What to Wear to Your Family Portrait Session
One of the most common questions I get as a family portrait photographer when clients book a family portrait session is “what should we wear?”. Coordinating outfits between all family members can feel daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! Today, I want to share some tips for choosing your wardrobe and show some examples of families who nailed it with their outfits at their family portrait sessions.
Long gone are the days of family members wearing matching white button-up shirts and Levi jeans (thank goodness). We’ve traded the overly matchy-matchy for well coordinated palettes, and I am very grateful for this improvement.
The key to coordinating outfits is that you want to compliment each other and not attempt having the exact same clothes. By doing this, you create a cohesive look that has dimension and personality.
Color Pairing
If you aren’t feeling super adventurous, one of the easiest ways to pick a fool-proof color palette is to put everyone in neutral shades (ivory, brown, gray, beige, etc.). You can also pick one main color and add in neutrals (most of my clients choose this route to keep things easy).
If you’d like to add more color, you can introduce accents of coordinating colors. How the heck do I know what a coordinating color is, you ask? Well, you can find coordinating (or complementary) colors by looking at color’s opposite shade on the color wheel. For example, if you choose navy blue, a coordinating color would be an orange tone. See below.
Patterns and Textures
To keep things interesting, you’ll also want to take patterns and textures into consideration. Typically, it’s best to have one or two family members (depending on how large your group is) wear something that has a simple pattern or texture. You’ll want to avoid incorporating too many patterned items or wearing patterns that are too loud because the photos will look chaotic and busy. The attention should be on the family members, not what they are wearing. Pattern accents look great and should coordinate with the color palette chosen. I like to advise my clients to wear tiny prints such as plaid, subtle stripes, or even small polka dots.
If patterns aren’t your jam but you still want to spice up your outfit, consider textures such as chunky knitted sweaters, denim, velvet, fur, tulle, lace dresses, etc.
Another fool proof hack is to wear neutrals and play with different textures! Everything will be cohesive, and the textures will add a bit more visual interest.
Check out the samples below of families who did an excellent job of pairing colors, patterns, and textures together for a cohesive look for the whole family!
Sample Family Portrait Outfits
