What to Wear in Family Pictures

You are investing money to captures memories for your family and you want to look good doing it! What you wear in your photos can make or break the look and feel of the shot. If you have this incredible backdrop with the sun in just the right place, but your outfit is all wrong—doesn’t fit right, is too dressy or too casual, etc.—you’ll hate looking at the pictures. To help you love your family portraits, here are some tips on what to wear.

The Colors

Some photographers have a strict guide on what to wear for your portrait session. Take a look at their guidelines and suggestions. Because plaids can become blurry and messy on camera, most photographers will advise against it, especially when everyone is wearing a different pattern plaid. This just makes the picture look sloppy.

Think about who will be holding who and how you’ll be standing as you plan outfits. If your child is wearing a floral top and Mom is wearing a floral dress, the two won’t want to be next to each other. Put any patterns next to a solid. For example, Dad holds the daughter in the floral top and Mom, in her floral dress, stands next to son in his solid sweater.

This all can seem overwhelming and unnecessary, but taking notice of every little aspect is the difference between good and great pictures.

The Layers

I can’t say enough about layering your clothing and accessories, which is why I love fall photo shoots. Photo shoots are so fun! They’re your one time of the year to be “extra.” I don’t wear hats on a day-to-day basis, but I love wearing them in our family pictures. It just adds another layer and dimension that makes the pictures pop.

Giving everyone at least one extra layer or accessory can take ordinary clothes and transform them into a picture-perfect outfit. For example, add knee-highs to your daughter’s dress, add a blazer for your little man, give dad a sweater over his button up, add a scarf to your top, etc. These little changes make a huge different in the overall look of your pictures.

Once you’re dressed and on location, pay attention to the fit of the outfits. If you’re holding the baby, make sure her shirt doesn’t bunch up. Make sure the girls keep their legs together, that jeans are showing socks, and other little clothing faux-pas.

Nitpicking is never more accepted than when you’re taking family pictures! Be vocal about what you want and how you want your family to be posed. These are your pictures and your memories! You deserve perfection!