Matching Your Photography to Your Home | Tips from a Pro Photographer
Sitting in your living room, you glance up at the mantel (or wall) and realize you haven't had any family photos taken in a while and that a lot of your displayed pictures are a little outdated. You decide you want to book a session - and maybe even spend the money on a nice canvas - and begin the booking process. You start looking over schedules, planning out your session, and thinking about what you will wear.
PAUSE!
Have you thought about how it will match your home? After all, if you plan to display it, you will be spending a lot of time looking at the images from this session, so why not style it to be incorporated in the design of your room or home?
Determine Your Color Temperature & Theme (Sample Images Below)
Warm - Rooms that are warm tend to have lots of browns, beiges, ivory/cream, gold or neutral/natural hues with wood furniture or pieces. (Also sometimes includes burgundy, red, orange, yellow accents)
Cool - Cool rooms usually have a mix of light blues, greens, whites or silver with lighter color furniture (sometimes white) and accents on the cooler end of the spectrum.
Rustic/Earthy - Rooms with this style are often in the warm tones - think cozy. Knit fabrics, wood pieces & Earth toned colors throughout. (Can include accents like burgundy, red, orange, or yellow)
Modern/Contemporary - With this design, I envision rooms that are cool and bright - lots of silvers & metal with clean whites. Sometimes precise & sharp furniture or very curved & unique art pieces.
Airy/Beachy - Think beach house or sun room. Many times this room would have lots of light shining in, breezy & light-weight fabrics, and light colored furniture. (Color accents may include a pop of warm toned like coral or yellow)
Once you've determined your general temperature and theme (I only listed some as example, you know your home best), you can move on to selecting...
Time of Day for Your Session
To Match a Cool Design, choose Early Morning - Sessions that are scheduled early in the day (7am-10am) produce fresh and even light. Lacking the strength of the bright day sun, the images will be soft and slightly cool toned.
To Match a Warm Design, choose Evening/Golden Hour - The time of day that photographers refer to as "Golden Hour" is the hour before the sun sets, when it gives us the last bit of warm & sunny burst. There is a bit more directional light so some play with shadows and sun flares can be fun and create gorgeous tones. (Also, good opportunity for some possible pink, purple, orange sunset images)
Picking Locations
The location of your session can also play a role in matching. If you have a warm, rustic living room with a nice fireplace, consider a wooded park or old barn buildings. If you have an airy space with nautical accents, then beach portraits would match perfectly. Contemporary or high fashion design? Take to a city and use some cool architecture as the backdrop. Your taste and personality can be shown through the images in subtle ways.
Planning Your Outfits
When it comes time to plan and select your outfits, think about how those fabrics and color coordinations will harmonize with the design of your home. To create the warm cozy look, choose sweater dresses, accent scarves, fringe or furry. Denim is great for cool rooms, especially when paired with other blues & white. And of course, flowy fabrics translate well for those airy spaces you've created. To see some examples of coordinating outfits, you can click the hyperlinks "warm" & "cool" for inspiration ideas.
Implement Your New Photo Plan & Become Your Own Art
Now that you have planned your time, location, & clothes, you are ready to become the masterpiece on the wall! You are armed with an intentional vision for your photoshoot, and we can create images that you will be happy and proud to display for years to come.