What to wear in family photos
It is hard enough some days to decide what to wear to work never mind selecting outfits for your entire family for a photo shoot!
What you wear isn’t the most important thing in the world, but I can’t lie, it does make a big difference in the outcome of the photos.
Well collaborated outfits give photos a more professional feel. What you wear also effects the outcome of the photos. Dark clothing colours will make the photos look darker, light colours will result in bright and light photos.
If you are investing money and time to get family photos done it is a great idea to spend some time planning what to wear so you get the most out of the photo shoot.
The good news is you don’t need expensive clothing; you don’t need to buy new outfits; you just need to keep a few things in mind.
Here are some tips to help you out!
1. Match or coordinate
In my opinion this is the most important part of what to wear! There are many options within this category.
The easiest option is to have everyone match by wearing the same colour shirts. If everyone in the family has a plain white shirt (any style) that is a convenient and affordable way to match without having to buy new outfits.
If your budget allows, you can buy matching outfits online. These matching outfits range in price but look very cute especially for kids.
The last option is to pick 2-3 colours and stick with those. Essentially you would pick a colour palette inspired by the season or theme and keep within that palette. For fall family photos you could pick cream, yellow and blue, orange, white and brown, blue, brown and cream. There are so many options!
2. Keep in simple
Avoid busy patterns, logos, cartoons etc.
If everyone is following this rule it’s usually ok for one person to break it. For example, if everyone else is wearing simple outfits one person can wear patterns if it contains one of the colours everyone else is wearing!
3. You can’t go wrong with neutral colours
White, brown, cream, tan etc. Stay away from neon colours even for the kids. Bright runners, logos or cartoons on t-shirts are something to save for another day.
4. Moms, start with your outfit and go from there
You must start somewhere and it’s likely that you know what you want to wear, or at least what you don’t want to wear. Pick your outfit first and then branch out to everyone else after that.
5. Choose comfortable clothing
Nice clothing doesn’t have to be uncomfortable. It’s a good idea to choose an outfit you would be ok crouching in, sitting on the ground in or even running in. For outdoor sessions flat shoes are recommended or wear runners to walk in, then slip on your preferred shoes for the photo.
6. Dress for the weather
Calgary weather is a mysterious force, and you never know what will happen on any given day! Even though the day might look warm and sunny the morning might be cold. Rain or snow can pop up anytime then leave as fast as it arrived. For outdoor photos bring jackets, hats, mitts and cozy blankets that you can take on and off through the session especially. This is a good tip for for little ones who may get cranky on a cold morning. If it’s raining, umbrellas can be cute, especially if they are clear or a solid neutral color.
7. When shopping for kids, go to the right place
Sometimes it is hard to find plain coloured outfits for children, particularly if you are shopping at the usual kids store. Here are some suggestions to help:
A really great Canadian company is Mini Mioche!
If you want custom matching outfits Hanlyn Collective is Canadian and offers cute matching outfits custom made!
I have bought my son some nice clothing from Costco. Just look for simple outfits free of cartoons and bright colours.
Old Navy, H&M and Zara have cute outfits and neutral cartoon free options for both boys and girls and can be found in your local mall.
Shein has affordable cute outfits. A lot of my cake smash outfits are from this site, I have found their quality to be good.
When in doubt, Pinterest is always a great source of inspiration, and you can make your own family outfit board to refer to.
ChatGPT is also a great tool, it can recommend outfits for you from scratch or if you upload a bunch of outfits, it can help recommend what ones go best together. You can sign up for a free account or just use it without signing in!
Hopefully this gives you a bit more information and confidence to plan outfits for your next family photo shoot!
For inquiries please don’t hesitate to contact me at alexis.littleloves@gmail.com
Warm regards,
Alexis
