Spring, speaking as a Western PA native, is one of the best times of the year. After the dreary skies that never seem to want to leave and the lingering chill of winter, it's a miracle when the sun finally pokes out again! Talk about revitalized. So many families choose to get their family photos taken in the springtime because of the beautiful flowers that start to bloom, the fresh green that we finally see on the ground and on the trees, and the turning of the weather. It's a perfect time to refresh your home artwork and decor, your Facebook profile photo, and use as a coveted gift for Mother's Day (wink wink!). Below you can find some tips and tricks for choosing what to wear for your Pittsburgh spring family photos!
1) Choose Your Location First
Spring is an absolutely beautiful season here in Pittsburgh, when we have flowers starting to bloom, grass finally growing back after winter, the sun has returned after 3+ months of gray, and there are blossoming redbuds, magnolia, and dogwood trees everywhere! This is why location must come first: do you want beautiful pink trees behind you, a neutral green field, or a bright flower garden? Deciding your location first will help you choose outfits later to coordinate with your surroundings.
2) Match Your Home Decor
Most of my clients take family photos every year to update their home with recent photos of their constantly growing and changing kiddos. It's also a great way to see the subtle changes from year to year (have you read my blog post on why you should update your family photos every year?). So take a look at your home and notice the colors and textures you see the most - this can be a great guide for what to wear in your photos!
3) Pastels, Neutrals, Muted Tones
Spring lends itself beautifully to pastels, muted tones, and neutrals. However, this comes with the caveaut we just spoke about above - make sure you know your background! If you're going to be romping among a flower garden with an array of colors, neutrals are a good idea. If you're going to be in a neutral green field, choose some colors that will stand out! Baby blues, dusty rose, sage, etc. - these are all classic springtime palettes. Try and stay away from bold colors and jewel tones - save those for your fall and winter photos!
4) No Matchy-Matchy
In every "what to wear" guide, this is a must: coordinate, don't match! Let the matching white tee shirt and blue jeans fad stay in the 90s where it belongs. Choose one outfit or piece of clothing that you love - maybe mom's dress, or baby's overalls - and work around that item. Choose clothing items that compliment each other and work well together. I would suggest if you were going for a more relaxed look, don't put everyone in jeans and sneakers while dad wears dress pants and a tie. Or vice versa, if you wanted a less casual look, make sure each outfit represents that. Make it cohesive!
5) Layer for the Weather
Ah yes, springtime in Western PA - where it's 31 degrees at 9am and 68 degrees by 3pm. So when the weather varies by 30 degrees in a matter of 6 hours, there's only one thing you can be sure of: that you just can't be sure. The way to combat this: LAYERS. Embrace these layers, worship these layers, count on these layers. Because more often than not in the spring, you will need them!
6) Flowy Dresses and Florals
What screams spring more than a flowy maxi dress and some sweet floral patterns? Embrace the newfound sunshine in Western PA and bring out those long-awaited springtime colors and florals. Just keep patterns to a minimal if you are going this route - choose one family member with a print and coordinate more subtle options for everyone else.
