and Ayu wanted a berlulut event, I wasn’t quite sure what it was! Later, I discovered that it just meant ‘changing of outfits’. In other words, we had a portrait session with beautiful costumes!

Ayu’s mother had requested that they did this, and boy, was I happy! Don’t you think The Westin at Langkawi made a gorgeous backdrop for these images? The image below was taken from the 5 bedroom villa (with its own private pool!).

We started off with the traditional Iban costume from East Malaysia. This is so apt for Ayu as she is from Kuching. Even though Ayu does not have an Iban heritage, she used to dance the traditional Iban dance when she was in school. By the way, I never realized how tough it was to make the headgear stay!

This is what happens when East meets West… it’s a dance of two cultures.