Fall & Winter Fashion Guide | Photography FAQ

Happy Monday! And a COLD one it is! Apparently winter wanted in on the fun this weekend because it has definitely been very freezy these past few days :/ 

This cool weather season we are in (and the cold weather season to come) has put fashion on my mind :) I don’t love cold weather by any means, but I do appreciate all of the fun possibilities that dressing for cold weather affords you- especially when it relates to pictures!

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I am always asked for suggestions on what to wear- even more so during the Fall & Winter months because folks may want to take pictures but simply don’t know how to dress appropriately for the elements and still be fashionable. That’s where this post comes in :) 

Not only is it important to be fashionable, but in the cooler months, it is SO important to dress for the elements. So this means unfortunately your spring & summer outfits are no longer an option. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve arrived to photograph someone and their outfit looks great but they are FREEZING! Well I probably can because that doesn’t happen often, but I don’t want it to happen at all! Your average person isn’t a model so they haven’t yet mastered the art of not looking cold in photos lol. It is VERY difficult to smile and look pleasant when all you’re thinking about is how you can’t feel your toes. So my hope is that we can prevent this from happening in the future.

This post has been modified from a Fall & Winter fashion guide I created for my clients a few years back. I decided it was time to update it and that instead of having it be an exclusive document, now everyone can benefit!

This guide was created to remove the fear associated with taking photos in cold weather and give you a few helpful tips and suggestions!

You don’t have to forgo looking good to keep warm. There are many ways to dress so you can stay warm and still be quite fashionable for photos. Here are a few helpful tips:

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TIP #1: Dress in Layers

Use a few thin warm layers rather than one thick layer. It will insulate better and allow for flexibility if you wish to take photos without a coat.

Wear a base layer
Your “base layer” can be tights or long underwear … whatever will provide a warm, light base to your outfit. Don’t forget about your legs! At minimum, have a base layer like long underwear and an outer layer, like a pair of jeans.

Visible layers
Visible layers help add depth & interest to your outfit. For example- you can layer a plain tee under a printed button-up shirt with a sweater or vest on top.

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TIP #2: Wear a Stylish Coat, Blazer, or Vest

Your outerwear is the most important part of your cold weather wardrobe. Make sure it’s camera ready by selecting fashionable AND warm outerwear. Don’t be afraid of color and patterns either! This helps add visual interest and personality to your photos.

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TIP #3: Cold Weather Accessories

Accessorizing isn’t just for regular outfits - you can (and should) accessorize
your outerwear as well! Complimenting scarves, fashionable hats, colorful gloves… these are your best friends during the colder months. Even better, they’re generally inexpensive so there’s no reason not to buy a bunch of them :)

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TIP #4: Boots!

Boots are so versatile- you can keep warm while looking great too! While boots are not a must, they definitely help pull together your fall & winter looks.

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TIP #5: Switch it up!

If possible, bring along a couple different coats or jackets, scarves, hats, etc
that way you can switch up your look without having to do a full outfit change (unless of course you want to).

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TIP #6: Have fun!

Fall & winter photo sessions can be a blast! Use these tips and the outfit suggestions to follow to put together your perfect look!

Here are a few sample looks from a few of my Fall & Winter sessions over the past few years. The key to almost all of these looks is visible layering! Also take note of how couples and families can coordinate their looks without being too matchy matchy.

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Need more ideas & outfit inspiration? Check out my Fall & Winter Fashion Pinterest Board.

When preparing for each session, I always ask my clients for photos of what they plan to wear for 3 reasons- to begin getting ideas in place for their session, select the appropriate location, and make wardrobe suggestions where necessary. That way we can ensure amazing results like this every time! Speaking of which… that ties in beautifully with what tomorrow’s post will be. Stay tuned for a brand new Truthy Tuesday tomorrow :)

Hopefully you found this post helpful! Let me know what you thought and please share if you know of anyone that can benefit from it!

‘Till next time

-Danni ♥

Ginger | Arlington, VA Headshot Photographer

Next up for today? Mini headshot session with Ginger!

Ginger is a licensed psychotherapist and financial coach and the creator of Girls Just Wanna Have Funds- a wonderful service where she provides financial advice for women! Ginger has been featured on MSNBC, Elle Magazine, Teen Vogue, and a number of other media outlets! 

It was a pleasure working with her to update her headshots with fun images more reflective of her personality! And of COURSE I loved her outfit choice! #coralloversunite lol. Here are a few of my faves!

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If you’re interested in booking a headshot session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me and schedule yours today!

Michelle | Washington, DC Headshot Photographer

Happy Thursday beautiful people!

I have been severely lacking in sharing photos from my portrait sessions this year so I am going to make a concerted effort from now until the end of the year to catch up a bit :) 

Today? I’ll be sharing a couple headshot sessions! First up is Michelle!

Michelle wanted updated headshots that really reflected her personality and we had soo much fun doing so! The light was perfect, the weather was perfect- we couldn’t have asked for a better day! It was a true joy capturing Michelle’s warm and fun personality :)

Here are a few of my favorites!

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If you’re interested in booking a headshot session and would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself, email me and schedule yours today!

Style Progression | Truthy Tuesday

Good Tuesday afternoon to you!

It’s been a little over a month since the last Truthy, so I figured it was about time for another :) I’m so happy to share this one with you guys today because you’ll get to see some vintage DFinney originals lol.

I happened to see one of my old photos on my mother’s screensaver last week and it made me reflect on just how much my style has changed over the years! So I thought it would be cool to share that with you guys… Every so often I hear uncertainty regarding how to go about developing one’s photography style and I always say the same thing- it takes time! 

Here is a look back at some of the things I used to do a few years back and (where applicable), how I would shoot things like this now.

Senior Photos
At one time I thought I had to mimic the whole backdrop & drape look that you get with traditional high school photos to consider myself a senior photographer. Then I pretty much shot very freestyle for the relaxed look. Now? I stay true to my style. I don’t like backdrops so I don’t shoot them lol. I will absolutely photograph you in your cap and gown, but it will be with a complimenting background and your “freestyle” photos? Will still be shot in the same polished manner, just a bit more colorful :)

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March 2014

Maternity photos
Oh maternity photos, how I love thee :) I didn’t use to though… Because so many clients at the time asked for these two piece belly outfits and I thought I had to oblige! Now? I photograph clients who want modern maternity photos sans the two piece outfits :) This is not at all to say I don’t like those photos, but it IS to say that clients looking for that, probably wouldn’t want me as their photographer because our styles are simply different! 

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March 2010

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February 2015

Newborn & baby photos
Newborns & babies? If you’re a recent follower, you have never seen me post any newborn or baby photos lol. That’s because I don’t do them BUT at one time I tried. I thought I had to do everything… But I gave it a try and realized, this isn’t for me lol. I absolutely LOVE babies, I just don’t love photographing them because it is A LOT of work. So I give the utmost kudos to newborn and child photographers and refer all inquiries to them :) These are my feeble attempts in 2010.

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March & April 2010

Family photos
At one time I thought props were cool. They are indeed still cool for others but they simply don’t fit my style. I actually used to get a bit discouraged with myself sometimes when I would bring a prop or two and forget to use it… not realizing that that was probably a sign that I didn’t need them lol. Anyway, now I try to focus more on capturing moments and not using props :)

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September 2012

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July 2015

Promo/Headshots
I LOVE taking images for fellow creatives to use for modeling & business promo! Here is another area where a clear shift in style was seen. I allowed whatever the client’s needs were to take priority and direct my style. Now? My style is consistent and I work with creatives whose style and brand meshes well with my own :)

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March 2010

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March 2015

I think that’s a good enough sample of images for you to get the point lol. 

As you see, initially I found my “style” being dictated by the needs and wants of my clients instead of the other way around. I thought I had to do EVERYTHING in order to be successful at this. Otherwise who would hire me? Over time I began to see trends in my work and was able to identify the things that I consistently enjoyed doing, so I phased out the others. In doing so, I learned that when you are passionate about something (and display ONLY what you are passionate about doing), you will attract the clients who enjoy the same. You will attract clients who like what you like, and that in turn will result in jobs that you enjoy! Not jobs where you feel you’re being squeezed into a mold someone else created.

Now I get that this sounds so amazing and simple but quite frankly it is the opposite lol. This takes TIME. And time is probably one of the single most irritating things sometimes because there’s literally nothing you can do to speed it up. Over time- if you continue to practice and shoot consistently- you will be able to identify your style. So please don’t feel bad if you feel you don’t have one right now. It took me about 4+ years to develop mine and that was because I was shooting consistently. It may take you a little longer if you’re not- or it may take you less time- everyone is different!

As an artist, your style may absolutely continue to change, but as long as you’re constantly improving- that’s the important part.

I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Let me know what you think!

Have a beautiful Tuesday :)

-Danni

LaToya | One-on-One Mentor Session [August 8] | Chicago, IL Photography Instructor

Happy Mentor Monday loves!

Can you believe we are in the last quarter of 2015? There is so much I’d like to (and need to) accomplish before the start of the new year and knocking out these mentoring recaps is but one of the things on that list :) I’m actually going to start spacing them out so that instead of Mentor Monday every week, it will be every other week from now until the end of the year! 

Today? I have the recap from my Chicago one-on-one session with LaToya! You may recall seeing her & her fiance’s beautiful faces early this year when I blogged her engagement session! Then Adrian & I shot their gorgeous Chicago wedding in May :)

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(I’ve yet to blog the day because I’m behind on wedding posts! But it will be shared soon :)

LaToya has recently gotten into photography and I was so honored that she wanted to invest in a one-on-one session with me! She wanted to kind of cut the learning curve and be sure that she was going about things the right way, and when I say she is doing amazingly, please believe it! Here is a quick before of one of her images prior to our session:

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And here is one of her best images now! This was actually from her first family shoot less than one week following our session:

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So so happy and proud of her ^_^ Check out the headshots we snapped from the first half of LaToya’s session:

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We had the cutest family for her practice session! Michelle’s beautiful family was so pleasant to work with and little miss Riley is soo full of personality :) Not to mention, they are a family with 3 heads of gorgeous hair! Lol

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If you would like to have the DFinney Experience yourself and participate in the next group mentor session, check out full details here, including upcoming cities and dates, and email me today if you’re interested in attending or scheduling your own one-on-one session!