What to Wear for Your Family Photos

Figuring out what to wear to your family photo shoot is not easy, and I know it can be stressful, so here are some tips from a local Portland family photographer (that’s me!) for selecting the right outfits.

The colors, patterns, and textures you wear make a HUGE difference in how your photos will look. Put a family in a field wearing all blue & white (please don’t do this) and it will look very different than a family wearing what you see in the photos on this page.

How to Dress Your Family

First, you need to decide what kind of feel you are going for. If you are wanting a warm color palette, consider mustard, brown, rust, cream, burgundy, and taupe. If you want a lighter, more pastel palette, choose clothing that is neutral and light toned. Colors that would look great for this are cream, white, beige, gray, muted pinks and purples, coral, rose, and light blues. If you are looking for a dark and moody look, choose some moodier colors, but mix in some lighter colors with it to keep it from looking TOO dark. Another idea would be to choose a couple of pops of color but keep the rest neutral.

Please Do:

  • choose well-fitting clothing and something that you feel confident in
  • start with the pickiest person’s clothing first, then build everyone else’s outfits off of that.
  • coordinate, don’t match
  • change up textures and prints
  • always add in lots of neutral colors

Avoid:

  • thin, close together stripes (it has an odd effect in photographs)
  • small plaid or buffalo prints (also looks weird in photos), especially in very contrasting colors
  • large logos, cartoon characters, or words on your clothing (unless you’re very intentional, like you’re going for a 70’s vibe and want a vintage graphic tee)
  • too many dark colors, as it makes photos look dull (especially black, avoid black unless it’s pants)
  • neon colors, they make color casts onto skin and it’s not pretty

I also wrote an entire article on the subject of what NOT to wear.

Don’t forget to coordinate shoes!

This is usually the thing most people forget about, and it really makes a difference. Know what always looks amazing? Brown shoes. Stay away from athletic shoes and shoes with neon colors, even on the soles. Wear shoes that go with the style you are wearing. Unless your session is in your home or on the beach, and in that case, ditch the shoes! Also make sure that socks are chosen intentionally, especially for kids. Pants will ride up and show socks so be sure they coordinate with your outfits.

Borrowing from my Client Closet

I have a client closet full of beautiful dresses, rompers, etc for clients to borrow during their session. Please check it out and let me know if you need additional sizing info or if you want to set up a time to try something on.

Styling Hair

Quick note on hair. Keep it loose and flowy, rather than tight and slicked back. I’d rather your child showed up in 2 day old braids than tight french braids. Messy hair is more inspiring and fun to photograph than perfect hair! If it looks good in wavy curls, then do it because that’s going to photograph the best and if it’s windy, it will look amazing! But if anyone has thin hair (especially little girls), you will want to style it so it’s out of their face. Especially for locations that can be windy, it will be in their face the entire time if you don’t pull it back somehow. Here’s a Pinterest Board of little girl hair ideas. For boys, just do what they normally do!

Where to Shop for the Whole Family

I don’t have something you’d like to borrow in my client closet, here is a list of some of my favorite clothing shops:

Whole Family:

Target $-$$
H&M $$
Zara $$

Babies & kids:

Joyfolie – $$-$$$ (favorite!!)
Amazon (Girls) $-$$$
Amazon (Boys) $-$$$
Rylee and Cru $$-$$$
Bailey’s Blossoms $-$$
Lenny Lemons $$-$$$
Roolee $$-$$$
Alice and Ames $$-$$$
Jamie Kay $$-$$$
Noralee $$$
Lali $$$

Women:

Joyfolie $$-$$$
Fehrnvi $$-$$$
Amazon $-$$$
ZeBuBeYou $$$$
Christy Dawn $$$$
Daughters of India $$$-$$$$
Free People $$$-$$$$
Forever 21 $-$$
Arula $$$
Jen’s Pirate Booty $$$-$$$$
Reclamation $$$$$ 
Baltic Born $$-$$$
Three Bird Nest $$-$$$
Fillyboo $$$$
Lulus $$-$$$
Roolee $$
Hazel and Olive $$-$$$
Wren and Ivory $$-$$$
Piper and Scoot $$-$$$
VICI $$-$$$$
Pink Blush $$-$$$
Lucy Ave $$-$$$
One Loved Babe $$-$$$
Rove Designs $$$

Men:

ASOS $$-$$$$
Banana Republic $$-$$$$
Amazon $-$$$

Maternity:

Read my blog post all about how to dress for your maternity session

01.

Why It Works

Cloudy FALL Day Styling

On cloudy days, having some pops of color can help keep the photos from looking dull. This particular combo works because everyone is in a different color, but they all look great together. There are only two patterns (moms dress and older boys shirt) and the rest are solids, which helps keep things interesting without looking too crazy. Without the sun to give us warmth, the dress does the job! And how cute are the younger boy’s suspenders??

02.

Why It Works

Warm-toned beach session

Warm color palettes look SO GOOD at the beach. This is what looks best for my style of editing, so please don’t wear a ton of cool colors. The ocean and sky will already be cool-toned enough, so adding lots of warm and neutral colors helps to keep the photos from looking so blue and lifeless. This mom chose a caramel brown dress, which is my favorite color to photograph, it is the magical color that makes every session look stunning! The blue color they chose for the older boy’s shirt is the best blue color you can wear because it’s muted, but not baby blue. It’s more like a silver-blue which looks incredible with caramel brown. All the different neutrals here really work well together.

03.

Why It Works

Spring/Summer color palette

We started with the mom’s dress and pulled the orange color from the pattern to use for her daughter’s dress. We put the little boy in a romper perfect for sunny days at the river, and dad in a neutral shirt with a subtle striped pattern for interest. The use of texture and patterns is great, and I love the warm colors mixed with neutrals.

04.

Why It Works

Large Family beach Session

We styled dad and the older boy in button-down cotton shirts. Men love the stiff material, especially when trying to hide a midsection. The two middle boys are in henleys and one has suspenders to mix it up. The baby is in a brown button-down with a waffle texture. Mom is in a cream dress and the subtle pattern in her dress helps to keep the outfits from being all solids. For the beach, it’s great to have warm colors mixed with a couple of cool colors rather than everyone wearing blue, which I tend to see a lot and don’t love.

05.

Why It Works

Fall Styling

We started with mom’s dress in a deep raspberry color perfect for fall. Mustard looks so good with that color and helps to add more warmth. We went with green for dad’s sweater and a cream striped shirt for the older boy. The two subtle patterns complement each other because they are so different but don’t pull focus.

06.

Why It Works

Teal and brown

The combination of teal and warm brown is chef’s kiss! The little boy’s cream striped shirt works perfectly, and the baby’s mauve romper is great for fall. This color combo would look amazing in the spring, as well.