For some people, choosing the wardrobe is the most stressful part of a family session. I don’t want my clients to feel any stress at all about a session with me and I want to make the styling portion of the session simple for you. To help alleviate some of the burden of styling for my clients, I recently subscribed to a wonderful service called Style & Select. It is a website that allows you to coordinate outfits for family photos. To use the service, you simply respond to three simple questions about your family and the database will suggest clothing for you. You will pin your favorites to a board from which you can mix and match and see how everything looks together. The database is curated and run by photographers, so all of the garments you find will photograph beautifully. They present pieces at multiple price points and you are able to purchase items directly though the site. You are also able to email your selections to your photographer, who can provide her input as well. I provide this service free of charge to my clients. To use the service, you will need a link and access code, both of which will be sent to clients when they book a session.

I have put together a step by step tutorial of how to use this amazing service.

STEP ONE

Click on the style and select link that was in your booking email. You will see the following page on the Style & Select site. Enter the access code sent to you by your photographer here. Then hit the start styling key.

STEP TWO

Now, choose your family’s personal style from the three options on the screen and hit next.

STEP THREE

Now you must enter how many people in your family you will be styling, their age, gender and size.

STEP FOUR

Next, choose two color palettes. Make sure to choose colors that are true to your family, work well with the location you have selected, and are season appropriate. It is a good idea to ask your photographer for input on all of this before you start. When I send over the info to use this service, I usually include a note about what colors I think would look best for the session. Of course, you should always choose colors that are true to the personality of your family and complimentary to your skin tones.

STEP FIVE

Now comes the fun part. Choose outfits you like for each family member by clicking the heart icon on each item that you want to add to your board. You can choose from dresses, tops, bottoms, and even accessories. Repeat this process for all of the family members.

STEP SIX

Once you have completed the board for each family member, you can see how the pieces coordinate with one another and shop directly from the board that you have just created. For those of you who are visually oriented, this is a great way for you to see what works well and what doesn’t. If you don’t like something, you can simply click the “x” on the item and go back in and choose another item.

LAST

Once you are done with the selection process, you will email your selections to yourself by filling out your name and email in the spaces on the screen. It will automatically send a copy to your photographer as well. If you have any questions for the photographer, you can write them in the message box on that screen. This is a great tool because if you are uncertain about your choices, your photographer can provide input on your choices and help you to make a final decision.

NEED MORE HELP?

For some people, this styling tool might not provide enough assistance. Don’t worry….I still have your back. My clients are always welcome to email me and I can send specific links to outfits or vendors that I think would work. Other clients find that they like to shop independently and send me photos of the outfits they are thinking about buying. I am happy to help them make their final choices. I try my best to make this part of the session as easy for you as possible. So, don’t be shy and reach out..I am here to help.

If you are interested in booking a session, contact me. You can also find more information about my newborn and family sessions, here.