Let me tell you!
I have found that one of the biggest obstacles for families is knowing what to wear for family photos.
Especially for mamas, who are most likely dressing everyone and also want to feel like a million bucks themselves. Family photos are a big deal; you’re paying hard-earned money, and you want to feel and look great! When you book a Legacy Session at https://pixbyjill.com/family-session/ with me, I help you style your session with a Style and Select link. It’s a service I offer that has been super helpful to so many of my clients.
Here are my top tips for choosing what to wear for family photos.
Mom First
Dressing yourself is the place to start.
A good place to start is dressing Mom first. This will ensure that she doesn’t dress everyone else and then can’t find something to wear for herself. At least it’s something she feels amazing wearing. Pick an outfit that makes you look and feel like a million bucks. After you have booked your family photos, here are some things to consider when you choose your outfit. What is your normal style? Go with that; it really represents you. What’s your favorite color to wear? Make that the start of your color palette. Do you have any problem areas you want to camouflage? If your upper arms are not your favorite part of your body, I wouldn’t wear a sleeveless top. Highlight your favorite parts of your beautiful self.
Coordinate
Coordinating is good for family photos, but matching is not.
You want to coordinate, not match. Dress everyone in coordinated outfits with some texture and maybe one or two patterns. Do not match everyone with the exact same color. This might sound easy, but it does not photograph the best and sometimes makes you look like a large, singular group with a bunch of heads. For your family photos, you want to start with Mom and pick a color palette from there. In the picture below, you can see how the colors all flow together, and the pattern and texture add interest.I love to look around Pinterest for ideas and inspiration.http://www.pinterest.com
Solid Neutrals
Neutral and solid are your friends when you dress for a family session.
Repeat after me… Solid neutrals are my friend! Choosing a color palette that is filled with solid neutrals that all coordinate and make you feel like a million bucks will always photograph well. It’s classic, it’s easy, and it’s clean. Sometimes, in a quest to make everything perfect for family photos, we overcomplicate things. Do not overthink what to wear; solid, neutral basics are always a good choice.
Represent
Representing your family’s personality is so important in your photos.
This one is so important because when you choose clothing that represents your family in this moment, it helps tell your story well. You want your family photos to look nice and to look like you! If your little girl loves all the twirly dresses right now, let her wear them, but if she wants to wear jeans this time, let her. If your teen is totally into white sneakers, let them wear them. One day, when you look back at these photos, those small details will take you right back to this moment, and you’ll be thankful you said yes.
Finally
The last step is to lay it all out, snap a picture, and let your photographer help you.
We’ve come to the end. When choosing what to wear for your family photos, follow these simple tips, and you’re on your way to creating memories to treasure for a lifetime. Dress Mom first, coordinate, don’t match, have solid neutrals, and represent your personality. Lastly, lay it all out together and take a picture. Then send it to your photographer and let them help you. When you have another pair of eyes on what you choose, it helps. Your photographer will also know if something will not photograph well or look great in the location you’ve chosen.
