Family Photography Clothing

Suppose a family member had died; the family would dress them up in fine clothing and sit them up in a chair to have their photo taken as a final memento. What is the name of that practice? I believe this was done toward the end of the 19th century.

Post-Mortem photography involved photographing the deceased. While an unusual practice by modern standards, this type of photography was fairly common up into the late 19th century and early 20th century. During these times, early death, especially the early death of a child, was much more commonplace, and photography was still somewhat of a novelty. This lent societal acceptance to the practice of photographing the dead, often with some of the living family members included in the portrait.

This practice may have been somewhat more common in Europe, but was widely practiced in the USA. It is also known as a mourning photograph.

2007-04-20 22:01:45 by aaron.lattin

Life as a portrait photographer... some clients are more lovely than others.

I read about it, and wanted to know what the type of photography was called. When people died, they would pose them upright and dressed in normal clothes to make them look like they were alive.

Postmortem photography, or memento mori

2008-03-20 11:32:00 by Rinnie

Exclusive Happy Family Clothing Design Favorited By Celebrities
Professionally Screen Printed Using Soft Feel Non-Toxic Inks
Retro Vintage Diana Camera Tshirt American Apparel Tee

I'm getting married February of 2008. We're having a backyard wedding (huge park-like) and I was thinking about having seats only for immediate family members and the others can stand up for the 15-20 minute ceremony. There will be a few tables and chairs for the reception, but it will be far away, so the guests will have to stand. Everyone's telling me they can't wait until the wedding.

I want to request that the guests wear their outdoor clothes since we're having a BBQ and Space Jumper for kids right after to avoid a hassle of going home to change. But my immediate family will dress up for (photography) sake. Me, my fiance' and family will change after we do: picture taking, cake cutting, toast and dance. Everyone will know everyone at the reception, it's extended family, neighbors and friends so they can mingle and eat while we change.

Is this acceptable, rude or tacky?

Love, love, love the idea for your casual wedding. That just sounds like a huge party! Way fun!!! I went to a backyard bbq type wedding a few years ago, and the bride and groom put on the invitations that guests were to wear BBQ-attire. They also had a wedding web site (free at weddingchannel.com) where they outlined the style of the wedding and the specifics of how they wanted people to dress. It was a great tool and I highly recommend it.

As far as the ceremony seating goes, I think you may want to consider some form of seating....maybe benches. I went to a wedding once without seating and it felt awkward. And having the family only sit may make the guests feel like not important. It's just a thought from an outside perspective!

Happy wedding-- you have a fabulous idea and it is going to be great!

2006-11-28 07:25:54 by Valentine

100 Percent Cotton High Quality Boutique T-Shirt
Retro Vintage Diana Camera Tshirt Graphic Tee
This Super Soft Kids T Shirt Is Sure To Be Your Child's Favorite

I want to get family pictures done, do you think casual clothes or dressy clothes look better? Also, can you recommend any photography studios? I'm in the US, I don't want to say which part, so any you know that have a chain that you love would be helpful.

I like casual better, they seem more relaxed and enjoyable. I've had a lot of good luck with Picture People! I would try them.

2008-12-13 13:35:06 by GRUMPY!

We're having a family portrait professionally taken and we're leaning toward black and white. There will be 8 of us in the photos.

My question ... How does black & white photography differ in the way colors are portrayed?

If the photos were to be in color, obviously we would all wear colors that are flattering to us ... is that the same for black & white? Do some colors not photograph as well as others?

Is it better to wear clothing that contrasts with your complexion and hair?

Do bright colors photograph differently in B & W than more muted shades?

I'm asking because my daughter and I both have light hair and light skin (especially her) and I'm afraid afraid we'll look "washed out" ... but neither of us looks good in extremely dark clothing either.

And what about makeup ... would you do it differently than you would for a color photo?

Any tips, suggestions, ideas? Thanks!

Talk to your photographer before making any final decisions. Black and white is great, but wearing black and white can create issues of very high contrast, whereas any light color that is worn will show up as white but not have the contrast that white would. It will be a challenge for the photographer to utilize lighting when the differences are so great in what you are wearing - you can't add as much lighting to white as will be needed to show the details in black. White to me would be too stark and could easily overpower everyone's faces - faces that would appear as shades of gray. Suggest you choose dark and light clothing, all the same colors, not black and white. Look at some websites where photographers use black and white photography - you'll see what I mean.

2008-10-20 13:08:50 by *Sombra*