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Family sessions are where outfits get complicated fast. You're coordinating multiple people across different ages, sizes, and opinions. Short version: pick a color palette, not a matching outfit.

Choose 3 or 4 colors that work together and let each person pick something from within that range. Think of it like decorating a room — you want everything to feel like it belongs together, not like everyone grabbed the same paint chip. Soft blues, creams, and warm tans look great in a park setting. Rich burgundy and navy are perfect for fall. Whatever you land on, skip the neons. Bright colors pull the eye away from faces, and faces are what we're actually there to photograph.

Layers give us a lot to play with. A cardigan, a denim jacket, a soft flannel: all of these look good on camera and give variety to the shots. Patterns are fine, but limit them to one person in the group and let everyone else wear solids. The things that consistently cause problems: large horizontal stripes and anything with a big logo or graphic splashed across the front.

Dress up one notch from how you'd normally look on a Saturday. T-shirt person? Try a button-up. Jeans are completely fine, just make sure they're clean and pressed. Fit is important, too. Clothes that are too baggy or too tight show up clearly in photos. Please iron or steam everything the night before. It sounds like a small thing. It's not.

Always pack a backup outfit for little ones. Spills and grass stains are practically guaranteed, and we don't want to cut the session short because someone sat in something mysterious. Let them wear shoes they can actually run and play in. An unhappy kid with sore feet is going to show up in the photos.

Feet show up more than you'd expect, especially when kids are sitting in the grass or sprawled on a blanket. Clean shoes that coordinate with the outfits go a long way. For accessories, keep it simple. A small necklace or stud earrings photograph beautifully. The big statement pieces tend to compete with everyone's faces, and the faces always win.

Senior sessions are the one time everything is about you. Not your family, not a milestone event, not a group. Just you and your personality. So don't dress for what you think a senior photo is supposed to look like. Wear what you actually wear.

We usually suggest three looks: something casual, something a little dressier, and something that's genuinely and specifically you. Your jersey. Your favorite sundress. A flannel and jeans you've worn a hundred times. Bring everything and we'll figure out what connects with the light and the location. Switching between outfits takes maybe five minutes, and the gallery looks so much better for it.

Solid colors are easier to work with than busy prints. Fitted cuts look cleaner on camera than oversized, unless that's really your everyday look and you love it. The one thing to definitely avoid: big logos or graphics across the front of your shirt. Once there's a logo in the frame, that's where the eye goes instead of your face. For guys, fitted jeans or khakis with a button-up or clean polo is a great starting point. For girls, a dress or skirt option alongside something casual gives the gallery real range.

A hat you love, your letter jacket, chunky earrings, your instrument, the equipment for the sport you play — bring it all. The sessions that feel the most personal are almost always the ones where someone showed up with something they actually cared about. Don't overthink it. Just bring the stuff that's yours.

If you want cap and gown shots, bring them. We'll do a few formal poses and loosen things up from there. Often the best frames happen right in between.

Think "nice night out," not everyday. A little more done than usual, but still you. Heavy contouring and dramatic looks can read very differently on camera than they do in the mirror, so stick with what you know looks good on you. Getting a haircut? Do it a few days before, not the night before. Fresh cuts can look sharp on camera in a way that's hard to describe until you see it.

Wedding days have more wardrobe logistics than any other session we do. There's the dress, the bridesmaids, the groom, the groomsmen, getting-ready looks, all the accessories. After fourteen-plus years of shooting weddings around Harrisburg, here's what we actually tell people.

Get your dress steamed or professionally pressed before the wedding day. Not the morning of, before. Wrinkles in the skirt are the kind of thing you don't notice standing in the suite, but they show up clearly in the photos. If you're getting ready at a hotel, call ahead about steaming services, or bring a travel steamer yourself.

Getting-ready photos are often people's favorites from the whole day, and we think it's because everyone is still relaxed. Matching robes or button-down shirts for the bridesmaids photograph really well. Silk and satin catch light beautifully. On the groom's side, a clean white undershirt and slacks reads far better on camera than a random T-shirt. It only lasts an hour, but plan it intentionally.

Bridesmaids look great when they're coordinated without being completely identical. The same color in different silhouettes, or close tones that complement each other, looks polished without being stiff. For groomsmen, the details are what matter: matching ties or pocket squares, similar shoe styles. Those small things are what make a group shot look like it was actually planned.

Have everything assembled before we start. Bouquets, boutonnieres, rings, jewelry, all of it. We start with detail shots of the dress, flowers, shoes, and rings, so the earlier everything is together, the smoother the morning goes. Check that boutonniere pins are secure, earring backs are on, and the band is with the engagement ring.

You're going to be on your feet for most of the day. Think about the shoe situation before the wedding, not the morning of. A lot of brides bring a comfortable pair to switch into at the reception, and that's a completely smart thing to do. Throw together a small kit: fashion tape, safety pins, a stain remover pen. We've watched every one of those things become the most important object in the room at some point.

Newborn sessions run on baby time, which means we work around feeding, sleeping, fussing, and more sleeping. Plan for 2–3 hours even though we're only actively shooting for part of that. For clothing, look like yourself, just softer. The baby is the focal point and your clothes should support that, not compete with it.

Neutrals work best with the wraps and props we use: cream, blush, sage, taupe, white, soft gray. These don't pull attention away from the baby. Bold colors do. Even a dark navy on dad can draw the eye when mom is wearing cream. Think of the family's palette together, not each person in isolation.

Something soft and flowy is usually the most comfortable and the most flattering: a maxi dress, a lace or chiffon top, a wrap-style dress. These photograph well and are genuinely easier to wear in the weeks right after birth. If you're nursing, plan for easy access. A wrap dress or a stretchy top makes feeding breaks during the session much smoother. And honestly? You don't have to have it all figured out. Some of our favorite frames from newborn sessions are just the three of you on a blanket together.

Keep it simple. A solid, neutral shirt — cream, gray, pale blue, tan — with jeans or dark pants. Skip the logos and graphics. A button-down you like works great too.

Match siblings to the family palette and keep their outfits simple. Busy patterns on a kid pull attention in ways you don't want when there's a newborn in the frame. A soft solid and comfortable clothes is really all you need.

Got a handmade blanket, something that belonged to a grandparent, or another piece with some family history? Bring it. Just give us a heads-up ahead of time so we can plan around it.

A good headshot makes someone want to know more about you. That's all it needs to do. Your clothes should help with that, not compete with it. The most common mistake we see is someone wearing something distracting and then not understanding why the eye keeps landing on the shirt instead of the face.

Solid colors almost always win. Navy, forest green, burgundy, royal blue, charcoal — most jewel tones photograph really well. A few things that don't: white (reflects too much light), very busy patterns, and fine horizontal stripes (they create a flickering effect on camera that nobody notices in person). Black works in some industries but can read as severe, so think about whether it actually fits how you want to come across.

Think about what people in your field expect to see when they look you up. A corporate attorney probably needs a suit. A creative director might want a blazer over something more relaxed. A therapist often lands somewhere warm and approachable. There's no single right answer, but there's a right answer for you specifically. Dress for the impression you're going for, or for the role you're moving toward.

Fit is non-negotiable in a headshot because the frame is close and there's not much else to look at. Baggy looks baggy. Too tight looks uncomfortable. Steam or press your clothes before you come in. Try sitting down in your outfit at home: if it bunches or pulls, we'll see it in the photos. It's a five-minute check that saves a lot of time in the studio.

Bring two or three outfits. Switching takes just a few minutes, and sometimes the shirt you were most confident about just doesn't work with the background or the light. Having options is always the right call. We'll let you know what's connecting.

Haircut: get it done 4 or 5 days before the session, not the day before. Fresh cuts can look too neat on camera in a way that's hard to describe until you see it. Shaving: do it the day before, not the morning of. Freshly shaved skin can look red or irritated under studio lights. For makeup, think "nice dinner out" — polished but normal. If you tend to run warm, bring blotting powder. Studio lights cause shine that's easy to miss in the moment but obvious in the photos.