5 Style Tips to Look AMAZING for your Alaska Travel Family Session!

Alaska is a unique environment, and the weather is ever-changing! You could be adventuring in the mountains, hiking a trail in the rainforest, tide pooling at the ocean during low tide, trekking across a glacier, or soaking up the sun lakeside. For your trip, you have to be prepared for everything!

Adding a session to your Alaskan travel experience is the perfect way to document an amazing trip. I have a few style tips for your Alaska travel family session to keep your packing and session planning streamlined!

1. Coordinate your outfits, but don’t match. Choose a simple color palette and go from there. This will give everyone the option to pick an outfit of their own, but still be subtle and fit the scene. If traveling and limited on luggage, pick something you can get more than one use out of!
2. Avoid logos. This includes crazy prints and patterns! They will bring unwanted attention to the outfit and cause awful distortions to appear in the photograph that are not originally there.
3. Tone down the bright colors. Vivid shades tend to reflect and bring attention away from the face. They also reflect a color cast on your skin and those around you. Darker clothing tends to blend better with backgrounds and slenderize the subject. Light or neutral colors can look appealing and fresh. Avoid wearing plain whites. Pair them with a jacket, cardigan, or scarf and you will be good to go! When white is worn alone on such a rich backdrop, it is distracting and hard to keep clean! I LOVE jewel tones and rich tones found in nature.

4. Hair, makeup, and nails: Keep it simple. If you want your hair to be out of the way and not falling in your face, I recommend having it up and out of your eyes. For makeup, make sure it won’t rub off onto your outfit. Your nails should be nicely manicured with no chipped nail polish. Don’t experiment with something new for your session. Make sure you have tried it at home first!

5. Accessorize! This brings visual interest to your look and adds texture. For jewelry, try a necklace to complement your neckline or bracelets to accentuate your outfit. You could think outside the box and try a hat or suspenders to bring the extra wow factor! Also, if a necklace is always sliding into the wrong spot, twisting around, or just uncomfortable, don’t wear it! Comfort is very important, and if you are constantly having to fuss with an accessory, you won’t be able to relax for your session 😀
6. Plan on layers! If you are visiting from a warmer climate, I recommend pants, jeans, capris, or a long dress. Shorter dresses limit movement and thus posing options. You could do a long-sleeve button-up for guys and add a cardigan for the ladies. It could be warm! It does happen, but if you are watching the weather and it looks like it might be chilly, then plan for a cooler session and layer your outfits accordingly. The layers also help if you are mosquito sensitive. These critters can be annoying!
7. Shoes! Last but certainly not least, don’t forget the shoes. Hiking boots are perfectly fine as they tend to be in neutral colors and something you might already be likely to pack. No need to pack an extra pair of shoes; save the space for souvenirs  😉 Loafers and calf-height boots are also a stylish choice! If you are planning on wearing something with a heel, then I recommend having an extra pair of shoes for walking around the location.

One final tip! Be yourself! I love my Chaco sandals, and it would be really unusual for me to be photographed in my family session wearing high heels. Don’t be afraid to be true to your personal style. At the end of the day, I am here to photograph your family in this gorgeous scenery, as you are, in this season of your life. These are just tips and not hard rules, and most importantly, I want everyone relaxed and comfortable 😀

Travel Session Style Tips