Portraits in January? Yes I’m serious.
Well, it is definitely winter time in Texas….finally. You know how I know? It’s rainy, freezing, dreary and all the trees and grass are DEAD! Not the best weather and backdrops for outdoor portraits. Or is it? 
I think anytime is a good time for portraits. The right location can make for some awesome portraits even in the ugly outdoor winter time. This is the perfect time to bundle up (in the right outfit) and head to a cool urban location for some portraits.
Clients ask me all the time what they should wear for their portrait session. It is hard for me to tell someone that I don’t know very well (if they are a new client) what to wear, because I don’t know the personality of the family. So I usually suggest that everyone wear solid colors that don’t clash. If you choose to wear a pattern keep it to one person in the family and try to keep it a small pattern. Try to dress in something that shows your personality, but doesn’t take away from the faces of the family. That clears everything up and you should now know EXACTLY what to wear right?! This is such a hard question to answer, because the answer is simply different for everyone. So this blog entry is dedicated to what I would dress MY FAMILY in if we were going to have one of those wonderful, outdoor on a yucky January day, urban sessions that I mentioned.
First, accessories can add a lot to your “look”. I would love to have my whole family in really cute scarves, but my husband is not a scarf kind of guy. Here are the outfits I “threw” together this morning. 
First up is Mia’s outfit. Sweater, skirt and tights are from The Children’s Place. Hat and scarf are from The Gap. Boots are from Target.
I actually just bought this outfit for her, but in slightly different colors. Can’t wait to get some pictures in it!
Now MY outfit: Jacket and pants from Old Navy. Scarf from The Gap. Boots from Piperlime.
Simple, solid colors that don’t clash with Mia’s outfit.
And then Saylor’s outfit: All clothes from The Gap. Shoes from Piperlime.
Since he doesn’t like scarves he gets a jacket to wear.
Notice how Mia’s outfit has some patterns in it. Polka dot boots and tights, but the other family members are wearing solid colors that coordinate with Mia’s outfit. My scarf and Saylor’s sweater match the polka dots on Mia’s boots. Everything coordinates without being matchy, matchy.
Now imagine these clothes in this alley:
And Viola! An awesome outdoor, Urban portrait complete with cozy, winter clothes and NO dead trees in the background. Cheesy I know, but you get the picture! See I told you it was possible to get good portraits in the ugly winter months. So go hit the sales before all the good winter clothes are gone and book your very own Urban Winter session!
