Family Session Outfit Guide

Hey there, friends! Brooke here, your Sudbury family photographer. One of the most common questions I get asked is “What should we wear for our photo session?” As a photographer, I know that what you wear can make or break your final photo gallery. The right outfits can highlight your family’s personalities, ensure you all look cohesive and coordinated, and help create those timeless images you’ll treasure for years to come.

I’ve guided countless families through putting together their outfits before our sessions, so I’m pretty well-versed in what works and what doesn’t. In this blog post, I’m sharing all my top tips with you on nailing the perfect looks for your upcoming family portrait session.

The Importance of Planning Ahead

First things first – don’t leave choosing your outfits until the last minute! You’ll want to start planning at least 2-3 weeks before your scheduled session date. This gives you ample time to try things on, mix and match different options, and make any necessary purchases without the stress of rushing around at the final hour.

I suggest pulling looks together sooner rather than later. That way, if anything needs to be altered, exchanged, or you realize you’re missing core pieces, you have wiggle room to sort it out.

Finding Your Color Palette

One of the keys to nailing coordinated family photos is choosing a cohesive color palette and sticking to it. I’m a big fan of more muted, natural tones that complement the beautiful outdoor scenery we have here in Sudbury. Think shades of blue, green, tan, cream, blush, and burgundy. Check out this color palette generator to get some ideas!

Within your main color palette of around 3-4 colors, vary the shades and textures to create visual interest and depth. For example, you could do a deep evergreen, a light sage, and a tan neutral. The varying tones will still work nicely together while adding dimension to your final images.

As for patterns, I suggest limiting these to just one person and keeping the print relatively subtle, like a soft floral or classic plaid. Too many busy patterns tend to be overwhelming and distracting.

Coordinate, Don’t Match

One of the biggest mistakes I see families make when choosing their outfits is going too matchy-matchy. While you definitely want your looks to coordinate within the same color palette and level of dressiness, you don’t want to all be decked out in the exact same outfits.

Mom in a blue floral dress, dad in a blue button-down, son in a blue polo, daughter in a blue sundress? It’s just a bit too overly unified and flat. You’ll blend together like one big blob in the photos!

Instead, I recommend taking a more mixed-but-complementary approach. Choose colors that go well together but in varying shades and tones. Stick with a main neutral like tan, white, denim, or gray, then have each person incorporate “pops” of your accent colors.

The key is avoiding any super tight pattern-matching while keeping everything cohesive. Think more “coordinating separates from the same clothing line” rather than “matching family Christmas pajama sets.” Check out my portfolio for some inspiration!

Patterns to Avoid

Speaking of patterns, there are a couple you’ll want to explicitly avoid when picking out family portrait outfits. Camouflage prints and classic flannel plaids can look awfully busy and distracting when jumbled together in photos.

Camo, in particular, tends to cause issues by blending people into backgrounds. And while an individual plaid accent can work, too many plaid tops or bottoms competing creates a dizzying, overly-busy effect.

Instead of camo or plaid, I suggest sticking to more subtle patterns, if you use them at all. Tone-on-tone prints like ombré or fades, classic stripes, and ditsy floral prints can all look beautiful when balanced with solid pieces. But anything too bold or harsh should be avoided for portrait outfits.

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Don’t Forget Accessories!

Accessories can go a long way in pulling family outfits together and adding a bit of personal flair. Think cute hair accessories for the kids, like floral crowns or colorful bows. Layers like cardigans, cute shoes, belts, and stylish shoes for mom and dad. Even a fun pair of patterned socks can elevate a look!

When choosing accessories, keep pieces relatively minimal and have everyone stick to the same color family. You don’t want one person’s bright purple necklace clashing with the otherwise neutral color scheme.

Let’s Talk About Shoes

Talking about shoes – don’t forget to consider these for your portrait session! You’ll likely be walking around quite a bit, whether we’re shooting in a field, forest, or urban setting. Make sure you and your family choose comfortable shoes that can handle a bit of terrain and keep feet happy.

My top shoe recommendations are closed-toe booties or fashion sneakers for mom, dress shoes or loafers for dad, and versatile options like ankle boots or sneakers for the kiddos. Stay away from strappy heels or sandals that could get tripped up on. We want to avoid any accidents or sore feet!

Express Those Personalities!

While I absolutely recommend cohesive outfits, that doesn’t mean you all need to be dressed identically! In fact, I always encourage families to have a bit of fun and let their unique personalities shine through in their styling choices.

For example, if your teenage daughter has a total boho vibe, let her rock a floral maxi dress or crocheted crop top and skirt. If your son is a quintessential preppy kid, opt for a crisp button-down, colored chinos, and boat shoes. As long as the overall color schemes and levels of formality coordinate, it’s totally fine to individualize within those parameters.

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The Most Important Thing – Being You!

At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you all feel 100% comfortable and like yourselves in the outfits you choose. Don’t force looks that just aren’t your vibe. After all, these are photos meant to celebrate your unique family just as you are!

So have fun with your styling, get the kids involved in picking out their looks, and don’t stress too much. As long as you follow some basic guidelines, your outfits will look beautiful. I’m here to worry about all the other photography details – just show up feeling confident and ready for those killer family photos!

Let me know if you have any other questions at all as you start planning! I’m just an email away. Can’t wait for our session!