Today’s wonderfully colorful Wardrobe Wednesday post comes from guest contributor Stacie of Stacie Hawley Photography.  I love the step-by-step process she has put together for dressing your kiddos for their portrait session.  I couldn’t have said it better myself!   And she used outfits from one of our favorite stores – they are gorgeous!  Make sure you go check out Stacie’s AMAZING work (especially with kids) over on her site, blog, or go “Like” her on her Facebook page!  Make sure you congratulate her too – she was featured (and published) in a magazine this month!  Thanks for a great post Stacie!

“My favorite people to shoot, you ask?  KIDS – of course!!  They are so fun, spunky and full of personality.  Even better, they don’t mind being goofy and crazy – they welcome the unusual – and they love to be unique.  That’s why when I give style suggestions for kiddo shoots I always recommend these FIVE things.

1.       Go for the BOLD…

It’s all about the color and pattern!  There is no better way to show off their bright shining personalities then through their clothes!  Colors should be bold – not neon.  If it even remotely resembles the oh-so-famous (could they get any brighter?) yellow/pink/green/blue/etc. school highlighter – it’s a no go.  Deep strong color is key.  Also, patterns can be your friend.  Thick stripes, large polka dots, and chunky plaid are all great!  Just make sure to stick with one bold pattern per outfit.

2.        Three’s Company…

This is a simple rule and I have no idea where I heard it, but I live by it.  It’s all about coordinating your colors.  You wonder – how in the world do I know what color goes best with what?  Ack.  It can be very intimidating.  I’ve been there.  But don’t worry – breath – what I tell you next will free your mind.  Are you ready… ANYTHING GOES TOGETHER.  Did you get that – I know totally mind boggling.  But it’s true.  Anything goes as long as the colors appear a few times throughout your outfits.  For example, in the pictures below –so graciously borrowed from the miniBoden website (love their style) – you will see this rule used over and over again.  Yellow, brown, blue, burgundy – WHAT?  They can’t go together you say – oh yes my friend – they can!!  Yellow appears in the jacket, tights, and hat.  Blue appears in the tights, skirt, and jeans.  Burgundy/brown appears in the shoes, tights, hairclip….etc.  I usually suggest 2-3 main colors and then have them appear 3 or more times throughout the outfits.  Easy Peasy lemon squeezy.  Right?!!

3.       One Singular Sensation…

When building an outfit, pick one thing your child likes – this could be a hat, necklace, jacket, tights, boots, shirt, etc. – and build up.  If it’s a hat, then look at it, find the colors in it, and then add to the outfit by following rule number 2.  For example, I heart the little grey kitten shirt below.  If I started with this, I could then build up my outfit using the colors within, which in this case are blue, red, and white.  Adding a jacket, jeans, shoes, and then creating a complimentary look following rules number 1 and 2 leaves you with the completed look.  Bravo miniBODEN. 

4.       Layer Cake…

Now that you’ve got your colors squared away, just make sure to layer…layer…layer.  Chunky layered looks add dimension and spunk – especially when you use various textures.  Add a fun jacket, a sweater, a vest, a belt, a hoodie – well the list goes on and on.  Just do it – I promise it will be just what the doctor ordered!  Check out the cute dudes below, layered to perfection!

5.       Comfort Zone…

Last but definitely NOT least – make sure all clothing is comfortable!!  Kids want to be able to move and groove as they normally would, and as the photographer, I want them to too.  When they feel comfortable in their clothing it shows, again letting their personality shine through.  Then I can do my oh-so-fun job of capturing them dancing…jumping…laughing…being themselves – being kids.

Well – I hope this helps ya’ll!!  Happy Kiddo Stylin’!! 

All outfits can be found at www.miniboden.com.  They are awesome for way cute kid fashion.  Plus sometimes most of the times – they do the hard styling work for you – fancy that! Ha ha.”

This was a very exciting session for me for a number of reasons!  First, this session was for my “That’s My Kid” contest winners!  Big Sis Mary graciously donated the bulk of her session to her brand new one week old (at the time) baby brother.   It has been way too long since I’ve gotten to photograph a tiny little newborn, so I was really psyched about that too!  While it took quite a while to get baby Jacob completely asleep (and some sweat and patience on the part of both Mom and Dad), it was well worth the wait.  Once he was out, he was out!  After Jacob’s newborn pictures, we moved the fun to their backyard for some milestone pictures of both big brother Daniel and big sis Mary.  Mom really took to heart our Wardrobe Wednesday post from last week and came prepared with lots of great props and ideas for their images – almost everything you see in the outside images are their’s and we even used Mom and Dad’s old baby blankets for the newborn session.  It really makes it so much more special!  We wrapped up the session with their cute “1-2-3″ outfits, and that was exciting to say the least.    Mary and Daniel are soooo in love with baby Jacob, they could barely keep their eyes and hands (and sometimes entire bodies) off of him.  I had so much fun with you guys, thanks for letting me capture this special time!

Oh how the time flies, it seems like just yesterday I was shooting Miss Kennedy’s newborn session.  She is just as absolutely adorable today as she was back then!  She couldn’t have been a more perfect subject – all smiles and cute expressions, and not a tear to shed.  I’m forever spoiled.    And didn’t Mom do a great job with her outfit?  The colors looked so great against the background at this park.  I should also give a shout-out to big sister and brother Maci and Tucker who were soooo good during the shoot that they earned a trip to the toy store!  And can I just say that there’s nothing that brightens my day more than a return client!  It’s such an honor to be a part of the process of capturing that growth – whether it be from newborn to one year old, toddler to senior, senior to engagement, and perhaps eventually another newborn ( ) – I cherish the fact that you’ve chosen me to help memorialize that journey.  Okay, okay, on with the pictures!  Enjoy your sneak peek!

I had the pleasure of photographing these two cuties last weekend on a very toasty morning.  Madilyn and Kenna are cousins (and only a couple of weeks apart age-wise), and the focus was definitlely all on them!    The proud parents hopped in for a few shots, but they spent most of their time singing and dancing in the background to help get some of these adorable smiles (thanks guys!).  It was a little bit harder to coax a smile out of Kenna (my Emory is the same way), but we managed to get some good ones.  Thanks for trekking all the way over here on your Saturday morning, I really had a blast!  Enjoy your sneak peek! 

Well, I didn’t think I’d be able to give you a look at these until next week as they were supposed to be a top-secret Father’s Day gift, but I’ve been notified that the cat’s out of the bag and I’m cleared to share.    And it has been so hard to hold back, let me tell you!  Not that I don’t absolutely love my senior clients (which I do), but it seems like forever since I have gotten to photograph some little ones.  We decided to have a some fun with this shoot – lots of great colors (Mom nailed the outfits!), new props, and the debut of my studio setup to the great outdoors.  It was not without it’s hiccups (think backdrop turning into a giant sail), but we managed to skate through with only minor injuries and lots of smiles.    As you can see, they are some pretty adorable smiles!  Big sis Ella completely took control and just loved all over her little sis … Lucy really shone once she got the spotlight to herself, as the younger ones often do!  I’m so glad Mom wanted to get in a few as well – I hope Dad was thrilled with the images of his three gorgeous gals.  Thanks for letting me capture this special moment and for being such troopers – I had a blast! 

I knew exactly which shot I wanted to use for this week’s theme!  I just adore this picture of my Emmy getting all ready to go out into her first big snow adventure!  We ended up with over 12″ here in Dallas by the time it was all said and done – unheard of!  We were actually both sick, but I decided this was “once in a lifetime” snow (at least in this area), so we bundled up and went for it.  She had no idea what was going on, and I think this picture captures her perfectly.  Love that girl!

To see more great shots, go check out i heart faces!