Fall Colors are upon us


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, lake family picture outfits or mountains, use these tips to help you pick out the perfect outfits for you and your family.


How to Choose Family Photo Outfits

1. 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.


2. 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?


3. 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.


4. 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.


5. Look for clothing collections

When shopping for clothes for kids, head to stores that typically have color coordinating collections. You can then purchase clothes for all the children from one store. Don’t be afraid to lay all the clothes on the floor of the store to see what they will look like together.


6. 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.


7. 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.


8. 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.


9. 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.


10. Consider your background

If you are taking photos in front of a backdrop, consider what you are wearing. If you are taking photos in outdoors, consider what you are wearing to coincide with the season.


11. 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. Finally, let’s have some fun during your session, so I can truly capture your authentic selves.