Picking Your Family Photo Wardrobe:

Are you ready to book your Spring family photos? Read on to learn how to choose the outfits for your family photography session.

Book your photo session with me to gain access to my full session style guide!

Everyone knows that what you wear can make or break your photos. Choosing outfits for your family photo session can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be!

Keep reading to learn my top tips for an easy and stress-free styling experience.

Tip #1 - Start with one outfit

Start small by picking just one outfit. I like to suggest that this is Mom's dress or outfit. Why? Well, let's face it. Mom is likely planning the photoshoot, she probably will be the one printing them for your walls and making your Christmas cards. Also, Mom will often be the center of the photos. The kiddos will snuggle up to her and surround her in most of the family poses. She deserves to be wearing her dream photo outfit. Once she picks out hers, everything else can be picked to compliment that!

Tip #2 - Pick one pattern

Picking one subtle pattern is a great way to hone in on your color scheme. Choose one of the kiddos to wear a simple pattern with neutrals or gentle earthy tones to give some variety to the outfit combination and to help pull other colors together. This family is a great example. Notice that the little girl is wearing a brown, cream, and coral jumper/dress. Her dress is in a simple floral pattern that is not too busy. It doesn't distract from her face, but it adds a bit of interest to the outfits. Because of the colors, it now ties in Mom's coral colored dress and it provides great options for other outfits. Now do you see where Dad got his cream colored shirt and brother got his brown shirt? Ahhh how nice and coordinated.

. . . Speaking of coordinated. . . you do not have to "match."

Tip #3 - Mix it up

As mentioned above, coordinating always wins out over matching. What does this mean? Um please don't all show up in the same color or matching shirts. Look, I am super guilty of making my whole extended family wear matching disney vacation shirts and they are so fun. However, save these for your photo with Mickey Mouse and not for the professional family photos that will adorn your walls. A really easy way to know if colors compliment each other is just to do a quick google search. For example, try "What colors coordinate with sage green" and you will see some nice image examples of colors that go together. You can also have someone be your little accent. For this family, baby boy got to shine in a little pop of forest green. Because the pop of a different color is on the smallest member of the family, it is not over powering or distracting at all.

Tip #4 - Don't forget the Shoes

Okay, full disclaimer, I am a sucker for bare feet. I will always try to get my clients to go barefoot for their sessions. Not your thing? No problem, I get it. My husband? Not into it. Try to take his socks and he might try to fight you. Also, in Washington I understand that weather often dictates whether or not you can go barefoot. If you opt to wear shoes make sure they go with your outfit and that they go well with the other members of your family. If mom is wearing black ankle boots, it will look "off" if dad is wearing red sneakers. Shoes are a great place to "match" as best as you can.

Tip #5 - Accessorize

You can always add some fun and interesting dimension to your outfit through accessories. Headbands, earrings, flat brim hats (no baseball hats please) are all great ways to add some flair and style to your outfits.

Want more tips? Book a session for my full guide!

I hope you found these tips helpful for planning out your outfits for your next family photo session. If you want to see lots of great examples of different outfit and color combinations, book your next session with me and I will send you my full guide full of styling tips and ideas on how to best prepare for your session with little ones!