Need Help Choosing Outfits for Pro Photos

[JTsMom]

I need some opinions on outfits I'm considering for Jason' 3 yr photos.

We do pro photos for his b-day (or 2 months later this year :o), and for Christmas. The Christmas ones tend to be a little dressier, so I like to keep the b-day ones more casual. It seems like so far we have a lot of the same look- polos, button downs, khakis, etc. so I'm thinking about trying something a little different this year.

I know they usually tell you to do something plain, and I did get a plain blue polo to wear with khaki shorts just in case, but what do think about something like this?


http://cgi.ebay.com/lot-of-2-nwt-GYMBOREE-SURF-CAMP-33-button-up-shorts-2T_W0QQitemZ330254173711QQihZ014QQcategoryZ15600QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

or this
http://cgi.ebay.com/lot-of-2-nwt-GYMBOREE-SURF-CAMP-33-button-up-shorts-2T_W0QQitemZ330254174303QQihZ014QQcategoryZ15600QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

We have both of those shirts, and I'd love to just use something we already have.

Also, he's SO into swimming this year- what do you think about doing one in just swim trunks? Is that too nutty? He has these ones: http://cgi.ebay.com/Gymboree-Summer-Vacation-Shirt-Swim-Trunks-12-18-mont_W0QQitemZ320276376330QQihZ011QQcategoryZ57786 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Not the shirt- just the trunks.

[spanannie]

Personally, I'd stick with a white tee shirt and jeans or something like that. We don't usually do prints in professional photos, and I've never done a print on my son. My kids generally wear the same types of outfits in their photos each year, but I like the children to stand out, not the outfits. I think my daughter's worn a white dress in at least 3 shoots and my son's probably worn 3 variations of a white shirt and 2 of a blue shirt. I'm always very happy with the photos. Good luck!

[tnrnchick74]

I like pro photos that capture what the child is "into"...within reason. Can you get a plain bathing suit? I think it would be cute as long as the suit is not too busy

[JTsMom]

Thanks for the input guys. I can see where you're coming from. I'll definitely rule out the busy shirts, but I'm still thinking about the swimsuit ones. I think I'm going to try and see how it goes- we'll do the more basic ones too, just in case.

I found these on the kiddie kandids site- I can't link to them directly, but if you go here:

http://www.kiddiekandids.com/gallery/index.html?page=Gallery&menu=Gallery&number=0 Then go to backgrounds, then seasonal, the "Tropical Paradise" pics have a lot of swimsuit shots, and I think they look pretty cute.

I also found another cute idea- Jason's other big thing right now is music, and he carries his guitar with him everywhere. Picture People's site has a pic with a little boy with one. That might be fun. Too bad it looks so beat up already, but I could always get them to Photoshop it.

[lil_acorn]

honestly I think all those outfits are too busy. Youwill happy years from now when you have a classic photo in a plain regular shirt. Plus if you do a white shirt, it will look great as a black & white photo

[JTsMom]

I definitely can't do white. We usually do the white backgrounds at picture people. Plus, DS is really fair- white is not a good color for him. He'd look like Casper. ;)

[KrisM]

We did a print shirt (Gymbo) for his 2 year and they're some of my favorite photos we have of DS. We do simple backgrounds in the photos - no beaches, flowers, etc.

Personally, I don't like the white shirt and jeans look because it's just not what my kids wear. We don't even own white shirts! I always put them in something that looks like them.

This year, DS wore a striped shirt because he loves stripes. DD wore a sundress with a flower print on it. She loves that dress. So, it'll always remind me of what they liked at 2 and 4 years.

[JTsMom]

We did a print shirt (Gymbo) for his 2 year and they're some of my favorite photos we have of DS. We do simple backgrounds in the photos - no beaches, flowers, etc.

Personally, I don't like the white shirt and jeans look because it's just not what my kids wear. We don't even own white shirts! I always put them in something that looks like them.

This year, DS wore a striped shirt because he loves stripes. DD wore a sundress with a flower print on it. She loves that dress. So, it'll always remind me of what they liked at 2 and 4 years.

Thanks Kris- this was my thought behind wanting to do the swimsuit and/or guitar. I want to capture this moment in his life, you know? Really remember who he was at 3. We aren't formal people at all, and I do always get the more traditional look at Christmas, so I'm a little more adventurous at birthday time.

[WatchingThemGrow]

We try to do a favorite outfit or a special outfit gifted from the grandparents (encourages more!) against a solid background. I do have to say, though, that we did buy the fake beach scene from Portrait Innovations 2 mos. ago. BOTH kids looked great, and that can be a rare thing. I'd do the swimming trunks and a regular outfit and not limit yourself to just one pose.

[JTsMom]

I was thinking about trying Portrait Innovations this time-maybe I'll give them a whirl.

[lizajane]

i think the bathing suit. SO cute to have your little swimmer captured that way. while i would choose a more plain suit, you should use what YOU like. my kids don't really wear wild print suits, so that wouldn't capture them. but if you DS really loves his suit, then go for it! i prefer a plain background, too.

[KrisM]

Thanks Kris- this was my thought behind wanting to do the swimsuit and/or guitar. I want to capture this moment in his life, you know? Really remember who he was at 3. We aren't formal people at all, and I do always get the more traditional look at Christmas, so I'm a little more adventurous at birthday time.

Yes, that's us. I do try to get coordinating outfits for the together photo, but I'm not that good at that really.

I'd do the swimsuit - in fact, I wish I had done that for DS because he just loves swimming!

[Tondi G]

I have pics of my older DS in a hawaiian print shirt and they turned out so cute! I was really happy with it and it gave the pics a little character! I think the second shirt with the blue background would be super cute and fun!

I know in the past the picture people had a surfboard prop... you could have him wear his trunks and try that. I think they would be fun pictures!

both of the picture people locations that were close to us closed up shop... poor DS #2 hasn't had even one session at a PP!

Good Luck with the photos!

[randomkid]

If you do more formal pics for Christmas, why not do something more fun? Before I looked at your links, I thought "Hawaiian print". I love the swim trunks idea and the outfit with the blue top.

I was also tired of the solid colors and put DD in a very busy print this year for her 3yo photos. I really like them. I would just suggest that you keep the background plain and use props. One of DD's had flowers for the background and it was too much. Here are a few so you can get an idea of how printed clothing looks in photos. I think if you use solid colored backgrounds, you'll be happy.

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/randomkidfl/s41456ca110486_30_1.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/randomkidfl/s41456ca110486_2.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/randomkidfl/s41456ca110486_44_0_0-1.jpg

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/randomkidfl/s41456ca110486_31_1.jpg

Here's one with a printed background - too much!

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b387/randomkidfl/s41456ca110486_15-1.jpg