The secret to amazing family portraits

Here at Clifton Photographic, colour is at the heart of what makes our shoots unique. From Classic to contemporary, our portraits are ever-evolving to match your personality.

We know that building your dream family home comes with some investments. You aim to provide the very best for you and your family so why comprise on wall art? We pride ourselves on creating stunning portraits that can be in your home for future generations to enjoy.

In order for you to get the most out of your experience, we always encourage you to put some time into planning your family photoshoot. From selecting your outfits to bringing personal items, the more thought you put in, the more your family's personality will be reflected in your portraits.

While you're planning your session, it's always important to think about how your wall art will sit in your home. Where will you hang your pieces? What space do you have? and, perhaps most importantly, what is the decor like in your room?

Let's talk about c o l o u r...

Our studio has a large, white curved infinity wall. Think of it as your blank canvas....

Using coloured gels, we can 'project' any colour onto the white wall. This gives us the freedom to design portraits that are bespoke to you...

Things to think about...

Matching colours....

Think about your decor at home. Do you have a colour theme running through certain rooms? Perhaps think about incorporating that colour into your outfits & asking your photographer to pop that colour onto the background of your portraits.

Tell your photographer to use coloured backgrounds that match the decor in their room.

For a slightly more subtle effect, opt for a neutral or pastel background and use your outfits to add pop of colour

Colour groups....

Another way to plan what colours to use is to think about what tones you like. Cool tones include shades of green and blue while red and orange bring warmth to your portraits. Use this to guide your outfit choices and tell your photographer.

Yellow tones in the room mean that a pink background and warm colours in the outfits will look amazing

The perfect example of cool colours used for the backdrops and outfit choices making the wall art suit the hallway decor

Complimentary colours...

If you want to dive deep into colour theory, you can choose some complementary colours. These are colours that sit opposite each other on the colour wheel. Colour theory tells us that complementary colours create the strongest contrast. This theory makes your portraits really stand out on your wall and make a huge impact in your space.

Find the colour on the wheel that is most prominent in your home. To find it's complimentary colour, see what shade sits directly opposite on the circle...

That's your complementary colour!

For example, if you have lots of purple in your home, yellow background in your portraits will look amazing!

Here's the theory in practice...

Yellow backgrounds are the perfect contrast to purple decor

Green and Pink compliment each other beautifully

Want to keep things more neutral?

If all this talk of colour isn't floating your boat - not to worry! We can still create stunning portraits with a neutral colour palette. The earthy tones work beautifully in group images and create a very sophisticated finish. While a black, white and grey colour scheme is a formal and timeless look.

The Power family chose light, neutral colour for their outfits and grey backgrounds

Keep your outfits and background monochrome for a contemporary look

While we advise you to have a think about your colour schemes, remember that our experts are always on hand to help you plan your shoot. Your photographer will call you a few days before your session to discuss your ideas so be sure to talk with them about your home decor. they'll give you advice on what colours will work well and how to plan your outfits.

Interested in booking your own family portrait session at one of our studios in Bristol or Bath? Get in touch!