What to Wear for Family Photos
Oh what to wear… always the most dreaded part of family photos
Selecting outfits for your family doesn’t have to be painful. Here you’ll find my quick tips on how to put together outfits for your family photos that you love and will photograph beautifully.
Before we dive in, it’s important to mention that clothing choice has a massive impact on the feel and style of your final images. Intentional choices help create photos that feel like art. A little planning goes a long way. I am always happy to take a look at your outfit options and give you feedback on what would photograph the best before your session.
What NOT to Wear
These are all pretty self explanatory, so we’ll keep this short and sweet. If you do nothing else, please stay away from the following:
Neon colors
Large logos
Really bold patterns or large stripes - distracting especially in a group of people
Baseball hats or transitions glasses - we all want to see your beautiful eyes in photos
Baggy or poorly fitting clothing
Running shoes - gentlemen and kids, I know they’re comfortable and practical, but they don’t look nice in photos
A lot of stark white - this one usually surprises people, but white draws the eye more than other colors so use it intentionally. The same does not apply with cream as it mimics the softer warm tones of many other colors.
Shorts on grown men - this rule gets broken from time to time (sessions near the water), but generally speaking men should wear long pants for photos (chinos or dark wash jeans). Boys early elementary age and younger look cute in shorts, so the same does not apply.
Golf polos - my husband always gives me a hard time about this rule, but the athletic material they use in golf polos does not photograph well.
Start with Mom
I always tell families to start by choosing mom’s outfit and build everyone else’s clothing around hers. Kids look cute in all sorts of things and dad usually has a lot of the photography session staples already in his closet. So mom, this is your permission to START with yourself this time. Order the dress you’ve had your eyes on for months! You can work everyone else’s clothing around yours.
Color & Contrast - coordinate don’t match
Choose a general color scheme before you ever start throwing possible outfits on the bed. Think about your location and how the tones you wear can really compliment the colors found in nature. In general, stay away from bright colors (crayon red, hot pink, cobalt blue) as they draw attention to the color instead of the people and their personalities in the photos. If you are stuck, start with these color palettes:
Warm neutrals - creams, oatmeal, browns, tans, black
Pastels - pinks, soft greens, light blues, yellows
Earth tones - greens, blues, browns, rusty red, mustard yellow
Jewel tones - ruby red, emerald green, deep sapphire blue
Now that you have a general color scheme chosen, start thinking about how to incorporate contrast. Oftentimes, mom and dad are placed next to each other in photos. While both of them being in a dark color may work with your color scheme, creating contrast between their outfits will make photos more visually interesting and create separation and individuality between family members.
Pattern & Texture - add depth and interest
Pattern in clothing adds interest to your photos and helps draw the eye through the image. Small to medium size patterns are my favorite. This could be a plaid shirt or jacket, a small floral patterned dress, or even some subtle polka dots or checks. The general rule of thumb is one person in pattern for every two people in solids.
Unlike pattern where you can take it too far, adding textured pieces is a lot easier and “safer” when styling family photo outfits. Think about layering a leather jacket or a chunky cardigan over an outfit. This could also mean having mom wear a long flowy dress or skirt (these photos are always my favorites). In the fall, corduroy can add that interesting and cozy feeling to photos. In the winter, velvet gives a luxurious and classic elegant vibe. Crocheted or lace pieces also add depth to an otherwise “plain” outfit.
Accessories - the points system
Kind of like patterns, accessories are really fun but can be taken a little too far and become distracting. I once heard about a points system for how many accessories you can have to keep an outfit interesting without being overwhelming. This is the Janessa version of the accessories point system.
Women - goal of 2-4 points
Men - goal of 1-3 points
Kids - goal of 1-2 points
So how do you figure out the points? Here’s a quick list:
Belt = 1 point
Layering piece (jacket or sweater) = 1 point
Necklace = 1 point
Earrings + bracelets = 1 point
Statement rings = 1 point
Watch = 1 point
Hairbow, headband, or barrette = 1 point
Suspenders or bowtie = 1 point
Hat = 2 points
Statement shoes (pop of color, patterned, tall boots, cowboy boots, etc) = 2 points
Any other accessory that you would classify as wild, bold, or unexpected = 2 points
The Squint Test - the last and most important step
Now that you have everyone’s outfits picked out, I want you to lay them all out on the bed. Now take a step back and squint! Does anything look out of place right away? Does everything look exactly the same (no contrast)? We don’t want either of those, so now is your chance to edit your choices. Usually you’re super close and just need a tiny bit of tweaking. If you get stuck, send me a photo before your session and I’ll be happy to give you my feedback.
A Note on Shoes & Nails
Shoes: be comfortable but know they will be in the picture, men this means a dressier shoe with jeans even if you wouldn’t do that in your day to day life. Ladies, sky high heels are going to be a struggle if we’re in a natural setting so a lower heel, wedge or sandal work much better. Light up shoes on kids are fun and endearing in everyday life, but please leave them at home for photos. Sometimes barefoot is also just a great vibe.
Nails: ladies, remember to either have freshly painted nails or clean nails
