Booked a portrait session and not sure what to wear for your family photos?
I’ve got you covered. Updating the family photos – whether you’ve had an addition to the family (congratulations!) or if it’s been a little while and you’d like to get some pictures of your kids before they leave home – there is never a bad age to get some portrait photography done. But what to wear for family photos?
Once you’ve booked your family photography session, you’ll need to decide on a location. I’ve got a very handy guide on that here. Similarly, you’ll also need to choose what to wear for the photos. Read through my tips below to get the best results…
Keep it Simple
Most of the time, I recommend clients try to avoid heavily patterned clothing or very bright / vibrant colours. For instance; you don’t want one person in spots, one in stripes and one in florals – the photos will look too busy.
Similarly, if everyone is wearing white/tans and one person is in a bright red top, that person will stand out. So it’s best that everyone participating in the photos wear the same style of colour group.
If you have young kids, please try to avoid any clothing that has a character pattern or a large graphic picture on the front (which kids love but just don’t look great in photos).
Instead, wear plain clothes (no patterns) or a subtle pattern (see the image of the blue dress below):
Choose clothes of a similar hue
This is probably one of the best tips for getting great photos. Your images will have a cohesive look if you and your family are wearing clothes of a similar colour family or hue.
For example; if you all wear pastels like pale blue, white, baby pink, cream etc.
Alternatively, you can opt for deeper tones like burgundy, navy blue, forest green, rust.
You can also go for warm neutrals like tan, cream, brown, white and pale yellow.
Then you have the cool neutrals like white, grey and pale blue.
You’ll notice that in a lot of my images, the families are wearing clothes that are all similar in hue or feel like the colours ‘go together’. You don’t need to have fancy clothes or go out and buy a whole new wardrobe (unless you want to!). You can see some examples here:
Do Your Hair and Makeup
If you wear makeup, you can do your hair and makeup in a normal way that you feel most comfortable. You can choose to do that yourself, or treat yourself with a professional if you want to get pampered before your photography session. If you would like to get it done professionally, but don’t know where to start, you can check out my recommended makeup artists here (scroll to Vendors).
Sessions with Kids Under 5yo
The majority of my sessions are with families that have kids under 5 years old, so I’m well versed on all the tips and tricks to get the best photos of the little ones. I normally recommend a maximum of 1hr for family photography sessions for kids under five.
I often do the family photos for the first half of the shoot, and then if the kids are getting restless, then we just muck about and get candid photos for the second half. Have a normal change of clothes in the car and, if you can, have a backup photo outfit just in case your little ones get dirty during the shoot.
Additionally, bring along some dry snacks for the kids if they get hungry. It’s best to avoid sloppy foods that can further dirty their clothes. Things like crackers, sultanas and the like are recommended.
Newborn sessions with a Toddler
If you’ve booked a session for your newborn baby and you also have a toddler, there are a few things to know. Toddlers are going to do what they want to do (I know from personal experience), so we normally approach the shoot with the toddler in mind.
Newborns are cute little squishy blobs that can usually be settled fairly easily with some milk and a good swaddle. Toddlers are much more complex, so I usually aim to help them feel comfortable and have fun to get the best photos.
Dress for the Weather
It’s best to check the weather forecast in the lead up to your family portrait session. If it looks like a hot day – but could be a little windy – wear your light summer clothes and bring a cardigan or something to layer if needed.
Similarly, rug up for colder weather. Knit sweaters and jeans work great for photos in winter. This is especially important for little ones and young children – kids aren’t going to have a fun time if they’re shivering and cold!
Key Points
I hope this guide has helped you decide what to wear for family photos. If you’re still a bit stuck, get in touch and we can talk through the best choices. You can also see some real family photo sessions on the blog below.
