what to wear

What to wear for family pictures…it’s one of the hardest parts about the entire process, even in Ann Arbor when your season determines what kind of attire you’re going for. It’s the very first thing we stress about. Your session usually isn’t for a few weeks, so mom’s get the lucky task of not only receiving the brunt of the stress, but taking it on for weeks! I love helping with taking that load off your shoulders and giving some guidance.

My biggest overall advice is to coordinate your family outfits and try not to “match”. Having coordinating colors will add more variety and interest in your pictures that you will end up looking more cohesive than if you all wore the same colors, fabrics, or textures. Don’t be afraid to mix it up!

My first plea is DO NOT skip my first tip below. My mom’s always want to skip it, but I promise you that if you stick to my advice, the whole process will be so much smoother.

What To Wear For Family Pictures

1. CHOOSE MOM’S OUTFIT FIRST

See, you already want to skip it, don’t you? You may have found the perfect dress for your daughter already or have the best color scheme in your mind. If you work in reverse, often you end up being stuck with the limited options available for you and then don’t love what you wear. If you choose your outfit first, the plethora of kid’s clothes out there will bend to what you find. They have so many more options! Let’s be honest here. You, the mom, are who wants these family photos the most.

I want you to love how you feel and love how your pictures turn out, so do yourself a favor and find something that you feel amazing in! If mom is happy, everyone is happy!

DRESSES

If you’re finding yourself asking what to wear for family photos, dresses and skirts look the most stunning because they flatter every female body! Long, flowy dresses and skirts add some magic because they bring movement to your photos. Consider the length of your dresses. If you have little children, you may be crouching or sitting, so choose something that will insure you feel comfortable in either position. Patterns are such a fun way to add to your pictures. If you choose a bold floral, pair it with more simple patterns for others. My favorite fabrics, like chiffon, tulle, or silk add beautiful movement to your images.

2. FOR DAD

My guess is that most dad’s don’t ask themselves what to wear for family photos, but we want to make them look good too! They care more than they probably care to admit sometimes. For men, long, fitted pants and closed-toed shoes are going to give them most flattering look on camera. This draws attention away from the legs and up to his face. Right were you want it to be! Shades of gray or navy are a great way to compliment most women’s clothing. Button down shirts are amazing for photos because they keep their shape and don’t cling like many polo shirts tend to do.

Accessories are key for men. Who knew!? Nice shoes, belts, and watches will really make his wardrobe pop.

3. FOR THE KIDS

Thank goodness the world is full of children’s clothing and you can usually find anything you need to coordinate with what you’ve chosen for mom and dad. The key to dressing children is, once again, coordinating!

When choosing your color palette, think in dominant colors and accent colors. Each person should have their own dominant color, but everyone is tied together through accent colors.

For example. If mom is wearing a blush pink dress and soft blue earrings (blush being the dominant color), Dad is wearing a gray slacks, a pale blue shirt, and a navy jacket (navy the dominant color). Your daughter will be wearing a ivory dress with pink and blue stitching around the neckline (ivory being her dominant color), while another daughter wears a pale blue and white gingham dress with subtle pink flowers (making the pale blue and white pattern her dominant colors). Your son wears a pale blue shirt with beige pants (making pale blue his dominant color).

This is such a great way to break up the colors and patters to make your photos visually appealing, highlight personality, and give you less time “pulling your hair out” trying to make everyone’s outfit fit together.

WHERE TO BEGIN

1. GIVE YOURSELF TIME

Hopefully you’ve scheduled your session enough in advance that you don’t have to stress about timing. Figuring out what to wear for family photos may take some time, so I suggest starting a few weeks in advance, looking through our your own closets to see what could work and then branching out. If you want to buy something new, allow for enough time to have some trial and error. It’s so stressful to try and buy your outfits last minute! I love to purchase a few options and then take back whatever I don’t end up using.

2. LAY IT OUT

It is so helpful to see what your clothes are going to look like all together! I mean, all of it. Shoes, accessories…everything. It will help you swap things out to see how cohesive it is and make changes without forcing everyone to get dressed a thousand times. If you’re having trouble, I love when my clients reach out for help! Ask your friends, family, and me! I’m always happy to help!

Here are some photos of my own family so you can see how coordinating colors work!

THINGS TO AVOID

I recommend to avoid small patterns like pinstripes or small plaid as they distort on camera. It reminds me of staring at Magic Eye books for took long as a child and I can’t tell what pattern is what anymore. Logos and graphics also pull the focus away from your faces and draw them to where you purchased your clothing from.

Black can be such a classy color to incorporate into your photos, but with a caveat. Black can make the overall feel of your photos much heavier and dark. If you want to keep things light and bright, stick to other neutrals (gray, white, ivory) or pastels. Black is best paired with another color to keep you from looking like a solid black object with a head popping out of the top. 🙂

See a great example of coordinating outfits in this family session HERE.