Choosing the Right Attire for Family Photos

The question I’m asked most often before a family photo session is ” What should we wear for our family photos? “

Number one thing I want you to remember? Being comfortable and confident is EVERYTHING! You should look and feel yourself at your best!

The goal is to find a style that is authentic to your family, but feels special and makes you feel confident at the same time!

Style Tips

There are your picture, there are no rules. However, I’m sharing some helpful tips here, which will improve your pictures and ensure they look just as good today as in 20 years from now.

Match your outfit to the location and season for your family photo shoot

Plan your outfit around what you know about conditions at the location we’ll be shooting at. You will want to be cool enough or warm enough, have pain free feet, and look relatively native to your environment.

Jewel tones and earth tones are always a great option for family photos outfits .

Start with one outfit

Start with one outfit and build upon that. My recommendation is to start with mom. A floral dress or a flowy dress can be great starting points for the mom’s outfit. You have invested your time and dollars into this photo session, and you need to look like your gorgeous, true, beautiful self. Once you know what to wear, you can coordinate the family’s around yours.

My best advice for you is to wear a dress in your favorite color. Not only are the dresses flattering, but you will feel good in it. If you hate dresses, think about skirt/top combo but choose something that is slightly dressier than your everyday look. Opt for high quality fabric because they hang better.

Choose a Color Palette

After you’ve chosen one outfit , think about 2-3 colors that compliment each other, some naturals and one of which pops and bring life to the outfits.

Color Scheming

Aim for neutrals, earthy tones. Unless you love bright colors! But, the drawback to bright colors is that it draws attention to your cloths and away from the family interactions a bit and also can reflect onto the skin of the people you are with.

By neutrals, I mean softer tones ,muted colors. For example, instead of bright orange , opt for ochre or apricot. Aim for neutrals, earthy tones. These colors compliment the outdoor environment almost anywhere you go and look beautiful as a printed, framed photograph.

Compliment each other, don’t match each other

You want to find complimentary outfits that showcase a variety of colors, textures, accessories, patterns, and tones. Complement the other people in the photograph as well as your surroundings. The idea is to have everything look good together without everything looking the same. That being said, dressing young siblings in similar outfits works when the rest of the family is dressed differently. Ultimately, the choice of outfits is a personal preference and should reflect the family’s unique style.

Be careful with patterns and prints

Subtle smaller patterns are great and add a lot to your photos. But less is definitely more with this one, try to limit yourself to one pattern at a time. Matching patterns is a tricky task, and it’s super difficult to do well.

Avoid large bold prints that can distract from your photo though.

Layer Up

Wearing layers is great way to add variety and create more visually interesting photographs. There’s nothing like add a great hat, pair of suspenders, cardigans, shawls, scarves, jackets to complete your outfit.

Wear cloths that fits

Clothes that are too tight or too loose tend to be less flattering. Think about balance between your upper and lower half. If you have a flowing skirt, chose a fitted top, and with with loose top, chose skinny jeans. It’s all about balance.

Incorporate Texture & Movement

Pick fabrics that move and flow with you. Ones that add a cosy texture, or get picket up by the wind, filter the late afternoon sun.

Coordinate with your interior style

I love hanging our family photos all over our house. It’s a visual reminder to our children of how much we love them and care about them. So if you going to display your photos in your home , match the outfits to the room where you’ll be displaying them. This really makes a difference in bringing together all of the design elements in your home.

Include your kids

Include your children in planning and choosing outfits. They will be much more excited about family photos if they like what they’re wearing. Additionally, if your children typically wear glasses, they should keep them on for the photos to maintain authenticity.

Opt for classic over trendy

You are going to keep this images forever so always think timeless rather than high fashion when choosing your outfits. Fashion comes and go and the last thing you want to look back on a photo in twenty years and cringe at what you were wearing. Classic styles never go out of fashion and are a good choice for what to wear on your family photos shoot. For timeless women’s clothing options, consider retailers like Baltic Born and Ann Taylor Loft.

Shoes

Shoes are a key part of a look and ideally complement the rest of the outfit. Avoid bright white shoes, all athletic sneakers, and kids’ shoes with cartoon characters and sparkles. If you just cant find shoes you love or your session is at the beach , consider having family go barefoot for the session.

Don’t wait to try on your clothes until the day before

Try on your clothes well in advance so you can switch it up if something isn’t working.Look at your outfit from different angles and move around to make sure it works for lifestyle photos.

Make up and Hair

Apply your makeup in natural light so that you know how will look for outdoor photos.Apply just a little bit more than usually would and make sure to blend foundation well with your neck.If you’re comfortable with it, help your eyes pop with natural length fake eyelashes.

As for the hair -wear your hair down! With your hair down you get movement, you get interest, you get some perfect slice of imperfection in the best possible way.