The question I’m asked most often before a family photography session is “What should we wear for our family photos?”
The single most important consideration when you’re choosing your outfits is that you all feel comfortable and confident. You need to like how you all look in your pictures as you’ll be keeping them forever.
But think carefully about what you’d normally wear and then veer on the smarter side. In a nutshell, you want to look like you at your best when choosing what to wear on a family photo shoot.
Your Family, Your Personality
First of all, think about what kind of family you are, think about your style. If you’re a formal family, you might like some pictures in very smart attire. If you don’t, then t-shirt and jumper it is.
Plain Colours Work Best
Plain colours always work best for pictures. There’s nothing to distract the eye so the images become about the people rather than the clothes. This isn’t to say that clothes need to be boring as you can add texture into your images with fabrics such as linen, wool and lace.
Patterns are the enemy!
I love patterns, they can be fantastic in the right place but they can also steal the show quicker than a proposal at a wedding reception. They draw the eye away from the real subjects of the photographs- the people in them! Subtle, gentle patterns are okay but keep them to a minimum, just one person or things can get confusing.
Clear the Contrast
Like patterns, contrasting colours in your group will change the way the photograph is viewed. Too may colours or choosing colours which contrast with each other will make the image too busy and uncomfortable to look at. So choose a pallet of complementing shades to create a cohesive look.
Leave the Logos at Home
Logos are designed to make you look at them, not the person wearing them.
Having discussed problems with patterns and how photographs can be dated by the clothing worn, it stands to reason that the same applies to T-shirts with logos, pictures and words on them.
Colour Pallets
Depending on what style you are going for: light and airy, dark and moody you need to pick a colour pallet. I have given some examples here to help, obviously it depends on the number of people in the group whether you use all the tone in the pallet of just stick to a couple. The more people in the group you can use more of the tones but be sure to pull the tones through the group using accessories such as scarfs, headbands
Think Long-Term
You’re going to keep these pictures forever so always think timeless rather than high fashion when choosing your outfits. Fashions come and go and the last thing you want is to look back on an image in ten years’ time and cringe at what you were wearing. Classic styles never go out of fashion and so are a good choice for what to wear on your family photo shoot.
Try Clothes on Before the Day
I always recommend you try on your outfit before the day. For adults this means checking that you can squat, sit on the ground and move around easily. We’ll be playing with the kids so beware of very short skirts or tops that gape open.
It’s also no problem if you want to email me a picture and ask, “Will this work?” I know that sometimes it’s reassuring to know that your choice will be perfect. I’m on hand before your shoot, as well as after it, to help with any questions no matter how small so please reach out and we can make sure you have the ideal outfit for your photo shoot.
Wear Clothes That Fit
This sounds obvious but I’m as guilty as the next person of not checking that something fits until the day I need to wear it. And then finding it’s perhaps a little tighter than I would like… Clothes that are too tight or too loose tend to be less flattering.
Very tight t-shirts, which often look great if you’re standing up, photograph less well if you’re sitting and snuggling with your child. It’s worth clearing your pockets as that will affect the way your clothes hang. If you can, put wallets and phones in a small bag which will look better in your pictures.
Make up, hair and accessories
Over the years I’ve had several clients reach out before their photo session to ask if they should wear makeup to their photo session if they do not wear makeup in their everyday life. My response is always this: even if you do not wear makeup in your everyday life, YES, you should still wear makeup in your photos.
I highly recommend styling your hair and please do not forget the nails. Hands are key in posing a family portrait.
Adding accessories like bracelets, necklaces or big funky earrings can really make your photos stand out.
It’s All About You
Ultimately, your pictures need to reflect who you are and your own unique memories, that is the most important consideration when deciding what to wear on your family photo shoot. You’ll keep these pictures for ever and look at them daily on your walls as well as in decades to come. So choose clothes you feel confident in and which won’t date, and you can be sure you’ll love your family photos as much in fifty years’ time as you do today.