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Today I wanted to share my tips in choosing the outfits for your family to wear during family photos. Such a daunting task! Maybe you’re taking your Holiday card pictures soon or maybe you’d just like a beautiful portrait in your home…either way, I hope this post helps you in answering the what to wear question which in my opinion, is always the hardest (especially if you’re dressing a handful of people!).
As I shared in my stories, each year I start by picking a general color schematic. This year I was either going full on festive with metallic, reds and greens or with what you see here. Black, grey, metallic and a pop of burgundy. Our photographer had a wreath that the kids used (literally so cute) so even though their outfits didn’t scream HOLIDAY, the wreath really brought a simple element of Holiday cheer that I loved. Per your request, I linked everything for you guys above that we wore (along with some back up ideas). So here are some general tips to keep in mind:
- Search Pinterest for color themes. Personally I love creams whites light blues and neutrals and on the other end, I love jewel tones…think mustard yellow, aquamarine, burgundy and purple.
- Try to incorporate pattern. We did buffalo check above but polka dots, floral and stripes also really add dimension to a photo!
- Bring in some texture. Add layers…so we didn’t really get to do this because it was VERY hot the morning we shot and the studio was in a garage BUT if you can, add a layer of texture. So for us, that would have been a cardigan over Coco’s dress, or a fleece or puffy vest for Griffin. Knits look great too- so Coco could have been in a chunky sweater dress (like this one).
- Have fun! Coco wore these sparkly high tops with her dress and at one point, we took Griffin’s shirt off for his portrait. You just have to roll with it with kids and keep your expectations LOW. Last year Griffin had one shoe on in our Holiday card photo and honestly, I was so good with it because that is the reality of the stage of life we were in, lol!
We went with a new photographer this year, Katie (find her here!) and for the first time, we were in a studio (not a location like a park). She takes amazing photos but I especially liked the simplicity of them and the up close portraits she takes of little ones. Also her editing is SO good. We’re so happy with how they tuned out and she definitely captured the personality of our kids in her shots. Guess how long her sessions are? TEN MINUTES. Yes. Your entire family gets a 10 minute slot to get the shot. That made me a little nervous, I’m not going to lie. But in reality, it was genius. The kids (especially Griffin) were over it in about 5. And it quickly lost it’s appeal for Coco and Austin soon after so honestly, going on any longer wouldn’t have yielded better photos, just more of them to sift through. You can read my tips on taking family photos here but my main advice is bring treats, bribe and keep your expectations low. And keep in mind that you need ONE shot. Anything you get beyond that is just a bonus! Feel free to DM me any questions you have on styling your photos and as always, thank you so much for following along! xo
