what to wear wednesday (late edition).

i know, i know. it’s saturday–so sue me. hee hee! still counts, right?

i would like to focus on small details this week. those tiny little details are another necessary element in a nicely-put-together family portraits.

let’s put it this way: sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference in a family portrait (or any portrait for that matter). in other words, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on new fancy-schmancy clothes at upper-end department stores to get the look you want. all you need is a little time to do your homework to seek out some cute accessories to make your group stand out.

here are some simple guidelines to keep you on the right track:

1) pick one or two great outfits and then have the other members of the family work around it with the basics they already have in their closet. in the case above, i chose the clothes for the daughter first, the son’s clothes second. i then closed my wallet and tried to find clothes that most people possibly have in their closets already i.e. basic sweater, dress shirt and slacks for dad; mono-tone dress for mom [or worst case scenario, run to target and buy some new duds for mom and dad and you're still not breaking the bank].

2) now, at this point take the time and your extra money to find tiny details for individuals to wear that make the group stand out. for this group, i found a newsboy cap, corkscrew hair barrettes, and mom gets a vintage headband. oh, i almost forgot..DID YOU SEE THE HOT-MAMA SHOES? yes, i know their price totally goes against everything i said about not spending a ton but we all have our weaknesses right? go ahead. i won’t judge you. ha ha. seriously though, you can find great shoes for a lot less than what i found these for and still get the same effect. shoes are a small thing but the group’s look above would have a totally different feel if i just threw a pair of black pumps on the mom, no? i rest my case.

this same rule of thumb, regarding the spending of time/money on the small things, applies to most all pictures, even the most casual. you could have dad in a white t-shirt and holey jeans and still pull-off a great picture if his sweet little puddin-pie daughter is wearing hot-pink-rimmed-black-and-white-polka-dotted rain boots that you found at that garage sale you went to last week. i’ve seen pictures of little boys in family pictures wearing nothing but tweed trousers–but it’s the vintage tri-cycle they’re riding that captures your attention.

so, i guess what i’m saying is, you don’t necessarily need to fret over the big stuff. take the time to think through what you already have and then add small accessories to them.