Let’s be honest, one of the most stressful parts of family photos is trying to figure out what to wear. Whether you plan months in advance or scramble the day before, the stress is real. Trust me, I get it. You have planned and paid for these photos - you don’t want to waste the opportunity.

Even though I am a photographer myself, I still struggle when it comes to planning my own family’s outfits for our annual photos. So after years of being the client stressing and now on the other end as the photographer, I have put together my favourite tips for prepping family outfits!

Number one tip - coordinate, don’t match.

Gone are the days of matching outfits - you know what I mean, like everyone wearing jeans and white t-shirts. When your family matches completely, your photos will lack dimension and texture. They will fall flat and therefore, never make it into those expensive frames hanging on your walls. The goal should be for your outfits to coordinate.

Work with the clothes you have - start with one outfit, I like to start with moms then go from there. Then lay the outfits beside each other on the bed or floor. This helps give you an overall picture of how they work together. If you’re not sure which colours work best together, look on Pinterest or Google for a colour palette you like and work with that.

Only one person should wear a pattern.

Patterns are great and can add dimension to your photos, so you should include them. However, if everyone is wearing different patterns, your pictures will be too busy and hard to look at. It’s better to have one person wear a pattern within the colour palette you choose.

You should also try and avoid large logos for the same reason. When someone is wear a sweater or shirt with a large logo on front, it can be distracting and take away from your photos.

When choosing an outfit colour palette, keep it simple.

The colours you choose should reflect your personality. In some cases, this might mean bold colours. That’s okay! I like colour myself. A nice red, dee purple or royal blue. But I caution you to avoid bright colours such as neons. These types of colours do not photograph well because they can reflect onto you or other family member’s faces.

The most important tip - keep your clothes comfortable.

Lifestyle sessions often include lots of movement. Therefore, you want to make sure you are comfortable and able to sit, stand and tickle! If you are most comfortable in a dress and heels - go for it! Whatever is true to you and your style is what you should wear. Pick something you feel beautiful in!

This is the same for your children. If your daughter loves to twirl in fun dresses, have her wear a fun dress but if she is more like my daughter and loves running, climbing and jumping in puddles - jeans and a shirt might be the better way to go. Your experience will be much more enjoyable if you are clothes that feel comfortable - trust me.

In the end, the goal of your session is to capture photos that show the connection and love between your family. In my opinion, it truly doesn’t matter what you wear. These tips are suggestions that can help guide you and alleviate some stress. So, if your son is adamant on wearing his bright blue dinosaur rain boots or won’t let go of his toy train - let him. It is not worth the meltdown. And more importantly, it’s not worth the stress. These things won’t change the love you have for each other. That’s all that matters! Check out my family portfolio to see what I mean.

Family Portfolio