What to Wear In Family Pictures

Picture-Perfect: A Guide on What to Wear in Family Pictures

Family photos create keepsakes that allow you to look back and remember each unique season of life. Hopefully, a good photographer will make the experience easy and enjoyable. But it can still feel stressful to plan for family portraits. You worry your kids won’t cooperate, you worry about the weather being right, you worry about your outfit choices. But choosing everyone’s clothes doesn’t have to be that difficult. I’m sharing a guide on what to wear in family pictures, so you can feel confident and relaxed as you prep for your next time in front of the camera! 

The Role of Your Outfits

Your clothes and color scheme contribute to the tone and vibe of the pictures. They bring everyone in the shot together and create a common thread (pun intended) to tie the whole thing together. More importantly, they should make you feel confident and comfortable and relaxed. Ideally, they represent your sense of style and illuminate your best self. 

Consider Your Style and Location

Think about the vibe of the photoshoot. Is it casual, formal, themed, etc. Do you know what the backdrop will be? Will you be indoors or outdoors? Is the weather going to be a factor? 

Coordinating Color Palette

Color coordination has the power to bring the whole photoshoot together. You want to choose a color palette that compliments your family’s complexion, so look back at previous photos of each of you to see what pictures you naturally gravitate towards and what colors you are wearing in those pictures. 

Color palette can also be related to the style and location of the shoot. Fall pictures might call for cozy, warm vibes whereas a spring or summer outdoor shoot might call for bright neutrals that look great with greenery.

Scan Pinterest or online galleries of family photos to get some ideas. It can be hard to come up with your own color palette from scratch, especially if fashion isn’t your passion, but usually you can get some good inspiration by seeing photos of what other families have done. Another place to look for ideas: your photographer’s website! If they do lots of family portraits, chances are they have examples of their work on their website.

Avoiding Matchy-Matchy

There is a difference between matching and coordinating. Matching is buying the same outfits for different family members in their respective sizes. Coordinating is choosing outfits that look nice next to each other and evoke the same vibe and feeling. 

Feel free to mix patterns, textures, and solids. Not everything needs to be a neutral. A pop of color, a patterned skirt, striped kids shirts, a textured corduroy- these can all be ways to show off your individual personalities and make the photos exciting. You simply have to make sure that you don’t have too many separate “pops” that end up clashing. Pick one or two, and go with solids for the remainder. 

Dressing for Different Ages

Children

To dress children, you want to set yourself up for success. Don’t pick something itchy or uncomfortable. If possible, consider giving your kids an option to pick between two different shirts so they have some agency and ownership in the matter. The last time I chose outfits for a photo shoot, I picked clothes that my kids had recently chosen (themselves) to wear to church, so I knew they liked those outfits and probably wouldn’t pitch a fit about wearing them.

Teenagers

Teenagers are a class of their own. I think letting them have choice in their outfit is critical to their willing participation in the family photos. If their current sense of style doesn’t quite coordinate with the vibe of your photos, sit down with your teen and talk through how they can still show their individualism and fashion sense within the color scheme of the rest of the family.

Ultimately, if they want to wear something that wouldn’t be your first choice, you might consider just letting. If it’ll make them a cheerful participant in the photo shoot and accurately capture this season of your family’s life, then it might be worth swallowing your pride about it and embracing their uniqueness. 

Adults

Now is not the time to try out a new look. Think about the style of clothes that you find comfortable and representative of your personality. Just like the kids, you want to be physically comfortable and confident. Choose something that you won’t be fidgeting with and that looks good seated or standing. You might consider using your footwear as a pop of style or color. 

Layering and Accessories

You can add depth and dimension with layers. Think about these options:

Little girls: vests, skirt over tights

Little boys: sweater over a collared shirt, down vest

Men: open button-down with a crew neck tee underneath, lightweight jacket

Women: scarf, sleeveless jumper over a long sleeve bodysuit, denim jacket over a sweater, lightweight, breezy duster over a summer outfit

Practical Tips for the Day of the Photoshoot

Go with wrinkle-free clothing if possible. Or bring a handheld steamer to the shoot with you to get any wrinkles worked out before pictures. 

Bring extra outfits for emergencies. This is critical if you have little kids. Bring a spare outfit for everyone, including parents. You don’t want to be holding a baby having a blowout and wind up with no change of clothes for yourself.

Don’t forget items like kid shoes, hairbows, a comb, and a favorite toy for the photographer to hold to attract little kids’ attention. 

Step by Step Process For Choosing What to Wear in Family Photos

  1. Set a color scheme or overall goal look
  2. Pick the clothes for the family member who is hardest to dress or pickiest about what they’ll wear.
  3. Choose any pieces that are going to “pop” like bright color or patterned pieces that you want to include. 
  4. Start building the rest of your outfits around that starting point. 
  5. Lay everything out on the floor or a bed. 
  6. Replace pieces, taking items in and out of the mix until you’re happy with the result. 
  7. Pick shoes, jewelry and hair accessories. 
  8. Make sure all items are clean and wrinkle-free, then hang them up or set them aside until picture day.

Sample Color Schemes for Family Pictures

Fall cozy- mustard, burnt orange, cream, denim, maroon

Winter- cream, crimson, light blue, black, khaki

Spring- cream, taupe, green, blush, military green/grey

Summer- white, all shades of blue, light blush, denim. These colors look great next to greenery!

Super neutral- creams, tans, greys, denim

Moody and pensive- tan, taupe, brown, back, deep purple

Next time you have family photos approaching, don’t stress about your outfits! Start collecting inspiration and brainstorming a color scheme. Put together your outfits and make sure you like how they all look together. Then relax! Feeling comfortable, confident and yourself is paramount to a photoshoot that will accurately capture your family’s season of life, each of your individual personalities and the essence of your family’s vibe. Use the steps outlined above to make a plan and then trust that your photographer is going to work their magic! 

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