Planning Your Family Session Out of Season | The Mirage
Recently I was emailing one of my sweet clients who wanted to book a family session with me but was in a dilemma. She wanted to book her shoot in the near future so that we could capture her little guy before he got too big, but she also wanted the shoot to feel like it was in the Spring season. I completely understood where she was coming from–and realized that if she had a question about what to do, then others probably did too!!! And so….this blog post was born!
Here’s where the situation stood: She wanted BOTH her little baby to be small and her session to feel like it was taken in warmer months. The one thing no one had control over was the baby getting bigger! No matter what we did, he was going to continue to change! The other thing–changing the atmosphere of the pictures—that we could work with!!! I know you all have heard me say it over and over again, but your outfits can do SO much for your session!!! What you wear (the pattern, tones, colors etc) can trick anyone looking at your pictures! For example, if it was late winter but the trees haven’t started blooming yet I would suggest wearing clothes with soft pinks, kakki’s, creams, flowy skirts and floral patterns! All the sudden, your pictures look like they were taken in the Spring! Pay no mind that the trees are still bare….we’ll shoot in a wheat field or by a lake that stay the same no matter the season! Vwa-la! Problem solved!
One time Michael and I were having our pictures taken and I desperately wanted it to feel like the Fall (although to be honest, it was still late Summer and HOT!) So you know what I did? I wore ankle boots and a sweater, Michael had on a button down and yes–we even wrapped ourselves up in a blanket like we were cold! I bet everyone who saw those pictures thought we were so cute and snuggling together, but guys! No way! Right afterwards we ripped that blanket off so that we didn’t start sweating!! Outfits can create such a mirage!!!
Here are a few bonus tips!
If you want the pictures to feel like Fall: Wear layers, think about what shoes you wear (close toed), scarves, try to pick tones like burnt oranges, mustard yellows, rusty reds!
If you want the pictures to feel like Winter: Wear hats and jackets! If there’s not snow on the ground, try picking a location with evergreen trees!
If you want the pictures to feel like Spring: Think pastels, high heels, gold jewelry, suspenders!
If you want the pictures to feel like Summer: Try wearing lace shirts or skirts! Soft, warm colors are best!