I get this questions frequently…”what should we wear for family photos?” Well here are a few examples of my favorites along with a few tips.
Here we have a family Christmas photo where everyone matches, but doesn’t look “matchy matchy” Dad is wearing a neutral gray sweater, but if you look closely, he has a button up shirt underneath that looks very similar the sons sweater. And mom is wearing a cream sweater that is the same cream color as the cream in her sons sweater. Baby girl is in white tights with a black coat and black & red headband, which goes with the black in her brothers sweater, but ALSO goes with what mom and dad are wearing. Even the little pug has a matching tie! I love this color scheme for the holidays, the red gives it a pop of the Christmasy feel without throwing in green as well, which can sometimes be a bit too much. Plus…the gorgeous pine trees in the background are green and so is the grass! 😉
Here is another great example. Yes…both girls are in brown, but that’s FINE. They are different shades of brown, and the fact that they are also both very different textures makes this look great. Mom is nice and colorful in her pinks and greens and blues. But if you look closely, she has some brown in her sweater as well, which ties in perfectly to what her daughters are wearing.
Another great example! I love the mix of textures in the clothing choices here. Mom and dad are wearing jeans, which matches baby girls dress perfectly. And her little white cardigan goes great with moms white lace shirt. The light gray stripes on dads sweater is just enough to tie into what mom and baby are wearing. This is a perfect example of tying in colors that go well together and adding great texture. Also, did you notice baby girl has on a light pink headband that matches the light pink in her little boots? Totally love it, who cares if no one else is wearing pink, she’s a baby girl and it’s just subtle enough to look great.
Ok so here is the bottom line.
1. Textures are your friend! Different textures look great together…think ruffles, pleats, ruching, etc. Think about layers and different weights of fabrics as well.
2. Add accessories! Jewelry, headbands, scarves, vests, hats they add awesome dimension to your photographs.
3. Try to stick with 3…maybe 4 colors at MOST, otherwise it will get too distracting. Note: neutrals don’t count…(black, white, gray, beige) Don’t be afraid to go BOLD!
4. Plan ahead! Thinking about your outfits a few weeks ahead is not too early at all. Get it out of the way so you aren’t scrambling last minute. Plus that gives you time to hit the mall for those extra accessories I was talking about 🙂
5. Think about what season you’re doing your photos in. My first photo above was for the holidays and those colors and patterns were perfect for that, I wouldn’t recommend that color scheme for summer photos, though! (That may seem obvious, but I had to throw it out there!)
6. Patterns, stripes, etc. are not your enemy! If they are in the same color scheme as what everyone else is wearing, they can work, just don’t put EVERYONE in stripes 🙂
7. Lastly, your kid may want to wear his favorite iron man shirt, but skip that for family photos. Shirts like that on children can be really very distracting, save those for the snapshots at home, and put him in a little polo or button down for the family portraits. You only get the done once a year, he’ll survive. This goes for girls as well…I love the Little Mermaid, but if I had a daughter, she wouldn’t be wearing an Ariel shirt for family photos.
Hope this helps a little!
toni denise photography 