How to Choose Family Photo Outfits

My husband and I started our photography business about 3 years ago, and we've done a bunch of family photo sessions over the years. The biggest thing I notice that makes all the difference in how well family photos turn out is the outfit choice! Putting just a bit of effort into family photo outfits can make all the difference in how the pictures turn out.

Now if you think this sounds expensive... hear me out. We just had our fall family pics done and the most I spent was on a new dress for myself which wasn't even totally necessary. Benny's entire outfit was thrifted, and since Kyle's wardrobe is pretty neutral, I just chose pieces that he already had that coordinated with me and Benny's! 

Here are a few things to consider before your next family photos: 

• Color scheme
• First you need to decide if you/your photographer have a specific style. Do they capture light and airy photos? Dark and moody? Traditional? I tend to think darker color clothes look better in photos since it makes the image appear more striking. If your photographer's style is light & airy, consider wearing lighter colors as that tends to look better with that style editing. I chose my dress first because the burnt orange color was different, eye-catching, & was perfect for fall look I was going for. I went with blues/greens for the boys and tried to keep their outfits darker to stay with my more traditional fall theme.
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  Coordinating NOT matching 
• It's easy to think with family photos that you need matching outfits, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Find pieces that coordinate! I went through and laid our outfits out on our bed and worked from there to make sure we coordinated. Some of the pieces I was considering for Benny didn't look right once I laid them out. But the colors in the plaid shirt he wore tied in with both the orange in my dress and the blue in Kye's shirt. Had the three of us worn a plaid shirt, that'd be totally overwhelming and would likely clash more than match. 
  
• Consider a dress over jeans 
• I've found that dresses are almost always more flattering in photos. The sway of the dress usually captures well on camera, plus it's always nice to have an excuse to dress up! Not only are they more flattering, but you don't have to worry about your shirt pulling up or anything like that!

There you have it! A few things to consider before your next family photos! 

Little Life Update

2020... It's been a year, hasn't it? It started off on a high for us just 24 days in with the birth of our little man. But 7 weeks after we had Benny, COVID hit and our lives just haven't quite been the same since. I'm forever thankful that after maternity leave, I was able to work from home until August. I loved my extra time with my boy and miss it so so much! 

I writing to check-in since my last post was right after we had our little guy. I haven't blogged in ages, but I really do miss it! This has been a creative outlet for me that I've LOVED for years, and I really want to get back into it. I say this for accountability... I make no commitment to posting weekly, but I do commit to posting when I can and when I want to. That's key for me. 

Life has been busy, and I'm learning to juggle working full-time, motherhood, and just life generally. Benny is the happiest, sweetest little guy, and I don't remember life without him. He makes us laugh every day! He's obsessed with Ollie & loves his DaDa! 

I look forward to posting here regularly again. Until next time! 

Meet Benny

Hey everyone, meet baby Benny!

Life has been a lot different the past 7 weeks with the newest addition to our family. We've been taking it slow, and I've been enjoying my time off work with little man. 

On January 24, 2020 (10 days before my due date) around 1am, I woke up feeling some stomach pain. I couldn't decide if I had an upset stomach or what was going on. Regardless, there was no way I was going back to sleep. I called my doctor on call after a few hours, and she essentially told me that I could come in to be checked, but if I hadn't progressed much since my appointment a few days before that they would just send me home.  The pain came in waves, so I downloaded a contraction tracker and tried to start keeping track. They definitely weren't consistent so it was hard to say how many minutes were in between each. I never really felt my belly get hard, so I wasn't convinced I was in labor. I was up all night pushing through the pain trying to decide whether or not I should go to work in the morning. I texted my mom and sister once the morning came, and both encouraged me to go to my doctor just to be checked. I just didn't want to be that person that went in only to find out I had Braxton Hicks. The pain moved down into my thighs, and I decided I had to be in labor! My husband and I left for the doctor around 9am or so. At that point, I was in so much pain! Contractions were about 5 minutes apart, and the doctor let me know I was 5cm dilated and needed to head to the hospital! I was an emotional mess when we got to the hospital, but once I got my epidural I felt so much better! Around 2:50pm, Benjamin Thomson Gutschow made his quick arrival weighing 7lb 14 oz and 20.5 inches long! We are loving our time with Benny, and I hope to never forget the day he made me a Mama! 

Having a new baby has had its challenging moments, but his sweet smile makes it all worth it! 

I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot more baby/mama content around here!

P.S. Thanks to my sweet friend Ashley at Third Floor North Photography for these beautiful photos! 

Wrapping up 2019

Goodness sakes... HOW is 2019 coming to an end?! The years have been going by so so quickly. 2019 was a great year full of great things we're so thankful for. It goes without saying the best part of 2019 was finding out we were expecting our first baby! Still can't believe how quickly our due date is approaching, but we sure can't wait to meet Baby G!

We also both got new jobs in 2019 that we absolutely love & for which we're so thankful! We made lots of quick trips this year to various places like Gatlinburg, Kiawah Island, Asheville, Charleston, & Florida! We bought a new car, welcomed a new nephew to the fam, finished hard work on our house, and grew closer to each other. 2019 you were good to us, but 2020, we're ready for ya!

Happy New Year!