November 7th, folks. We are already one week into the holiday season. I feel as if we are in a race to finish 2019 and I’m slamming on the brakes to slow it all down. Anyone else feel that way too?
In an effort to get ahead, I took our family portraits last weekend. Let me define the term family for you…my husband and I. ha ha! I design our Christmas cards each year and I like to be ready for the print sales. Thank goodness I did, because the next day I received an email marketing campaign with 25% off!
When I was searching for couples poses, outfit inspiration and curly hairstyles for our Christmas card portraits, I was disappointed by the lack of results. For instance, type in “curly hair couples portrait” or “curly hairstyle for portraits” in Pinterest search. You may find headshots of naturally curly women, but nothing for family or couples. Now, I did find some under “curly hair engagement photos”. However, this search parameter no longer applies to me. So, to help out other frustrated curly girls who need some inspiration for their upcoming holiday photo shoot, here are the poses, outfits and tips on my naturally curly hair from our faux-professional shoot. 🙂
PS: Sorry, not sorry, if you see these pictures before you receive your Christmas card.
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Location, Time & Photography Gear
If you are looking to save some cash this holiday season, take your own portraits. I used the following photography tools to take ours:
- Tripod
- Camera with 35 mm lens
- Remote Control
That’s it! Now, finding the right lighting and location will help you take the perfect picture. I chose to capture our couples portraits an hour and a half before sunset. Our location was a shaded park in our neighborhood. I liked that the background was our home and we didn’t have to travel anywhere. The location had seating options and the background wasn’t too busy, filled with parked cars or lawn ornaments.
Poses
Posing is tough for everyone, even for a seasoned photographer like myself. I still get nervous. The key to great pictures is having fun together. My husband I took turns with the remote control. We would play games hiding it from the camera or we would surprise each other now and then capturing some hilarious outtakes.
Outfits
I chose a simple color scheme for our Christmas card photos: black, grey and wine/burgundy. These outfits would have worked in a rural or urban setting. My little black dress is from Banana Republic, along with my cropped bolero. I paired the outfit with my favorite ankle boots from Clarks. (Unfortunately, BR doesn’t have any cardigans like mine to share with you. I did find these gorgeous wine colored velvet skinny pants from LOFT. You could add your pop of color that way!)
My husband wore Slim Luxe Traveler Jeans and a wool sweater from Banana Republic. His oxfords are from Cole Haan. As I don’t believe most of the outfit items exist anymore, I’ve linked to similar items.
Curls
I washed and deep conditioned my hair with my heat cap the afternoon before the photo shoot. Here are the styling products I used:
in the shower
- Cleanse curls with Giovanni Invigorating Shampoo, Tea Tree Triple Treat. I used the product twice to really get my curls clean. I wanted maximum volume for my pictures.
- Condition with Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intensive Hydration Hair Masque.
- Use heat cap for 30 minutes.
- Rinse out conditioner.
- Squish to condish with Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner/Detangler.
- Plop for 30 minutes.
style
- Apply Davines This Is A Curl Building Serum.
- Rake and shake in Kinky Curly Original Curling Custard.
- Diffuse for 20 minutes on warm and cool settings.
I scrunched out 50% of the crunch just before we left. I wanted loose, yet defined ringlets. Leaving your curls to fall naturally around your face works great for portraits. It softens the face and looks just as fancy as if you had it styled.
For all you ladies out there searching for curly hairstyles and couples portraits, I hope I’ve provided some inspiration. If you need more tips on curls, photography or posing, let me know!
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