• Very simple garments always photograph best. We prefer solid colors

• Please avoid wearing bold horizontal stripes or busy patterns.  Shirts with logos, advertisements, or cartoon characters will distract from the portrait. 

• Turtle necks or V-necks are flattering provided that neither is exaggerated in style.  Avoid very wide or particularly deep V-neck garments, as well as bulky cowl neck sweaters that completely hide the neck.

• Long sleeves are essential for teens and adults, as bare arms call attention to themselves and will overpower the face.  Please avoid sleeveless garments at all costs.

• Women being photographed in full length should wear long skirts, pants, or dark stockings in order to keep the eye from being directed towards the legs and away from the face.

• Make certain shoes and stockings are in keeping with the visual intent of the portrait.

• Men should have their hair cut about one week before the portrait session.  Women should be photographed whenever they are happiest with their hair in relation to the time it is styled.

In a family group, proper clothing coordination is critical.  When decorating a home, a major concern is to coordinate the colors and tones of the walls, carpets, draperies, and furniture.  This kind of coordination also is necessary when selecting clothing for a group portrait.  Choose clothing in the same tonal ranges so that no single member of the family stands out because the clothing is too bright as compared to the rest of the group.

	The Clothing choices shown here are very busy and compete with the faces.  Bold stripes and busy patterns dominate the image and the faces are lost.
	This photo shows a well coordinated group with the faces being what you see when you look at the image.  No one member of the group stands out from the others.

The photo on the left is too busy due to the clothing choices which competes with  the faces.  The eye is drawn to the mismatched clothing.  The photo on the right shows well coordinated clothing, where the faces stand out over the clothing.

With only two subjects in the portrait, it is especially important to dress in the same colors to capture their relationship

With business attire a pure white shirt or blouse with a dark suit jacket will emphasize your neck rather than your face.  Pastel, thin striped, or soft patterned shirt with a subtle tie is preferable.  You may want to bring extra clothing and accessories "just in case," and we will help you decide if something else would coordinate better.