What should I wear for my photo session?

Planning what you and your family should wear to your photo session.. my favorite! I promise, it’s not too hard. Let’s go through a couple of “rules” that will help you find clothing for you and your family that will make your photos look great.

Rule Number 1: Wear what you feel good in! 

If you’re not loving what you’re wearing, your discomfort will show up in the pictures… and it’s annoying to keep adjusting things during the session, and then worrying that the adjustments have come undone. But, good news – the opposite is true: if you feel cute and confident, that will show in the photos, too!

Rule Number 2: Everyone wants to see the people in the photos…

not what they are wearing. So, steer clear of large prints, bold graphics, and words. Start there. Do you have a favorite outfit or two that YOU feel awesome in?

Mama, I just want send a little hug to those that happen to be in a funk of not feeling awesome in anything. And I know that can suck the joy out of planning for family photos! But I’m SO proud of you for understanding that your family loves you exactly the way you are, and that preserving this moment in time in photographs is really important. If you aren’t feeling your best right now, I have a mini tip for you.. choose a neutral outfit, and plan for other family members to wear a little color/pattern. The eye will naturally be drawn to the colors and pattern.

Now that you have an idea of what YOU’d like to wear for your photo session, let’s add in your family members. 

Rule Number 3: Whatever you add to the top, try to add it on the bottom. 

If someone is wearing blue pants, then another family member is wearing a blue shirt, etc. Or one family member is wearing a dress, bringing that color to the bottom as well. It helps to make the image look balanced, and it helps the eye differentiate between individuals – not just a black blob of torsos with heads, ya know? 

You could totally stop here, and just pick 2-3 neutrals. Neutrals like denim, black, white, tan, gray, and navy blue generally all look good with each other and with other colors. Just make sure you are following rule number 3, and you are good! See this family? 2 colors only… they look amazing, and when you look at the photos, you see them – not their clothes. 

If you are more of a “add in a little color” type of person, keep reading.

Rule Number 4: Stick with 1-3 Accent Colors, and balance them out with neutrals. 

There are lots of places to find inspiration:

– What colors are in your favorite outfits above?

– Do you absolutely love one of your children’s outfits? What colors are in those pieces?

– What location did you choose? Are there color tones that would fit in nicely with the background? Or stand out against it?

– What about your home… are you going to hang a gallery wall with these photos? What colors are in the room? Do you have any clothes that will coordinate with your home decor, like rugs, couches or throw pillows? **Bonus tip: switch out your pillow covers to match your family photo outfits, and make your home look cohesive without breaking the bank!

In the next photo, my inspiration here was definitely my toddler’s suspenders. I thought they were so cute! I already had the red dress, so I decided to go with the navy blues in the dress for other family members. My daughter’s blue dress had little gold arrows on it, and so I added a couple of gold accessories to tie that in. Believe it or not, I didn’t have to buy anything for these family photos! It all came out of our closets.

My inspiration pieces for another year were my daughter’s green dress, and this little baby vest (all 3 of my boys wore it as babies), so I started with those two pieces. Again, I just searched through my family’s closets and pulled out things that would look good together. The colors don’t have to be exact either. The green in my shirt, my scarf and my kids clothes are all a little different, but they still look good together. Just throw everything on your bed, and see if any one thing sticks out to you. If it does – don’t use that one.

You can stop with rule 4 if you’d like. But keep reading if you are going to use fabrics with pattern….

Rule Number 5: Limit to only 2-3 small patterns, that look cohesive together.

I have patterns in all of the examples on this post. Try to keep your prints small, dainty, and classic. (One year I wore a white and teal chevron print skirt. Let’s just say those photos definitely look dated now!) Stripes, small florals, and plaid are all pretty classic and stay in style. Also make sure they look good all together, and that one thing doesn’t stand out boldly from the rest.

I hope you are seeing a formula for choosing what to wear to your photo session:

1. Pick one thing for inspiration, like one item of clothing, a color in your home decor, or colors that will coordinate with the location you’d like.
2. Look through all your family member’s closets and pull out things that might coordinate, or any classic neutrals that could work as well.
3. Lay all of it on your bed in a family “pose.” Mom and Dad on the bottom, then kids clothes layered on top.
4. Mix and match until you are happy…
5. are there colors and patterns (if included) featured on both the top and bottom? (no line of blue jeans).
6. Do you have 1-3 accent colors and a couple neutrals? Even if the colors aren’t exact, do they look good together?
7. Do you only have 2-3 patterns going on? Do they all kind of blend together, rather than one thing standing out?
8. Make a list of the items you still need to purchase to fill in the gaps. Maybe just one person needs a new shirt, or you could borrow some shoes/accessories to pull in pops of color. 

If you want someone to bounce ideas off of, send me a photo of your outfits all laid out on the bed, and I’ll give you some feedback and ideas. I’m happy to help!