Guide to styling your family session

You have found the perfect location, researched photographers, chosen one and booked your family session. How exciting! Now comes the inevitable question: “What do we wear?”

No worries! We have some easy tips to style your family shoot to look classy, comfortable, and timeless for those captured memories. Take a few minutes to read through our advice for putting together the perfect look for your sweet family. 

Coordinate colors rather than match!

Remember those photos of the whole family in jeans and white shirts? Those days of everyone being matchy-matchy are gone (Phewww!)

Better to choose a color palette of three or four coordinating colors and then dress the family in shades of that palette. We always advise our clients to start with one statement piece that has a simple pattern – often mom’s outfit – and then find clothing for the rest of the family that draws from the colors in that ensemble.

An easier alternative is to keep the color palette neutral (think greys, browns, creams, etc), earthy (olive, rust, caramel, etc), or muted (dusty blues, sage greens, blush pinks, etc).

Neon is a hard no. It doesn’t photograph well and it gives a crazy color cast on skin. This also goes for overly vibrant colors (fuscias, bright oranges, lime greens, etc). If you’re not sure if a piece is too vibrant, chances are- it probably is. Swap it for an understated color that won’t draw all of the attention to a single clothing item rather than where it should be- on the sweet faces in your family. 

Say “No” to characters and logos

This is a guideline especially for the kiddos. We know this can be a battle as kids love their favorite cartoons and action heroes. But it’s battle worth fighting because it is a super distracting element in a photo. The focus of your photos should be your family – not the logo, characters, or words on a shirt. 

Shop for everyone at the same store

Chances are, you can style your session easily using the clothes in your closets. But if you really want to buy new clothing items for your family shoot, sometimes it is easier to shop at the same store for everyone in the family. Stores usually have collections of clothing that are released seasonally, these collections are already coordinated, making it much easier to style everyone at once.

Dress For The Setting

If you have a unique location for your session, such as a rustic farm or a wooded trail, you can play into this theme by choosing your look accordingly. Your family shoot should be a reflection of who you are, so if you’re the outdoorsy types, overalls, denim, and boots may be perfect or if you all are beach lovers, linen, flowy dresses, and bare feet will look precious pitter-pattering in the shallow lapping waves.

Wear Solids Or Subtle Prints

Solid colors are easiest to coordinate but if you prefer you can also wear subtle patterns such as a plaid shirt or a floral print in neutral colors. Prints can make for beautiful photos, but its important that they are understated and not distracting to the overall aesthetic.

If you choose a patterned shirt or dress, opt for a small pattern rather than a big, bold pattern. Once again, the goal is to make you look your best while not distracting from the connections between your family members.

Textures add visual interest

as an alternative to patterns, think textures! Textures and layers create depth and style in your images. For the girls- ruffles, pleats, and lace are sweet textured details. For the boys- buttons, rolled cuffs, and suspenders look classic. Incorporating a variety of fabrics and textures add dimension to your photos. throw in some knits, silks, leather, or lace accessories to add depth to your staple cotton clothing pieces.

Accessorize

Adding accessories is an easy way to introduce different textures and visual interest. Scarves, hats, belts, wraps, shawls, ties, and necklaces all show off your personalities. They also make for great props to interact with during your session. It’s an added bonus if you accessories are easy to slip on and off, as they enable your family to have a variety of looks within your session.

Consider home decor

This is something a lot of clients don’t think about at first. When you are styling your family’s clothing, it is wise to consider the color palette, style, and decor in your home. It is likely that you will want to print some of your beautiful family photos for a wall in your home. How perfect it would be to choose colors and styles that match the decor and color palette of the room where you might want to hang them?

ABOVE ALL-Keep it Comfortable!

As much as it is important to consider colors and textures when choosing what to wear for a family session, the biggest consideration should be to choose clothing that fits well, is comfortable, and makes each of you feel good! Style is important but we would never condone forcing kids (and husbands) to wear stiff or ill-fitting clothing that will make them unable to move freely and be themselves. Opt for clothing that gives you all free range of motion and fit well as you move. 

Being happy, comfortable, and confident in your clothing will translate in your family’s photos and will enable you all to interact beautifully with each other while your photographer captures the moments. The focus of your session is the love and joy in your family.

Some extra tips for an awesome session

for some activities to keep your family engaged and get awesome photos, check out our other blog post Making Your Family Session Fun for Perfectly Sweet and Tender Photos

For more inspiration on styling your session, check out our Pinterest!

Check out more of our Family and Portrait Photography Here.