Studio Portrait Photographer of the Year, British Institute of Professional Photography - Yorkshire Region -
Hasn’t it been great to see a bit of sunshine recently? It's lovely to see the spring bulbs peep their heads out of the ground with the promise of the colours of springtime.
For me it brings an excitement that my
spring family photoshoots in Leeds are happening very soon.
Will you be joining me for either a daffodil session in April? Or, perhaps a bluebell session in early May? If so, I hope you’ll find this article useful.
One of the most common questions I get asked (often apologetically!) is "what should we wear for our photoshoot"? There is honestly no need to be shy or apologetic. It’s a really important question, and with a little thought you can find the perfect outfit combination for your family and feel confident at your photoshoot.
In this blog, I’m sharing spring photoshoot outfit ideas to give you inspiration for what to wear for these fun mini sessions among the beautiful spring flowers.
With these tips, I hope you’ll be able to plan your family’s wardrobe for our scheduled time together with ease.
Outfit planning is essential! You are investing in a professional photoshoot. The photographs we take will potentially be on the walls around your house for many years to come.
Clothes are an important consideration and should be thought through well before the day of your session. I wouldn't want you to regret your outfit choices later!
Since there is to be a group of you, it’s also important to think about how your outfits will work together. Ideally, you would be aiming for a cohesive look with all family members wearing clothes that coordinate well with each other.
They should also tie in with the natural colours of the spring flowers and the outdoor setting where the family portraits will be taken.
For this reason, very bright or neon colours, for example, are a no-no!
If you’re booked in to one of my upcoming daffodil or bluebell mini family photoshoots, my advice would be:
For a daffodil photoshoot, I recommend that you pick a pale base colour such as neutrals, pastels and light tones. Then, introduce some dark blues and purples in your clothing.
These shades look great on camera as they work so well with the vibrant yellow of the flowers. Since they are complementary colours, blues and yellows together really make the photos pop!
If you’re joining me for a bluebell portrait session, fresh pale colours and bluey purples tone in well.
When your clothes complement the background, your photos will look truly fantastic!
I also recommend that you keep the number of different colours in your family’s clothing to a minimum. That way, you’ll create a far more cohesive look that looks great on camera.
If you introduce too many different colours, you’ll find them very distracting to the eye when you view your photos and this is the opposite of what we want to achieve.
The focus should be on you and your children among the spring flowers, not on the clothes that you are wearing.
This is a golden rule for all of my family photoshoots, not just for a daffodil or bluebell family portrait sessions…
…Wear clothes that fit well and are comfortable.
My photoshoots are all about capturing the energy of your family. In between a few moments where I will ask you to "sit here" or "stand together over there", there will be playing and running and jumping, if that’s what your children do! (If they are naturally still and quiet then that’s fine too).
It’s important that you are able to be yourself during your family photoshoot, so you’ll want to wear clothes that make you feel good.
I suggest that you choose smart-ish clothes that are typical of what you’d wear in your day-to-day life, and not anything that’s going to restrict your movements.
Clothes that are too tight won’t be flattering, but they may also prevent you from interacting with your family in a natural way and running around – as often happens during my family shoots!
If you’re able to be move around freely during the photoshoot, playing with the children and actively engaging with them while I take photos, then I’ll be able to capture some lovely natural photos of you all. These candid moments often make the nicest pictures!
Remember, I’m always on hand to give you tips and advice on what to wear.
I can cast my eye over WhatsApp images or, if you’re local, you are welcome to pop round and show me what you’ve got planned for your outfits.
Now that you’re armed with my spring photoshoot outfit ideas, if you’ve yet to book a daffodil or bluebell mini session and would love to secure one of the last of the slots I have available, then do contact me ASAP.
These are lovely, fun and relaxed portrait sessions in which I’ll encourage you and your children to play games together and run around among the spring flowers.
I’d love to photograph you and your family and look forward to hearing from you if you’re interested in booking either a daffodil or bluebell photoshoot this spring.
Related reading: What to wear for an autumn family photoshoot
"I cannot recommend this lady enough! When I arrived with my children, I didn’t think that I would be leaving with absolute certainty that my pictures would be incredible. Andrea didn’t rush them, and she had the patience of a saint. My 1-year-old took charge and didn’t cooperate with anything that Andrea had planned but she was still able to create some amazing photos by totally following her lead. Andrea also insisted that me and my partner were included in some of the photos which I was very hesitant about, but I will be forever grateful for that. These are photos that I will always cherish. Thank you so much!” - Becky
"We had the most amazing photo session with our granddaughters and Andrea. A fabulous experience full of fun and laughter, in which Andrea was an inspiration. Our girls haven’t stopped talking about it!!!!” - Paul
"Andrea did an amazing job photographing our family, really lovely and patient with the kids and made everyone feel relaxed.. oh and beautiful pictures!! :)” - Joanna
"We had a lovely mini photo shoot with Andrea, she was very patient getting photos of our little girl and had some great tricks to try and make her smile! We're really pleased with the photos and I'm sure we'll continue to enjoy them for years to come. Thank you Andrea!” - Sophie