What to wear for your family photos

Are you already stressing about what you are going to wear for your session?

Have you peeked in your closet and thought, I literally have nothing to wear for our family photos? How am I going to dress the family?

I have a sneaky suspicion that you may be scrolling through Pinterest looking for inspiration.

I totally get it.

Figuring out what to wear for your photos can be tricky, but after years of shooting families and analyzing what worked best for my clients, I want to share my insider secrets with you, so you can find the *perfect* clothes for everyone.

Start with dressing YOU (aka Mom) first

It will be so much easier to dress your husband and your kid(s) after you know what the heck you are going to wear. Start with what you want to wear, and then coordinate everyone around you based on what you select. Opt for a long, flowy maxi dresses or skirts in soft fabrics like chiffon or tulle (which allow for beautiful movement in the images) or a midi or cocktail dress. Just keep in mind that if you have little ones, a shorter dress can sometimes be harder to move in when wrangling the kids.

Coordinate your color palette, but don’t match

If you only do one thing when it comes to selecting what everyone should wear, this is THE best tip, I can give you. Select an overall color palette that you want your family to wear, and then build on this. The goal for coordinating a family is to visually break up the colors and shades so that you’re not all wearing the same color on top and bottom. The more we can mix that up, the better.

The easiest way to do this is to dress everyone in your family with a different dominant color and similar accent colors. A dominant color is the one you see in most of the outfit and the accent color is the smaller color.

For example, if you are wearing a blush dress with nude shoes (blush is your dominant color), you can dress your husband in a navy sport coat and tan pants (navy as his dominant color). Your son could wear jeans and a white linen shirt (white as his dominant) and your daughter could wear a light blue dress with a blush bow (light blue as her dominant).

Pick outfits with a neutral color palette

I recommend selecting softer, lighter tones and more muted shades. By avoiding ultra-bright, bold colors, it will help bring all the attention to your faces, and let the eye focus on the way you and your emotions.

The camera LOVES shades of soft pink and muted blues, mixed with sophisticated light neutrals like heather gray, creams, leather brown and white. And this softer color palette works in just about every location which is why you will see these same colors over and over again in my work.

Dress your guy in a fitted look

Leave the shorts, sandals and any pants that are loose or baggy at home. Dress your husband in fitted dress pants or colored pants, closed-toed shoes, and a solid shirt. Add in a suit coat, blazer or sport coat, and he will look so photo-ready.

Think about adding layers

Layers look great on men and your little boys. Think about adding a vest or a sport coat to add another layer to their outfit or even pair a button-down shirt underneath a sweater. Layers add dimension and make your family photos feel like you just stepped out of a catalog.

Say NO to the these things

When styling your family, avoid logos, patterns and bold, bright colors as they distract from your beautiful family. Sticking with solid neutrals and a soft color palette will result in gorgeous, clean timeless photos that you will LOVE for years.

Start digging through your closets and see what you can find. But if you feel the need to shop for a few new things ….  I always suggest starting with :

• my curated online store with so many gorgeous dresses and perfect looks for your crew
• Lulus
• Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack
• Asos
• Rent the Runway (click here to get $30 off your order)
• Bonobos
• Trunk Club

Still not sure how to dress your family? If you need more inspiration, feel free to peek at my pinterest board for additional ideas or check out past sessions to see how other clients have styled their crew.

Interested in having a lifestyle family session with Brittany Bekas? Send me a note!