3 Tips for What to Wear for Family Photos

You’ve booked your session with your photographer…now comes the hard part–what to wear!

There are many pieces to put into place before your actual photoshoot and what to wear is a big one. I am going to share some of the tips I give to my clients when they book in with me during their styling session. I have broken these tips into three of the biggies for you. BUT, before I dig in, it’s very important that you have chosen your photographer before beginning to look for what to wear. Cross one road at time, friends. (If you missed it, you can catch up by reading last week’s blog about “Choosing a Photographer” here!)

1.) The lady of the house comes first.

Let’s face it, if it wasn’t for us mom’s or women in general I am pretty certain that most of our family legacy would be passed down via urban myth verses the hard evidence that your 👶🏻 indeed colored on ALL the walls.

I start with mom for a couple of reasons. One, she is most likely to be the toughest on herself. Women, especially those of us who have born children have had our bodies transformed and it takes time to get used to that new season. It’s important to me that she looks and feels best. Because if mom is happy and feeling confident, she radiates that energy to her entire family. Two, she made this appointment and has been the one stressing about it, so she deserves the opportunity to feel good about being in front of the camera. Once mom has an outfit, everyone else falls into line.

2.) Your home.

After we have our photos taken, we often forget to print them out and hang them up! 70% of people don’t print their photos–70%!! 😳 It’s important to print your photos and put them around your home. It’s a great way to enjoy them daily without having to be “plugged in.” With that said, you want to think about the tones of your home. Are your tones warmer or cooler? Are your walls white, gray or brown? Depending on what you plan to do with your photos, this will navigate you. If you plan to hang some, make sure to choose clothing that is the same tone. If you plan to do a coffee table album you will have more flexibility.
This tone rule also applies to your outfits. You don’t always have to be “matchy-matchy.” For instance, my family will be wearing army green, maroon and cream this year! My home is warmer toned, so fall photos look great in my home. If your home is cooler you could definitely do family photos in spring/summer! Or just come to my studio whenever you see fit ;).

Don’t be afraid to look on Pinterest for ideas or to ask your photographer to help you decide. It’s our job to help you look amazing!

3.) Fitted clothing

So, I totally get that flowing long tunics and other shirts are totally in. (Thank goodness, right?) But something to consider is that those flowy clothes can actually make you appear larger in photos. I always advise my clients to choose tops that are more fitted because of that very reason. I know it can be scary, but if you choose a good photographer there is nothing to worry about. Again, it’s our job to make you look your very best! If you find that you must have flowy clothing just bring a hair clip to clip your shirt back when needed (i.e. side shots).

Now that we have you booked and an outfit picked out, next week we will dive into some of my favorite tips to getting kids to behave during a photoshoot!

In the meantime, feel free to check our website if you feel that you could use some more information about being photographed by me! And if you like all these tips and want to learn more, be sure join our Facebook Group !