Good morning Elario blog readers, I hope you are ready for a fashionable day because I’m taking over today! Before I divide and conquer, let me re-introduce myself for those who don’t know me, my name is Tiffany Piñero, “Elario Bride” Class of June 2011, and New York City based fashion stylist and blogger. I am dropping by to dish some tips on how to be “photo shoot fresh” for the marathon day of shoots JP has ahead of him next weekend and for e-shoots in general. However, I scrolled through this arsenal of images, Elario clientele are not novices. These people bring their A-game, it’s impressive.
When it comes to portraits, you want your style to be as timeless as possible. Obviously JP is going to take care of making you look your best from his angle, and clearly his skills go beyond that. So, all you have to do is show up looking fabulous… here are a few handy notes, along with some great visuals to help you achieve that easily.
Feel confident, be yourself. This sounds like a given but it has to be said. Some of the best shots are when you let you hair loose and start spinning around in a field as if everyone on the Hoboken Pier isn’t watching, wink.
Follow the two C’s for success, which also has two c’s! Coordinate and Compliment. Prints can be tricky, but if you balance them with solids they can look effortless, like Melanie and Chris.
As far as coordinating and complimenting goes, it really doesn’t get much better than this! The girls dresses are so lively and Dania’s easy style in the middle is perfect symmetry.
Jeans are an everyday staple, perfect for e-shoots. Love the outerwear in this one and the neutral colors, gives off an air of sophistication.
Flouncy fabrics with a little bit of movement like jersey, chiffon and silk are great if you want to add an element of drama. The good kind. Mona’s drape-y sweater over her striped top is the perfect showcase for her beautiful bump.
This photo is amazingly stylish and Jamie’s look takes it to another level. Between its grand color and the movement in that fabric, the dress makes her personality come alive.
Establishing some sort of a color story can be challenging because you want to look natural and not too “matchy”. Playing with a family of colors like earthtones or neutrals can look really chic like this beautiful little family.
The soft, pastel-like tones in Jamie and Eamon’s photo work so well, especially in that butter light! I love the little extra “umph” the scarf gives to her look.
Meghan and Curtis had a great composition in this photo, but I really enjoyed the way the worked those blues. From navy to that bright baby blue, these colors look so fresh together and on them.
How amazing is this green on green?! Amazing. Love the mixing of the solid and the print in the same hue, and I love how Sonia’s look is so bold while Carlos’ is casual but not competitive.
Add in a hint of personality, or as my husband likes to call it, my pop of flair. “What pop of flair are you wearing today?” This photo style wise couldn’t be more true to our personality’s, George in a neatly ironed mellow yellow button down, and me with one of my favorite accessories, a flower in the hair and some fun and flirty oversized polkadots.
The flair is all over this picture for Stella, the cowgirl in training. Little pink western boots, hat and that touch of eyelet in the skirt, the personality is in all the little details.
If the dressed up route is the look you are going with, a solid colored, structured dress speaks volumes.There is a great quote for the ladies from designer Bill Blass “When in doubt wear red”. See what I mean, absolutely stunning, commanding attention.
I think Mr Blass would agree Purple also works well in this case….
And of course, the classic LBD, Little Black Dress! That neckline is just gorgeous on Jenny.
Let’s hear it for the boy. Not that Stacey doesn’t look amazing in her dress and {fabulous!} shoes, but I have to hand it to her man Matt, he had me at that perfect pocket square. As JP would say, he then “hit it out of the park” with his tan suit that was tailored to a T! Nice work.
Prepare for the worst, because those are the best photos. If the forecast looks like rain, have a coordinating, solid or vibrant umbrella on hand. That utilitarian prop can make a portrait so real, and so iconic in one fell swoop. This photo of Keather and Brad embodies all of that.
Another rainy day tip if you are working with kids, pull out the rain gear, their fun and fantastic wellies and have them splash in some puddles. I’ve done a couple catalogs with children and the best photos come from them having good old fashioned fun. Could it be any more exciting then your parents allowing you to walk in a lake in your stylish little outfits? That short tie is priceless.
Good old fashioned fun, pint-sized princess style! Tutus and oversized flowers, the amount of endless fun you can have with textures in a little girl’s shoot is adorable.
Boys can have a little fun with textures too! This herringbone vest is classic, but I think my favorite texture on this little guy is by far, those curls!
I will leave you with my two most valuable tips. To put it bluntly it’s not magic, it’s professional. I’m talking about having flawless hair and makeup for photos.(And this tip is obviously for the guys) I work on photo shoots all the time and there is always, a photographer, wardrobe stylist and hair and makeup professionals. If one of these people are missing, the show can’t really go on. In my own engagement photos I had my hair blown out professionally before hand and it was the best money ever spent. Hair can be unruly so having someone professionally tame it before hand is a good idea and a real stress reliever.
And my final tip, something straight from the style trenches…When working on location for shoots I have to bring a style kit, it is a basically a briefcase to cure anything tangible that can ruin a photo op. Kind of like the tool belts you see wedding planners sporting. I won’t list my whole kit because it’s extreme and varies per shoot, but these are a few that I feel you’d be happy to have on hand to avoid any camera ready casualties:
-Lint roller
-Tide on the go stick
-Safety pins
-Bobbi pins
-Hair ties
-Hairspray
-Static Guard -Hand mirror
-Mini- comb
Okay, I feel like I’ve successfully equipped you with more than enough info to have you looking like the next celebrity couple or family.
Hope you found these tips and tricks helpful. I can’t wait to see the next crop of stylish Elario E-shoots!
Ciao!
Tiffany
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. . .real nice post Tiffany . .
Your work is so crisp…love the tips too Tiffany!
This is great advice and a super “guest blogger” post! I have a lot of clients who ask about “what to wear?” I will definitely share this with them for their “E” e-shoot!
thanks so much to tiffany for writing this post! she’s got mad style my friends!
Thank you so much for the tips! Or e-session is coming up soon and this has given me great ideas!
What a great post! 🙂 Awesome advice and tips Tiffany!! Take note, people, this girl knows style!!! Was great looking through all those pics, thanks for the shout out (yay!) 🙂