3 Strategies for Choosing your Family Photo Wardrobe

Last week, we talked about choosing a location for your family photo session, and how location choice can be a hurdle that slows you down in the process of scheduling your family photos. (We also talked about how to overcome that hurdle.) After location questions, the second-most popular question I get from clients trying to plan for their session is about wardrobe. As the head woman in my family, I find this responsibility falls to me when planning for my own family photos, and outfitting everyone can be a challenging and frustrating point to manage. I’m here with three strategies to help make this part of the photography-planning process easier.

Strategy 1: Dress the hardest person first. Is there one person in your family who is the hardest to dress? Maybe they’re picky, or have a limited (or capsule) wardrobe. Or maybe they just insist on wearing one particular outfit. My toddler son, for example, looks like he hasn’t changed his clothes all winter, because he insists on wearing the same shirt color every single day. Instead of going against the grain and insisting he wear a different color, I’d choose his outfit first and then base the rest of our wardrobes around his preferences.

Also, double check that everyone’s clothes fit (hello growth spurts) as you go so you can make changes as necessary and won’t find any surprises as you get dressed on photo day.

I can also find that it’s easiest to dress myself last. When presented with too many options and self-opinions about my own clothing, I can drive myself crazy trying to go first. Going last allows me to have set parameters in place, which narrows my choices and helps me make a decision more quickly. And if I find that I don’t have a top to go with the outfits I’ve chosen for everyone else, I know exactly what to look for when I shop for myself.

Strategy 2: Choose clothes that look and feel comfortable and look like “you.” Do you wear dresses 24/7, or are you more of a jeans person? Does your partner never wear polos in real life? Unless you’re used to wearing fancy clothes all the time, I suggest not wearing a suit and tie or formalwear to your family photos.

This is not the time to try a new look, or to mimic the outfit choices of someone you admire (especially if they have different tastes). Choose outfits that would not be weird for your family to wear. Your goal is to look put together, but still look like yourselves.

This includes shoes. While I don’t suggest wearing Crocs, I do suggest wearing shoes that you’re comfortable wearing. Nothing makes a person grumpy like blisters.

Strategy 3: Choose a color palate that looks great on everyone. We all have different skin tones, of course. But undertones are also important when considering color palates. Your skin’s undertone can land anywhere on the range from cool to warm, and if your family has a mix of tones and undertones, it can be a challenge to find something that looks great on everyone.

If I were dressing my family and had to base it around my 4 year old’s bright red color preference, I might have a hard time. Bright red does not look great on my pale skin with a cool undertone, while the darker members of my family have warmer undertones and look terrific in red. I could put my daughter, husband, and me in more neutral colors to balance us out as a unit. Gray, black, cream, or even navy could help with that. I could utilize texture and pattern to even us out as well. Wool, knit sweaters, soft fleeces and faux fur add lots of texture in winter, while lace, eyelet fabric, and linen are summery textures that look great on camera. Herringbone and plaid are classic autumn and winter patterns, while florals and polka dots lean more toward warmer seasons.

Bonus strategy: Utilize your professional. While not every photographer provides outfit help during the prep period, that is something I include as part of my session prep. Along with sending a prep guide with more extensive tips and wardrobe advice, I also avail myself to my clients via text and email to send me options so I can help you choose. I want you to be confident and comfortable for your photos, and not spend our whole hour together tugging on hems.

Want to see more examples of outfits my clients have chosen, for inspiration? Click on over to my family photo portfolio.