What to wear for personality portraits in southeast Georgia –

Personality portraits are meant to capture something beautifully simple: your child exactly as they are right now.

The missing teeth. The curls. The freckles. The belly laughs. The serious little expressions. The child who needs a few minutes to warm up and the one who walks into the studio ready to tell me absolutely everything.

Unlike heavily styled portrait sessions, personality portraits keep the setting and clothing intentionally simple so that your child’s face, expressions and personality become the focus.

And when it comes to deciding what your child should wear, my advice is much the same:

Keep it simple. Keep it timeless. And let your child be the most interesting thing in the photograph.

What Should Children Wear for Personality Portraits?

For personality portraits, I recommend clothing that feels classic and comfortable but slightly more elevated than an everyday T-shirt. You don’t need an elaborate outfit. In fact, simpler is usually better.

Look for pieces like:

• Soft cotton or linen shirts
• Textured knits
• Simple polos
• Peter Pan or rounded collars
• Classic button-down shirts
• Knit sweaters or sweater vests
• Simple blouses
• Classic dresses
• Bubbles or rompers for younger children
• Understated heirloom-inspired pieces

Texture is especially beautiful in these portraits. A soft knit, linen weave, delicate collar, subtle ribbing or beautiful stitching adds just enough interest without taking attention away from your child’s face. The goal is for the clothing to complement your child, never compete with them.

The Best Colors for Children’s Personality Portraits

Soft, muted colors photograph beautifully and help give personality portraits a timeless quality and those that photograph well against a dark background.  Some of my favorites are:

Cream. Ivory. Soft white. Dusty blue. Pale pink. Oatmeal. Tan.

Your child certainly doesn’t have to wear a neutral, but I recommend staying away from very bright or neon colors that immediately draw your eye to the clothing. I also recommend staying away from pinstripes in clothing as that can be detracting from your child. If you’re standing in your child’s closet wondering which outfit to choose, ask yourself one simple question:

When I look at this photograph, will I notice my child’s face first or their clothes?

Their face should always win.

What Should You Avoid for Personality Portraits?

This is one of those times when less really is more.

I generally recommend avoiding:

• Large logos or visible brand names
• Graphic T-shirts
• Characters or pictures
• Neon colors
• Very busy patterns
• Words or sayings across shirts and dresses
• Extremely trendy pieces that may quickly date the portrait
• Pinstripes

That doesn’t mean your child needs to look formal or overly dressed.  Quite the opposite.  I still want them to look like a child.  We’re simply removing the distractions so that all those little details you’re going to want to remember someday can take center stage.

And for My Grandmillennial Mamas…

You already know I’m never going to talk you out of a beautiful collar, bubble or bonnet. If your heart leans toward classic Southern children’s clothing, personality portraits are such a beautiful place for it. A traditional bubble on a toddler boy. A sweet Peter Pan collar. A beautifully made dress. A soft knit sweater. A tiny pair of Mary Janes. Yes, please. The goal isn’t for your child to look like they’re wearing a costume or dressed for another era. It’s for the finished portrait to feel as though it could have been taken twenty years ago or twenty years from now.

Timeless never has to mean boring.

Don’t Style Away the Things That Make Them Them

This might be the most important advice I can give you.

-Don’t style away their personality.

-If your little boy has curls that are usually a little wild, we don’t need to slick them down.

-If your daughter always wears a bow, bring the bow.

-If your child has a lovey that has gone absolutely everywhere with them for the last three years, bring it.

-If there is something uniquely them that you already know you’ll ache to remember someday, tell me.

-Because personality portraits aren’t about creating a perfectly polished version of your child.

-They’re about preserving the real one.

Outfit Inspiration for Children’s Personality Portraits

Sometimes it’s easier to see what I mean than to read about it.

I’ve created a Pinterest inspiration board for The Childhood Edit, CHP’s limited-edition personality portrait experience, with examples of the colors, textures and classic children’s clothing that photograph beautifully for this style of session.

 

 

VIEW THE CHILDHOOD EDIT PINTEREST BOARD

 

 

 

Use the board for inspiration rather than as a shopping list.

You may already have exactly what we need hanging in your child’s closet.

As you look through the examples, pay attention to what they have in common: soft colors, classic silhouettes, beautiful texture and very little distraction.

What Is The Childhood Edit?

The Childhood Edit is my take on the classic children’s personality portrait, photographed at the Candace Hires Photography studio in Brunswick, Georgia.

It’s intentionally simple. No elaborate set competing for attention. No expectation that your child perform or give me the perfect smile. Instead, we’re making space for all the little expressions that belong uniquely to them.The grin. The serious face. The nose scrunch. The laugh. The look you’ve seen a thousand times across the dinner table but somehow never managed to capture with your phone. Because sometimes the photographs that mean the most aren’t about creating something extraordinary. They’re about remembering something wonderfully ordinary.

This is what they looked like. This is who they were.

Personality Portraits in Southeast Georgia

CHP’s studio is located in Brunswick, Georgia, and I photograph children and families throughout Southeast Georgia, including St. Simons Island, Sea Island, Jekyll Island and the surrounding Golden Isles. Whether you’re coming specifically for The Childhood Edit or planning another children’s portrait session, my approach is always rooted in the same idea:

Your photographs should feel like your children, not like a trend.

That’s why you’ll see simple styling, classic clothing, beautiful light and an emphasis on honest expressions throughout my work.

Because One Day, You’ll Want to Remember This Version of Them

Ten or twenty years from now, I don’t think you’ll remember the brand of the shirt they wore. You’ll notice the curls. The baby teeth. Those eyelashes. The freckles that came out every summer. That mischievous little grin you saw a thousand times a day. You’ll remember the way they were before their face changed and their legs got longer and they somehow stopped looking quite so little.

That’s what we’re photographing.

The clothing is simply there to make sure nothing gets in the way of it. Because childhood doesn’t need much embellishment. It’s already beautiful exactly as it is.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

What if my child doesn’t cooperate?

Honestly, this is one of the questions I hear most often and it rarely ends up being a problem. After photographing children for more than 15 years and raising two kids of my own, I’ve learned a few tricks along the way. We sing songs, tell jokes, make silly noises, play games, and occasionally recruit Mom and Dad to do something embarrassing behind the camera.

The goal isn’t perfect behavior. The goal is capturing your child’s personality. Even the busiest, shyest, or most stubborn little ones usually give us something special. You might be surprised by what we create together.

Are these black-and-white only?

Yes. The Childhood Edit images are intentionally photographed and delivered in black and white to keep the focus on your child’s expressions and personality. Without color competing for attention, the things you love most about your child become the center of the portrait.

Do parents typically upgrade to the full gallery?

Often, yes. Most parents think choosing 6 images will be easy. Then the gallery arrives. Many families choose to purchase the entire gallery because they simply can’t narrow it down to just a few favorites.