DRESSING FOR YOUR WINTER FAMILY PORTRAITS
Although we can generally guarantee our London winters will be cold, we can’t always guarantee the snow or how cold… so here’s my top tips for putting together family outfits for winter photo sessions, come rain, snow or shine...
If it’s snowy or frosty outside then there might also be lots of mist in the air or even some snow, making the scenery in your family photos muted and pale. Don’t be afraid to pick clothing colours that will pop in your photos… navy blues, creams, browns, strong yellows and muted reds a are all good colours to use as a base. These same colour recommendations also work well when there’s a low winter sun in the sky, and no frost in the air. They complement and contrast beautifully with the browns of the trees and the greens, reds and yellows of the few remaining leaves.
Pick one hero item of clothing, and coordinate everyone else’s outfits with it. You could even choose one item with a pattern or texture to it, as a hero item of clothing. Always be careful to keep it simple with the number of colours and patterns so that the viewer’s eye is drawn to your family’s faces, rather than their clothes. Remember there are patterns & textures in the outdoors environments we photograph in, so we want to be careful not overwhelm the viewer’s eye with too many patterns.
In this session, all outfits were coordinated around Baby Rumi's romper. His camel cardigan was chosen to complement the accent colours in the romper and dad (and mum) stayed neutral in a variety of denim and navy blues. The furry lining in dad's jacket complemented Rumi's camel tones and the fur in his romper; plus layering means dad could take it off for some shots.
Make sure to layer up and play up the winter clothing options – chunky scarves, fur-lined boots, hats and gloves all help create variety in our images. Do wear a couple of layers underneath though to make sure you stay warm, particularly so for the kids; even consider thermals and doubling up on socks. Once we get moving and the kids are running around, we can always strip layers off; again creating more variety for your family photo album.
This is layering up at it's best: scarves, gilets, boots, leggings, coats (and somewhere gloves)... all coordinated with the colours of the autumnal leaves and using navy & denim as an accent colour.
The warm neutral tones of the children's clothes work brilliantly with the warmth of the low winter sun. The eldest son wears a hero item - the checked shirt - whilst the baby stays subtle with a chunky knit and little sister offsets the blue of the checked shirt with her hair slide.
If it’s raining (lightly, not pouring) we can still go ahead with our photoshoot. If you’re game, I’m game! I simply wrap my camera up in plastic and off we go. And, I always bring bin bags with me for us to sit on for seated photographs… so your bums stay dry and clothes stay clean!
If you’d like more ideas on winter clothing for your family portrait session, hopefully the images here from some previous outdoors family portrait sessions will inspire you. You’ll also find more ideas on colours, patterns and layering on my Pinterest boards on outdoor photoshoot outfits and winter maternity layering ideas.
My next outdoors family photography sessions of the winter months will be on Sunday 26th February in Victoria Park, London, E8/E3. If you’d like to join me and capture some magical images of you and your family get in touch for more details or simply text OUTDOORS to 07720885528. (And if you want to come and make a day of it in the area, check out local mum blogger Anna's blog on local places to hang out and enjoy with your kids).
Hope to see you soon.
Sara
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