TOP 3 TIPS on WHAT TO WEAR for FAMILY PHOTOS

What on earth are we going to wear for photo sessions?! As a photographer who frequently takes plenty of family photos, I can definitely empathize with you! That’s why I chose this post to help calm your anxiety around outfit coordination for your next photo session.

WHAT TO WEAR?

What to wear: You can never go wrong with solid earth tone colors. Patterns are not at all the worst choice, however a bold pattern in most cases will take away from the overall images. What that means is, our human eyes will naturally gravitate towards the busy pattern and distract the viewer from the feel between you and your loved ones. When choosing solid earth tones colors to wear, many photographers like myself love dark browns, ivory, rust, camel, muted mustard, sage, clay, deep forest greens, or muted rose colors. Does it have to be only those colors? Absolutely not. Majority of the time, those colors just so happen to photograph exceptionally well depending on the terrain & background to your images.  Before dressing anyone else, one of the biggest suggestions when dressing families is to always dress the mom first. Once you’ve figured out the mom’s outfit, then start to move towards the others and do your best to coordinate based off of mom’s color selection. That doesn’t exactly mean that everyone needs to match the same exact way, but you can’t go wrong with some color coordination. An alternative way to see visual examples of this would be to search “earth tones for family photos.” Let that be your guide when finalizing everything for your outfits. Another solid tip is to apply textures/layers. For example, have mom’s wardrobe as a plane, smooth fabric, choose a corded romper for the baby of the family and a ruffled dress for the older daughter. An exciting fun way to add some variety to your future photo gallery is to bring one of those wide brim type hats for mom. Whether you’re a big fan of hats or not, your photographer can can always get some amazing shots with or without the hat by you doing it this way.

Colors you should try to avoid: At the end of the day, wear whatever you want to wear and that makes you the most happy. I personally would never go to any of my clients and tell them that they can’t wear something. Although, if you want to avoid looking like corn on the cob on the day of your photos, here’s some things that generally don’t always photograph well. Bright Blue jeans. Not my first choice because too much blue can make your images color take a turn for the worst. Dark wash denim is fine, it sort of acts like a neutral. If you’re considering what to dress dad in instead of blue jeans, the safest recommendation that I’d have is any tan, olive or earth tone pants. Also, I’m not the first one to suggest wearing huge shorts to a shoot and would pick pants hands down EVERY single time. If you’re taking your images in a desert type setting, neutral colors and solids would be better than bright colors and busy prints. Try to shy away from a bright white. Can we still make bright blue jeans and bright colors still work? Yes, that’s why I included links to outfits at the bottom of these helpful tips in this article. But, if you do still have your heart set on bright white, don’t hesitate, I can still help you get the job done. Dressing everyone in all black is another color that is hit or miss depending on a variety of factors. Typically, If there’s one person in black pants, that’s going to look just fine. When you are in all black or multiple family members wear all black, black tends to hide you/your features. My main tip for these colors would be to limit Black to just one family member.

How to dress the kids: For little girls between the ages of 4-11 , a dress with some flow is a lot of fun. Just be mindful to dress them in plain neutral undergarments as well as for babies/toddlers in diapers. Sandals work well and are perfect in most cases depending on the terrain. With your son, for his shoes, white shoes or brown loafers will always look fine.

2. WHAT SHOULD WE BRING?

* Extra clothes just in case (things happen, babies spit up)
* Bring make-up just in case for touch-ups
* If you’re skin tens to be oily, bring some oil sheets if needed.
* Dogs or pets on a leash
* Any items that hold sentimental to you or your spouse
* For toddlers, You might have a special toddler chair you want to bring and we can definitely get a few photos with them in it
* Bring a boppy/breastfeeding pillow and a neutral swaddle blanket to cover for babies that can’t sit up yet.

3. WHAT TO LEAVE IN THE CAR

* hair ties or bobby pins (in case it’s windy)
* smart watches, analog watches, etc
* chewing gum (highly advised to to chew during photos)
* wallet or anything items in your pockets

When you select to do a photoshoot with Steven’s Lens Photography, you don’t have to ever worry about styling your session. I’ll happily do all the heavy thinking for you when assisting to styling your attire if needed. Most importantly, styling your session comes at no extra cost for the shoot. We’ll go over all your questions about what to wear after booking for your special day for your family.

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