What to Wear for Family Pictures
As soon as I book a family session, the next question mom asks me is, “What should we wear?”. Here are a few things to consider when choosing outfits for your family:
SELECT A LOCATION
Will you be having your family photos done in a field? Mountains? Cacti? Do you want a more casual feel or dressy? As soon as you know the vibe you want in your photos, that will help narrow down the outfits you choose.
CHOOSE YOUR COLOR PALETTE
I encourage my clients to match without wearing the exact same thing. Coordinate. Choose 2-3 colors that compliment your location, then add in a calm print or two with your solids.
Stay away from neon and overly saturated colors, and make sure there aren’t any loud logos or busy prints on the clothes. Simplicity is key here; we want YOU to be the highlight of the photos.
PICK MOM’S OUTFIT FIRST
When I choose clothes for my own family photos, I like to pick my own outfit first. Women’s clothing tends to have more colors and prints, so adding complimentary outfits later is easier. I prefer going a bit dressier than I would in real life because I intend for my photos to be enjoyed by my family for years to come.
My suggestion is to find something you feel good wearing and go with it. The camera will capture that confidence.
WEAR HIGH-QUALITY CLOTHING
When the clothing is high-quality, it hangs better and looks better on you. Avoid t-shirt material or material that’s opaque because that WILL show up in your photos. The camera loves texture and layers and it makes you look so refined. Cue the scarves, hats, jackets, cardigans, sweaters, jewelry, etc.
Make sure the clothing is fitted. Flowy dresses are comfy, but will make you look heavier than you are in photos. Alternatively, clothing that is too tight and shows every body part will also result in lackluster photos. Find clothes that fit well.
Find comfy clothing so kids aren’t complaining throughout the entire session (been there, done that, don't recommend. 😂).
DRESS FOR THE SEASON
Here’s something I did that I shouldn’t have: it was freezing when we took our family photos in Sedona a few years ago. I didn’t realize how cold it would actually be so I didn’t dress my family appropriately. My daughter was cold the whole time and there was so much complaining. I don’t know how our photographer managed to get any good pictures. But she did and we are grateful!
Moral of the story, check the weather for your session, and even if the clothes are cute, don’t risk wearing the wrong thing.
BRING EXTRA OUTFITS FOR THE KIDS
Another personal story: my baby peed out of her clothes right before our family shoot and she was drenched. She was an older baby and hadn’t done that in forever so we had no backup clothes with us. We didn’t even have a diaper with us 🙈 We did photos with her completely wet. I still don’t know how the photographer hid all of that.
Kids get dirty, it’s their job. Bring back ups!
You can’t even tell baby and I are both soaking wet 😆
Now that you have ideas on what to wear, here are thoughts that will help your session run smoothly.
– Make sure you schedule downtime and rest for your family the day of your session. Rested people are happier people and it shows in photos. Feed your family before you come to the session. Try to keep the day stress-free and light so everyone is in the best possible mood.
– Bring a few snacks. Or candy bribes (just no m&m’s!) 😇 Kids are happy when they’re eating (I mean, aren’t we all?).
– Make this time fun for your kids. Hug them, tickle them, snuggle them, joke with them!
