What to Wear?
Why is it so stressful picking outfits for photo sessions?! As a photographer and mother who gets her own family photos taken, I totally get it! That’s why I created this post to help reduce your stress around outfit coordination for your photo session.
I’ve learned a lot over the years of helping families choose outfits and looking picture-perfect. And I want to share my favorite tips for what to wear in family photos with you!
Start with the big picture in mind
It may sound simple, but this is one that can easily be over looked. Some colors look great together and some… well, not so much. Before thinking about what to wear in your family photos or what color scheme to choose for your outfits, start by thinking about where you plan to display your pictures.
The location you choose will also impact the colors you choose to dress your family in. Think about the overall colors of your location. If it is spring or summer there may be lots of green in your pictures, fall and winter will have more golds and browns.
Coordinate outfits instead of matching
Solid earth tone colors are always a favorite. Patterns are wonderful, too; however, a bold pattern will steal the show and take away from the subject. When picking earth tone colors, choose dark or light blues, dark browns, ivory, rust, camel, muted mustard, sage, clay, deep forest greens, or muted rose colors, to name a few. They all photograph beautifully.
One of the biggest tips when dressing families is to dress mom first. I'm a fan of dresses for moms, as they are usually more flattering to the figure! Once you’ve got mom’s outfit picked out, move on to the others and coordinate based on mom’s color palette. Not to matchy-matchy but more color coordinating. One way to do this is to Google or Pinterest “earth tone color palette” or "natural color palette for family pictures for spring," and then use that as your guide. Another tip is to mix textures and fabrics. So if mom’s dress is a solid, smooth fabric, pick a corduroy romper for baby and a ruffled or lacey dress for older sister, and some suspenders for brother.
Little girls in flowy dresses are so much fun! Make sure to have girls in neutral undergarments or bloomers over diapers.
A great way to add some variety to your gallery is to bring a hat for mom or another member of the family. You can never go wrong with adding this to your wardrobe!
For dad, I always recommend pants; khaki, camel, blue, or black jeans are great. With a button-up shirt or sweater that goes well with Mom's outfit.
For shoes, brown loafers always look great, some kind of neutral color shoe for boys, and sandals or boots for girls.
I highly recommend tall boots/pants with closed-toed shoes when choosing a field location where the tall grass is itchy for little legs!
What NOT to Wear
I’m never going to tell you you can’t wear something. You do you. Here are some suggestions for those wondering what doesn’t always photograph well.
I’m not a huge fan of shorts at a shoot and would pick pants hands down every time (even on kids). I highly recommend khaki, earth-tone pants, or light or very dark wash denim jeans, avoiding bright blue denim.
I would shy away from bright white or bright colors; even cherry red can be harsh. It tends to reflect the color onto the neck, face, or skin of the person next to you, and make everyone’s skin tones look funky.
Dressing everyone in black is another color that is hit or miss. If it’s one person in black pants, that’s going to look completely fine. Dressing in all black or having multiple family members in black tends to blend bodies.
Always feel free to reach out to me with any wardrobe questions and pictures of what you are putting together, I would love to help!
