Fall Pictures

Fall pictures are some of my favorite. I love the colors! Here are some of my best tips for great school pictures.

1. Pick something that is pretty neutral colored. You never know what kind of crazy background they are working with for school/preschool pictures. 

2. You want your kiddo to be comfy. They are going to be at school all day. I like to do an outfit that is pretty much an everyday outfit- just styled up a notch to look nice and interesting without being formal.

3. Add in interesting details that can be left out. Here the plaid shirt can be folded down and hidden if it contrasts too much with the background. I just let his teacher or the photographer know. A vest or a hat. Something with some personality but nothing that can't be removed if it does not work out.

4. Hair needs to be something they can mess up a bit and still look nice. If I full on gel Sammy's hair I know it won't be too great when they finally take him back. I try to use a pomade to get it mostly looking decent and instruct his teacher to comb it a bit and wet it if there is an issue. Pictures after lunch are pretty much a disaster!

5. Skip trendy/prints/patters/characters... unless you absolutely want to look back on that photo in 20 years and see the outfit and not the child.

6. Keep in mind your child's coloring. If they look great in blue make sure there is some blue near their face. If they look washed out in orange skip it for pictures.

7. Finally remember that you don't have to buy them if they turn out badly. We got three prints last time and just used an actual photographer. I think the cost was pretty similar but you mainly want to take the pressure off of yourself. With this digital picture age, you likely have thousands of great shots to remember these days by- hating a school photo won't be a big deal.

8. If you have instructions write them on a card and hand them to the teacher. Such as - wet hair if sticking up and comb down. leave off blue shirt if clashes with the background. please dont force smiles want a natural look. Just little instructions that might help the pictures go better since you can't be there.