This week’s awesome Wardrobe Wednesday is brought to us by Shannon of Shannon J. Dodge Photography. Check it out!

“Happy 2012 to everybody! The new year will bring fun and exciting things to Wardrobe Wednesday and we can’t wait to share them with you!

Not to rush things, but I’ve noticed a lot of photographers booking Valentine’s Day shoots.  And guess what? It’s really not that far away!  So when planning this week’s installment, I figured what the heck, why not compile some ideas for styling a cute Valentine’s session? And so I did.

Really popular and CUTE right now are ties and tie shirts for boys. LOVE LOVE them. You can find them a lot of different places, but I found the most variety on Etsy. Have I mentioned how much I love Etsy? It’s such a great one stop shopping place online, so you can shop in the comfort of your own home. Bonus. I actually found everything you see in this post on Etsy, so I could stick with my one stop shopping theme! You can thank me later.   Also somewhat popular for boys right now are suspenders. They are SO cute on little guys and add such an adorable touch to photos. LOVE THEM. Throw in a fedora, and you’ve got your look for your little guy.”

Tutus and petti skirts have been pretty fashionable for girls for a few years. They are just too cute, especially for a Valentine’s shoot. Again, very easy to find on Etsy. I found the “rag tutu” skirt and fell in love w/ it! I’ll be purchasing one of these for my little girl. I love the look of it! Throw in some cute hair accessories and/or some leg warmers, and there is your girl’s look.

The following are a few of my own photos I took almost three years ago when I was first starting out in photography, I had this vision to dress my little girl up, along with her little friend, and just snap away. They are still some of my favorite images today! I ran to Target, and picked up an adorable t shirt and some woman’s knee socks. I cut the knee socks off at the ankle to make some cute leg warmers for the girls! I special ordered my daughter’s shirt and tutu, and I had the other tutu as a photo prop. I found an adorable knit hat and bow and there you have it. One cute session!

There are SO many darling clothes out there for you to dress your kids in for a fun Valentine’s Day shoot…head on over to Etsy…I dare you not to get sucked in!

SHOPPING LIST – (all items found on ETSY.COM)

BOY

Petite Peanut on Etsy: Little Guy Necktie Tie-Heart Throb Valentine’s Collection (4-6 years) $15.95

Antsy Pants on Etsy: Valentine’s Day Boys Grey and Red Tie Onesie or Shirt with Suspenders (size NB to 12 years) $18.00

If you haven’t seen what the always wonderful Tea Collection has put out this past year, you have truly been missing out.  Their latest destinations – Catalonia and Modern Mexico – have been stunningly beautiful, especially down here in Texas where we appreciate things with a Spanish/Mexican flair. I was lucky enough to team up with Tea again and showcase some gorgeous pieces from their holiday collection modeled by my own two beauties.  They are always my first stop when I’m looking for quality children’s clothing, especially for portraits.  As I’ve mentioned before, it’s so hard to find nice clothes for girls in that deep rich color palette that I want to see hanging in my home.  No matter the destination, I know that I can depend on Tea to have some wonderful options available.  I love the coordination in this first set of outfits – the colors are spot on.  The berry color on Finley and throughout Emory’s outfit adds a perfect holiday touch (hint, hint, you may be seeing a preview of our holiday card). 

Okay, I know I’m a little biased, but aren’t these girls so stinkin’ cute?!?

As always, I love their girl’s dresses – I’m a huge fan of dresses with leggings for both play and nicer occasions.  Speaking of leggings, I continually buy them and have to throw them out, even during the same season, because Emory is so rough on them – holes in the knees, busted seams, etc.  However, she has worn her Tea leggings from last fall through the spring and is still able to wear them this fall.  They honestly look as good as the first time she wore them, a true testament to the quality of the products they offer.

I was excited that this time around that I got to try out their baby girl’s clothes too.  They are so soft and comfortable while still utilizing beautiful patterns and fun details like the frill on the sleeves.  These outfits are currently my favorite thing to put on my sweet girl, and without being too gross, her spit-up tendencies have really tested this fabric in the wash – it has passed with flying colors.  There’s nothing more disappointing then having spit-up stains that I can’t get out of a cute outfit. 

The girls were starting to wind down when we got to outfit #2, but they held out for long enough to get a few sweet shots!  I love how these two outfits use the same pattern but still differ in style and coordinating features.  Perfect for sisters!  This particular pattern has great potential for coordination to other siblings and mom and dad too – just look at all of the options available for you to tie in! 

P.S. It’s been awhile since I’ve photographed one, but it is HARD to work with a baby who isn’t sitting up yet.  Phew!   

Here’s where you can get these gorgeous outfits:

Talavera Layered Dress

Skinny Stretch Leggings

Pava Real Romper

Wildflower Wrap Dress

Wildflower Layered Romper

There are so many reasons why I love the owner of Bella Ariana – not only does she make an amazing product and have tremendous customer service, but she is so gracious and flexible as well.  These lovely images of her Firecracker tutu were supposed to be done back in May, but those of you who have been sticking around awhile know that I was put on strict bedrest after the first week of May. I was so bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to get this shoot done, but Frances was so great about the whole situation.  I really hoped that these images would turn out awesome, and they certainly did!  My usually uncooperative model turned three in the interim and decided that having her picture taken was not that bad after all!  She loved dancing around in her pretty tutu and hamming it up for the camera.  If you know of a little girl who could rock a tutu, make sure to check out Bella Ariana on the web and on Facebook!  Thanks Frances!

I love the inspiration that Morgan brought back from Italy with her (this girl is a bit jealous!).  Check out what she has to say about this awesome retailer:

Buon giorno a tutti! {Good morning everyone!}

Ok, that’s just about the extent of my Italian – other than “Dov’è il bagno?” (where is the bathroom?), “Vorrei un cappuccino” (I’d like a cappuccino) and “Mi dispiace. Non parlo italiano.” (I’m sorry. I don’t speak italian).

Mi dispache, but I just got back from an amazing trip to northern Italy and haven’t quite accepted that I’m back to my normal life yet. I have this strong urge to bake bread, learn how to make my own pasta, and make my wardrobe more euro chic (especially since part of the trip included a conference attended by people from 35 countries). The bread baking happened yesterday (total tangent, but this book is AMAZING!) and the pasta will need to wait, but the wardrobe changes might be easier than I thought.

If you’re not already familiar, let me introduce you to Zara. Zara is a clothing and accessories retailer that began in 1975 in a central street in downtown A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. You can now find them in over 70 countries. While they have an online store that can be viewed in 10 languages, it wasn’t until 2011 that the US was one of the 17 countries where items could be shipped. I’ve never been to a store – and am trying to accept the fact that I was unknowingly two blocks away from one last week – but I’m already a huge fan just by browsing online.

Zara carries clothing for women (including a more youthful TRF line), men, and separate kids lines for young boys and girls (age 2-14) and baby boys and girls (age 3-26 months). You may notice that I included below examples of shoes and scarves for each group. If I had to overgeneralize what I saw in Italy, it was funky shoes and scarves, scarves, and scarves (even on kids and babies – so adorable). Oh, tons of chunky jewelry as well! The question doesn’t seem to be “if” you should wear a scarf or chunky jewelry, but rather what color and how many pieces.

If I wasn’t pregnant (unfortunately they don’t have a maternity line), I’d be going nuts with the shopping. For now I’ll just need to focus on shoes and scarves. But only for now…

Coordinating outfits for a couple of kids can be daunting enough, but what about those families blessed with a whole bunch of kiddos?  Shopping for a larger number can quickly become overwhelming, especially when you have kids spanning all ages from teens to toddlers (that was my family growing up!).  Well, we’ve taken all of the guesswork out of the equation for you in this week’s Wardrobe Wednesday post.  I’ve highlighted a lovely fall wardrobe for up to 6 kids from babies to teens.  Don’t have 6 kids?  No problem!  Just mix and match the outfits you need to work for your particular family. 

I started with the older girl’s top to set my color palette and went from there.  I fell in love with this shirt the moment I saw it at Tea Collection – it has great texture and a beautiful palette of colors for a fall shoot.  I used those colors as my base for picking the rest of the outfits, and I tried to mix up fabrics and layers to create a really natural “un-matchy” look.  I also make it a point to mix up types of clothing.  For example, I don’t want all of the girls in dresses or all of the boys in jeans and button-ups, even if they are different colors or patterns.  And thankfully for you moms of 6, everything here can be purchased online to spare you a trip to the store! :)

Shopping List

 Older Boy
Button Up Shirt – Old Navy $39.94
Jeans – Old Navy $29.50

 Older Girl
Flower Top – Tea Collection $39.00
Skinny Jeans – Tea Collection $49.00

 Younger Boy
Orange Shirt – Tea Collection $26.00
White Long-Sleeved Shirt – Tea Collection $26.00
Khaki Pants – Tea Collection $35.00

 Younger Girl
Pink Tunic Top – Tea Collection $35.00
Patterned Leggings – Tea Collection $25.00

 Baby Boy
Denim Overalls – Gap $30.00
Green Bodysuit – Gap $14.50

 Baby Girl
Brown Dress – Gap $14.99 (sale)
White Footed Leggings – Gap $14.95

Well, it’s that time of year!  The summer festivities are winding down, you’ve been shopping for both new school wardrobes and supplies, and you will be sending your kiddos back to school any day now, if not already.  This is a great time of year to make a tradition out of getting your children’s portraits taken.  Yes, they will be getting pictures from a school photographer soon, but those don’t even come close to capturing your child’s personality as they embark on another year of their journey to adulthood.  I’ve noticed many photographers offering Back to School Mini Sessions, so I thought a post featuring a nostalgic take on back to school portraits would be helpful.  

I wanted to give this wardrobe a throwback “old school” vibe, and the Children’s Place had some great classic looks already put together!  I noticed many stores had already-assembled outfits for you to browse, and that can be a great resource if you are short on time or sleep-deprived from caring for a newborn per se.  :)  Both outfits have a great mix of textures and layers, and as we’ve shown time and time again, you can never go wrong with blues.  If this isn’t your style, the sky is the limit.  This is really about capturing your child at this specific moment, so let their personality dictate what direction you go.  I’m sure you already have some great options available from your back to school shopping. 

You can create a really cute styled session around this theme using some great vintage finds.  The antique school desk below was purchased at an auction by the owner for $5.  If you aren’t up for perusing auctions, garage sales, or antique stores, Ebay had a surprising number of these for sale, just be prepared to pay hefty shipping costs.  Of course, Etsy is a great place to shop for all things vintage and shabby chic – that’s where I found the great globe, chalkboards, and books.  The seller of the books actually sells different sets arranged by color scheme, so you could really go crazy coordinating!  Apples a-plenty can be found at your local grocer. :) 

Are you planning some fun back to school pics for your kiddos?  Head on over and share them on our Facebook Page, we’d love to see what you came up with! 

Shopping List

Boys outfit – Children’s Place

Girls outfit – Children’s Place

I love how Shannon of Shannon J. Dodge Photography gets back to the basics for this week’s stripped down theme.  Sometimes less IS more!

I am all about color or props in photographs. Bright colorful patterns on children OR coordinating with bright and colorful props can be wonderful. But sometimes I like things toned down a tad. It may boil down to preference or a matter of taste, but sometimes…less is more. As a lifestyle portrait photographer, I tend not to use too many props. I like to focus on the soul and emotion/interaction between my clients, rather than force a situation. Which brings me to this week’s post: whether you are photographing a baby, child or family, sometimes it’s best to leave most of the props behind, tone down the clothing, and focus on the individuals instead.

Some of my most favorite sessions recently have been those where the individuals i’ve photographed were just being themselves. I recently had the privilege of photographing the SUPER talented Jean and Travis Smith and their GORGEOUS boys. Jean told me ahead of time the vision she had for her session. She wanted lots of warm evening light, and photos of her family just being together. She decided she’d like some images in a grassy area with everybody dressed and then some by the water with her boys shirtless. All of her boys wore khakis and were barefoot. Jean wore a neutral colored maxi dress. The result? Pure joy and delightful images. Her boys were naturally comfortable and more likely to relax around me as a result.

Pssst…let me tell you a little secret. Sometimes the little ones need their comfort items with them–blanket, stuffed animal, doll. And you know what? Capturing them with their “lovies” is PRICELSS and clients LOVE IT!

I photographed this beautiful little guy last year. His mom wanted some of him tastefully naked. I love the result with this adorable crocheted hat!

His bedroom had the perfect white room with just the right amount of light. We placed him in his crib and voila. With gorgeous blue eyes like that, who needs anything else?

Here’s another example. Just a few weekends ago, I went to a client’s home to do a photoshoot with her children. I told her with the heat, humidity and bugs, that her children would most likely be most comfortable in their own home. I was in heaven when I arrived to their large and open home FULL of natural light. The kids were naturally active, as one and three year olds are, but I was able to relax them and get natural expressions by letting them do the things they like to do. The little girl wanted to read and hang out in her bedroom, so we did just that. I brought along some inexpensive blocks for the baby to play with, and he was very happy! It’s amazing what a book and some blocks can do. Keep that in mind when using props. In this case, less was more!

And one last example. This little girl loves dress up, so I knew this beautiful flower wreath would work perfectly for her. I was able to focus on JUST her and add a little bit of color and whimsy.

These are just some subtle ways to have fun and focus on the inner soul and personality of your clients. The compilation I put together is very simple and easy. All of the clothing items are from the Gap (keeping in line with my usual “one stop shopping”!). I am picturing the Dad’s jeans rolled up and everybody barefoot. Of course this would have to be a session shot in a warm climate, so it’s perfect for summertime! The props do not go along with the outfits I put together. They are just some ideas to add something a little extra special to your photoshoots. Take some time to relax and relax your client’s by letting them play and just “be”. You might be surprised at the results!

SHOPPING LIST

Dad:

Men’s Jeans–The Gap $59.95

Men’s Shirt–The Gap $39.95

Mom:

Women’s Dress–The Gap $59.95

Boy:

Boy’s Shirt–The Gap $12.99

Boy’s Shorts–The Gap $24.99

Girl:

Girls Dress–The Gap $29.95

Props and Accorsories:

Crocheted Hat-Etsy–Modiste Bee

Blocks–Wal Mart $23.99

Orange Blossom Wreath-Bloom Design Studio- Etsy $20.00