The Complete Guide on What to Wear for School Photos
If you want to know what outfit will work for your child's school portraits, this guide can help. Here is what to wear for school photos.
One of the deepest regrets that people have is not taking enough pictures of their loved ones to remember them.
Time passes, and our memories fade. Fortunately, one event every year reminds us to cherish the people we value most: school photos. School photos present an excellent opportunity to get high-quality pictures as a record of your child's growth.
But to make this event as memorable as possible, it's best to send your child off with some suitable school portrait clothing. While the photo is essential, a quality outfit will ensure they make the most of this important day.
Keep reading for just a few school photo outfit ideas.
Things to Go For with School Photos
With a professional photographer, you're getting a professional camera, backdrop, and lighting. This is many steps above the average smartphone camera. While these are the ideal lighting conditions with the best equipment, certain outfits work better than others.
Formal Is Best
If possible, get your child to show up in their Sunday best. A nice polo or buttoned shirt goes a long way, and adding a tie or bowtie makes their picture stand out. Be sure the shirt is clean and ironed.
You will get pictures both of their head and torso but be prepared for the full body shot, which is becoming more common. So, a clean pair of pants or a dress and nice shoes are a must.
Bright, Solid Colors
Sometimes, simple is best. Find a nice shirt, t-shirt, polo, turtleneck, or jacket in a single colour. As long as it's a medium or light tone, that will work.
Two colours are acceptable, but it's best to avoid garments that have more than that. Simpler colours help the picture to maintain better composition and limit anything that detracts from the face.
Patterned Clothing
Patterns will also look good on camera so long as they are not too busy. Floral designs, checkered clothing, and stripes add interest but don’t take your eye away from the face.
Things to Avoid During School Photos
Now let's discuss the no-nos when choosing school portrait clothing. Not even a top-of-the-line DSLR can make a lousy outfit look good with this lighting.
Avoid Dressing Too Casual
There's nothing wrong with a quality t-shirt or long sleeve for a photoshoot. But do try to avoid dressing too casually. Athletic wear, track pants, and hoodies are examples of the types of clothing that don’t fit the mood. Dressing in a snazzy formal outfit adds character to the shot.
Avoid Dark Colors
This one happens all too often. Someone shows up in a dark navy blue polo or a black shirt underneath a jumper. Dark colours may look good in real life, but they present a problem in front of a camera.
Photographers tend to use dark backgrounds during photoshoots. This is because it removes any distracting background features and allows the camera to capture the light from your child's face. This way, you get a crisp, clean image of the subject and nothing else.
But add a dark colour to the mix, such as a t-shirt, and their bodies appear to vanish. The dark colour becomes almost indistinguishable from the background, even if that's not the case in real life. Remember, our eyes see much better than a camera.
This is because the camera exposes the light reflected off the face and underexposes any darker colours nearby to bring the face into focus. Having very dark and light features in a picture often makes a camera focus on the lighter features by default.
The result is a floating head effect--not at all desirable for a picture. Avoid all-dark outfits. Brighter colours are preferable, so your child doesn't appear like a disembodied head!
Avoid Outfits with Logos, Artwork, Writing, or Wacky Patterns
While a shirt with Peppa Pig is cute when you're out and about, it's a bad idea for a photoshoot. It's not necessarily that shirts with these designs and decals are bad per se. Instead, they distract from the subject.
In a photo where someone is wearing a logo shirt, the eye naturally follows those designs rather than the face. So, avoid any shirt with text or decals that might draw attention away from your child.
Also, it's best to avoid patterns that will seem strange ten years on such as repeating clown faces or soup cans.
Avoid Joke Outfits
Every once in a while, a child shows up in a joke outfit for their photoshoot. It's a fun little gag that might make friends laugh, but that's about it. Looking back, it will often be a cringe-worthy reminder of school youth.
This one is up to you, but many people feel it's better to take it seriously. It is a professional photo shoot, after all. There will be other times and places to break out the silly outfits and expressions.
That said, this one is highly personal. Some people may want to have a goofy picture to remember this moment. But, of course, you can always have an extra photo taken on the side for a chuckle.
Get Your School Photos with Brian Ackin Photography
School photos are a yearly treasure that shows your child growing up from a tiny tot to a teenager. To make these photos more memorable, make sure your child comes dressed in a nice outfit. It doesn't have to be complicated; a nice shirt, dress, or polo with medium or brighter tones will do.
Let Brian Ackin give you a professional-grade portrait to remember your child by. Get in contact if you have any further questions.