Fashion (Do's & Don'ts)

Although there are exceptions to every rule, here are some recommended guidelines.

Do's

~ Dress appropriately. For engagement and family photos, we're going for a more casual look.

~ If the portrait is to include more than one person, co-ordinate colors. This is especially true for engagement and family photos. In other words, do not dress as individuals, but as people of like mind. Your photos will come out looking much better.

~ Proper dress allows the face to dominate the portrait. Against a medium or dark background, the colors that photograph best are medium to dark tones of green, brown, rust, wine or blue. Darker shades are more slimming.

Don'ts

~ Avoid light colors that approximate flesh tones, such as beige, tan, peach, pink and yellow. These colors dominate a portrait and over power the face and make the wearer look pale.

~ Long sleaves are preferrable to short sleeves. Bare arms can show up it ways you might not like. Bare shoulders or "tops" with spaghetti straps often make the subject look heavier and take away from the face.

~ Especially bright colors such as red, orange or pink will ruin a portrait because their intensity overwhelms the face. The color red, does work well, however, for Christmas card photos.

~ Stripes, plaids and bold prints draw the eye away from the face and do not photograph well.