Wear family photo shoot

11 Tips to Choose the Perfect Family Photo Outfits for 2020

Deciding what family photo outfits to wear can be just as challenging as finding the perfect photographer. These are photos you are going to hang on your walls and cherish for years to come. It can seem overwhelming when considering what to wear but it doesn’t need to be.

Whether you are looking for fall family photo outfits or beach family picture outfits use these tips to help you pick out the perfect outfits for you and your family’s group photos.

Read more: 8 Lifestyle Photography Tips for Beautiful Family Photos
Above beach photo credit: Studio Sea Photography

How to Choose Family Photo Outfits for Any Season
Fall Family Picture Outfits
Family Beach Picture Outfits
FAQ of Family Photo Outfits

How to Choose Family Photo Outfits

Coordinating colors not matching

Long gone are the days of everyone wearing a white shirt and matching. You don’t have to have everyone buy a white shirt and jeans. Allow personalities to shine with colors and patterns. Pick a couple of colors and choose clothes that will fit in this color scheme.

Look at your home decor

This may seem odd. What does your home decor have to do with family picture outfits? A lot actually.

Do you like bright colors? Neutrals? Since you will be hanging these photos in your house you want to make sure the colors of your clothes go with the color scheme of your home.

Walk around your home and think about where will you display these photos? If they are going in the living room look at the colors in there. Do you have bright decorative pillows or more of a neutral palette?

Don’t forget accessories to go with your family picture outfits

Accessories not only add to your outfit but they can be fun to use in photos. Have the man wear a tie for the woman to hold. Necklaces for the kids to play with or hats to hide behind.

Remember the idea is not to create these perfect photos. Family photos are a time to capture who your family is at that time. Most people take family photos in the fall which means there are plenty of accessories you can add. Consider a fun scarf, cute coat, or stylish hat. The possibilities are endless.

Limit patterns

Personally, I enjoy having an outfit in the mix that has all the colors in it. However, not everyone in the photo should wear patterns as it may distract the final image.

Consider picking one outfit for your family photos that has a lot of colors or fun pattern. Choose that outfit first. This gives you plenty of colors to choose from to pick your coordinating colors.

Look for clothing collections

When shopping for clothes for my kids, I head to stores that typically have color coordinating collections. You can then purchase clothes for all the children from one store.

In fact, just recently my sister and I had to pick beach family photo outfits for our family of 15. We headed to Target and within 30 minutes found coordinating clothes for everyone. Don’t be afraid to lay all the clothes on the floor of the store to see what they will look like together.

You can see below we started with the kids clothes and then moved on to the adult outfits.

Photo credit: Studio Sea Photography

Plan ahead for your family photo outfits

Once you book your session, start thinking what to wear for family photos right away. You may think certain clothes will fit your kids or that one dress is clean. If you wait until the day of or day before you may run into an issue of clothes not fitting, being dirty or need to be dry cleaned.

Photo credit the Aspen Burke Photography

Say no to characters

Yes, your little one may love their Toy Story shirt but you may want to skip it for the family photo session. Just like patterns, characters on shirts can be pretty distracting. Characters, like too many patterns, can make your photo look too busy.

Photo credit: Eloise Layla Nurse Photography

Avoid all white or all black clothing

As we mentioned earlier you would rather do coordinating colors than all white. Another reason to avoid white is because it is very easy to blow out parts of your shirt causing it to lose its detail. What I mean by blowing out is the shirt no longer has any of the details it is completely white as if the sun is shining brightly on it.

Same can be said with all black, it’s easy to have clipping on black clothing and the detail is lost. With clipping, this is where the black clothes loose the depth and details. Trust me you don’t want this and neither does your photographer.

Textures are your friend

I am a huge fan of a cotton fitted shirt. However, in photographs I like to add textures like scarves or belts to add a little more to the image. Don’t shy away from different textures.

By adding different textures through the material of your family outfits or your accessories you are adding depth and interest to your photos.

Consider your background

If you are taking photos in front of a backdrop, consider what you are wearing. I remember an image of my husband, myself and baby daughter which was taken in front of a black backdrop. We didn’t realize the background color and showed up wearing black shirts. Once we received the photos it looked as if floating heads were holding a baby.

Think classic for what to wear in family photos

These photos will be hanging on your walls and treasured for years to come. By choosing simple, classic clothes you will help give your images a timeless feel.

Fall Family Picture Outfits

The most popular time of year to get family photos is during the fall. The leaves are changing and the sun is softer. Plus, you need a new family photo for your holiday cards. Something to consider when choosing fall family picture outfits is the tones of the season.

Consider choosing outfits with warm earth tones.

Photo credit: Eloise Layla Nurse Photography

Family Beach Picture Outfits

Another popular time to get family photos done is while on vacation, especially at the beach. Again, you may feel the need to wear matching family outfits like all white shirts but that isn’t ideal.

Instead, while at the beach consider wearing cooler tones like blues & greens and even adding in pops of coral.

Photo credit: Studio Sea Photography

Deciding what to wear is half the battle. Now the posing fun begins. Learn simple family poses to help your session be a success.

Frequently asked questions about family photo outfits.

What colors are best for family photos?

Although there’s no magic answer to this question, it’s best to consider a few different things. What colors do you look best in? What makes you feel confident? Those are the colors you should wear. Also, what are you going to do with the photos? Will you be hanging them in your living room? What are the colors in there? Consider coordinating with your home decor so it all works well together.

Where can I buy clothes for family pictures?

Any clothing store will have something for your family photos. However, I like to look at stores with clothing collections for the whole family. I would start with your favorite clothing store and see if you can find something for your whole family. I have purchased whole family outfits for Target all the way to Boden and have been happy with both choices.

What colors look best in photos?

That’s a hard one to decide but I will say all black and all white are hard to photograph so if possible I would avoid those.

What to Wear on a Family Photo Shoot

Choosing an Outfit for your Family Photo Shoot

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.

Now is not the time to try a radical new look just in case, three weeks down the line, you decide that a purple mohawk wasn’t for you (if purple mohawk is your normal look then that’s awesome and I can’t wait to meet you).

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.

Rules vs Guidelines

These are your pictures, there are no rules. However, I’m sharing some suggestions here, based on my family photography experience, which will improve your pictures and ensure they’ll look just as good in fifty years’ time as they do today.

I offer these ideas for you to think about but at the end of the day you should wear the clothes that you feel reflect you. And do be reassured that over the years every one of my rules has been broken to great effect at some point or other.

Your Family, Your Personality

First off, 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 own an iron (guilty as charged) then t-shirt and jumper it is.

Or, if your look spans the style spectrum, we can always divide the session and do some more formal shots and others with a very relaxed feel. If you think you might like to do this, it’s worth us having a quick chat beforehand so we can work out which way round to do it. You’ll then be wearing the right outfits when I arrive. We often do part of the session outside and part at your home so it’s no trouble at all to have different outfits throughout the session.

What Doesn’t Work

If I had to say one thing that really doesn’t work when choosing what to wear for your family photo shoot it would be graphic patterns. Checks in particular don’t work well in pictures, the contrast and repeating pattern is very distracting, so I’d always advise avoiding checks where possible – for both adults and children. If you must wear checks then bigger ones in similar tones are less of a problem than smaller ones. Tiny checks or checks with a light and dark contrast are definitely to be avoided.

Other designs that cause problems include bold stripes and, most importantly, words. As you move around, then only part of the words becomes visible. So that cute top that says ‘big brother’ might only read ‘g othe’ in your image which would seriously spoil the effect. Our eyes tend to go to words in a picture so they’ll always be very distracting. Logos are best avoided for the same reason. Keeping things simple is good.

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.

Matching or Not?

This is very much a personal preference. I’ve been photographing families for almost twenty years and some of my clients love to match while others don’t. If you’re a family who likes to match, then go with it as it can look wonderful in pictures. If you prefer to dress completely differently, then that’s perfect too. These images are about you. There’s no right or wrong when choosing what to wear on your family photo shoot.

For extended family shoots it’s best to agree a rough theme in advance or we can end up with a chaos of patterns, textures and tones. Mid-tone plain colours work best so avoiding patterns and avoiding black and white (unless you want everyone in one or the other to match) is a wise choice. Everyone has something in a mid-tone and in monochrome that palette will look great.

Think Long-Term

Wearing White

White is a very popular choice for family photography and can look absolutely stunning in monochrome images. Do be aware that your eye will go to the lightest area in a picture, so white jeans will draw the eye and might make you look larger than you are.

Wearing Black

Black can be a bit dark for family photography so blue or grey would be a better choice as it’s softer. Certainly don’t dress half the family in black and half in white as that will create contrast problems in your images.

Colours vs Tones

One of the joys of black and white photography is not needing to worry if colours clash: we can wear the clothes we look best in without thought to how the colours look together. We might want to give some thought to tones though.

If we’re going to a darker environment (such as dense woodland) then lighter toned clothes might be better, so we don’t blend into the background. In the same way, a baby in a white dress on a white bedspread works less well than a lightly coloured outfit, perhaps in a pastel shade, which will give a lighter, neutral tone and stand out beautifully.

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.

One of the great benefits of black and white is that the colours of clothes aren’t relevant – shades and tones won’t date in the way they do in colour. I’m a child of the eighties and eternally grateful that my penchant for neon green is recorded as a subtle grey in the monochrome pictures of my youth.

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. Equally, if you have younger children, you may well have your arms above your head if you’re throwing them in the air, for example. So check that bras don’t become visible as you move and that tops are long enough to cover your midriff.

It’s also worth trying outfits on children before the day. Most kids don’t like being fussed over, especially babies, so it’s good to keep outfit changes to a minimum. We certainly don’t want to be trying on ten baby-grows at the beginning of a shoot just to find one that fits.

Active little girls in dresses do tend to show their knickers as they cartwheel through their day so you might want to put tights or leggings under their dresses. Or, if they’re still in nappies, then some matching bloomers look much cuter than the Pampers graphics.

When it comes to choosing children’s trousers, make sure they fit snugly round the waist and cover pants (and the tops of bottoms!) which may be revealed while they’re having fun on the shoot.

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.

Then on the day, one of the benefits of starting most of my photo shoots in your home is that I can always advise when I arrive. You can have some options laid out and then it will take a matter of moments to decide. Equally, if I arrive and anyone is wearing something that I think might be a problem then I’ll always let you know. It’s my job to make sure you look your best in these pictures that you’ll be keeping forever.

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. Heavier fabrics tend to hang better, very light t-shirts for example can cling whereas classic cuts will always look good.

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. And down jackets do add a couple of inches, so a tailored jacket or coat looks better. Also, 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 (or I can carry them for you) which will look better in your pictures.

Dress for the Time of Year

According to the famous maxim, there’s no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing. This is true for photo shoots too. Dress for the weather we have not the weather you want. If it’s cold, then we need jumpers, coats and hats. If it’s wet underfoot, then wellies are the way to go.

A warm happy child will be much better to photograph than a cold child even if they’re wearing the beautiful jumper granny knitted. Thermals can be a great investment if you’ve booked an autumn or winter shoot and don’t want to wear bulky coats.

If we’re shooting in autumn or winter, then it’s also best to avoid white tights. Inevitably these will end up covered in mud with all the running around and climbing we’ll be doing. Darker, practical colours work better when choosing what to wear fo your family photo shoot.

Consider Your Environment

This applies both outside and indoors, so think about where we’ll be taking the pictures when you choose your outfits. An urban setting can work really well for more formal pictures but wearing smart clothes in wild woodland can feel out of place.

The same applies indoors. If you have a formal drawing room this could be a good spot for some more formal pictures. I also love the juxtaposition of very relaxed shots in a formal space which is often a lovely setting for kids in fancy dress. Equally, a messy playroom might work better with relaxed clothing choices than anything too smart.

Choose Shoes Wisely

Wear shoes you’re comfortable running around in and that you don’t mind getting muddy when deciding what to wear for your family photo shoot. We’ll definitely be straying from the paths as we search for adventure. Photo shoots aren’t a good day to try the kids in new shoes as blisters will derail things very quickly.

Also, unless your children are very used to wearing them, then flipflops and sandals can be a problem with stones getting under their feet. It’s important that everyone is comfortable in what they’re wearing. And your feet will feature in some of the pictures so also bear that in mind when selecting your footwear.

Glasses and Make-Up

Keep Glasses On

If you normally wear glasses, then do wear them for your photo shoot. And if your child usually wears glasses that applies to them too. You want to look like you in your pictures and everyone wants to see where they’re going. The only thing that can be difficult is if you have special lenses which go dark in the sun. These don’t work well in pictures as we won’t be able to see your eyes, so it’s best to leave dark glasses at home. If you have a second pair of normal glasses, they’ll look so much better.

Go Natural with Make-Up

If you usually wear make-up, then do so on the shoot as you want to look like you. The only thing I would mention is that very heavy eye make-up doesn’t come out so well in pictures so perhaps go a little easy on the eyeliner. If you wake up on the morning of the photo shoot with a spot on the end of your nose then don’t despair, this type of blemish can easily be removed in Photoshop.

The Fun of Fancy Dress

There’s something adorable about kids in fancy dress and I’m always happy if children want to be Batman or Elsa for part of the session. The world of the imagination is an amazing place and it’s one that can be captured so beautifully in photographs.

Clothes for Newborns

Less is more when it comes to clothes for newborns. A simple vest or baby-grow where you can see their hands and feet is ideal. If it’s a gorgeous knitted one then so much the better, they always look adorable.

If you’d like some pictures of your baby in just a nappy, then it’s worth getting a cover to go over it which are widely available. I would recommend getting smaller than you think you’ll need as they often seem to come up quite big. Equally, snuggly blankets and swaddles work brilliantly for newborns. If you would like to discover more about what to wear for newborn photography and everything else involved with planning a newborn photo shoot then do take a look at my hand guide.

Clothes for Babies

Baby clothes tend to be delightful and I would say just follow the same guidelines as for everyone else: avoid checks, graphic patterns and words. If you have dungarees, then check the fit on these as they often ride up and cover babies’ chins when they’re sitting up. Cute jumpers and jeans or dresses with matching knickers work very well.

It’s also lovely to have some shots of your baby just in their nappy and, as for newborns, I would definitely recommend you use a cover as on-show nappies don’t look good in pictures. Pyjamas or baby-grows are often super cute and it’s always lovely to have one or two pictures in these, maybe at the beginning of the shoot before we choose an outfit or right at the end before they have their midday nap and I head home.

Clothes for Children

Classic styles work best for pictures of children: shorts and t-shirts, trousers and shirts, jeans and jumpers, dresses or anything else which won’t date. It’s best to avoid t-shirts with big logos or characters on (your eye will be drawn to Mickey Mouse’s face) but equally, if they have an absolute favourite top or t-shirt, it’s nice to include that. Siblings don’t need to wear the same type of clothes so if you have two daughters and one loves dresses and one loves trousers then go with it. Let them express their individuality.

Clothes for Teenagers

Most teenagers will have a strong sense of how they’d like to be presented and I think it’s important this is reflected in their pictures. If they don’t like what they’re wearing, then that will be reflected in their faces.

Have a chat with them before the day and come up with a plan for what to wear on your family photo shoot together. If they want to wear something outlandish that you really don’t want memorialised forever, then we can do a change to ensure we capture both outfits and everyone is happy. Also, if we’re heading out wearing jumpers and coats, check that the t-shirt underneath is something you’re happy with. There’s nothing worse than discovering a t-shirt with an inappropriate logo once we get to the park.

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.

For more information about my Family Photography do browse my website where you can find newborn, children, teenagers and family galleries as well as information about how the sessions work and a full price list.

What to wear to a family photo session?

On the eve of the New Year, many people make memorable family photo sessions in festive interiors - under the Christmas tree with gifts or in some fabulous photo zones. We have prepared some tips on how to correctly prepare an outfit for yourself and the whole family for filming. And also at the end of the article you will find examples of New Year's family bows.

Less is better

Do not try to photograph 5 different images in an hour of shooting - it is better to correctly prepare and think over one, maximum two outfits and use them. Otherwise, you will be missing out on valuable studio rental and photographer time if you change your clothes all the time.

Color range

Choose from two, three, maximum four shades. It is no longer worth it, because otherwise the image may turn out to be fragmented.

Ideally, the image should have 70% of the main color, 20% of the secondary, and the remaining 10% fall on the third color, it should be used in accent details.

How to choose a color? If shooting will take place in the interior - look at the primary colors, your image should fit in, but not merge. If the colors are neutral - beige, brown, white - the color of your suit can be any. If the background is blue, green, red, then you will have to think about the costumes so that they fit into the interior.

Cranberry, woody, spruce shades are best suited for New Year's shooting. Black, white and gold can be an addition to any New Year's palette.

Matching style and interiors

Consider where the shooting will take place and dress to match the interiors. If there is stucco and gilding in the hall, wear classic or evening dresses; if the photo session takes place in a loft, choose casual clothes.

Don't mix glamorous and casual styles in your family look - either a silk dress and stilettos for a lady and dress shirts and trousers for men, or jeans and knitted sweaters for both.

Think about your shoes - they should also be consistent in the palette and fit the style. For casual - rough boots or boots, for classics - ankle boots or boats.

Accessories make your look interesting

Add some accessories to your outfit. For fun shooting in rustic interiors, these can be hats, scarves, leg warmers or woolen socks, mittens, large beads. For more rigorous looks, men wear a tie or bow tie, girls wear earrings and necklaces. But do not get carried away, choose a couple of interesting accessories.

If there are too many points of attraction, then your image will look broken and there will be nothing to catch your eye.

For girls, choose any two from the list:

necklace/beads
earrings
bracelet
hair hoop
scarf
hat/hat
belt
bright shoes

Layering

If girls can diversify their image with accessories, for men it's not so important to make a male look expressive, you can use another trick - layering. She will give charm and will look interesting.

For men:

vest with shirt or longsleeve
jacket with shirt or T-shirt
T-shirt with shirt

Prints and patterns

To make your family look more interesting, use clothes with a pattern (print) or texture.

Actual patterns for the Christmas theme - rhombuses, cage, snowflakes, deer.

An example of a harmonious family bow for a New Year's photo session

10 March, 2018

The overall impression of photographs in which you are depicted - alone or with a loved one - is made up of a combination of many factors. Of course, composition, lighting and image processing are important. No less important is the location, which creates a certain atmosphere in the photo. The images of models play a huge role, from hair and make-up to the choice of clothes. I will tell you more about clothes, and I beg you not to take this item lightly. When ordering a photo session with a photographer, you definitely want to get beautiful, high-quality, magazine pictures, right? So, if you dress incorrectly, then photos simply cannot be like that. Your image is as much a part of the picture as a beautiful location or an impeccable composition.

These simple rules will help you find the right look for your couple and look great in photos.

1. Single style for the whole family

Perhaps the main rule. Choose images in the same style, matching each other in colors, style, texture and seasonality.

2. Femininity

Even if modern girls often wear jeans and trousers and look great in them in everyday life, it is still better to choose an image with a dress or skirt for a photo shoot. Of course, suitable for the season - it makes no sense to wear a summer sundress for winter shooting.

Feminine image can be completed with bright accessories, for example, a flower wreath

And here the mother's image in the photo is harmoniously complemented by a beautiful hairstyle

3. No prints!

Prints can look great in everyday life, but avoid them in photosets. The most terrible “sin” is the inscriptions on T-shirts, huge labels on bags, colorful and large patterns. Monochromatic clothing looks best. And no, it's not boring at all. On the contrary, such clothes will create a stylish look for the whole family.

The most dangerous print can be called a small stripe - this is often found on men's shirts. In the photo, it often creates an ugly visual effect.

Some prints can look really cool! For example, as on the dress of the baby in this photo

Striped things also look good if it is large (like a child’s dress) or sufficiently distant from each other (like a mother’s)

4. Accessories

This what "makes" the image. They can be taken off and put on again, swapped and improvised. What can I bring to a photo session? hat. Handkerchief. Scarves and shawls. Bow tie. Fan. Brooches. Necklace. Earrings. Sunglasses. Wreath of flowers. Bouquet. shopping cart. Bike. Book. World map. Yes, anything!

For a family shoot, you can bring your child's favorite toys, which can help if the baby starts acting up or become part of the picture.

Stylish hat fits perfectly into this autumn shoot.

And here the summer mood is enhanced by sunglasses and a straw hat. These include neutral, not flashy shades, for example, beige, gray, burgundy, brown, navy blue, all pastel colors, red, white. I would also add black here, but I do not recommend this color for a romantic photo shoot, it is too gloomy and looks good only in certain locations. But white is a very good color for a photo, especially if you are filming in the pre-sunset hours, and not at noon with the scorching sun.