Family Portraits: What to Wear

Saratoga Springs Family Photographer

When planning family portraits, wardrobes play a huge role in the final outcome!  And any of you who have had the joy of trying to coordinate outfits for your whole family know just how challenging that can be.  Here's what I tell my clients to help them prepare for their session:

Please plan outfits carefully. Solid colors are great (and slimming). Layering and texture are essential for adding visual interest. Be careful with busy prints (they can look good but must be planned carefully) and avoid tees with large logos or words on them. Choose colors that coordinate and compliment each other, but do not match exactly.

The layering on the dad and little guy here are perfect, they have tons of visual interest.  I usually recommend a solid color, especially for mom, but this particular mom is thin and pulls off the print very nicely.  It adds visual interest since the other family members are wearing solids. 

Accessorize!!! Add a scarf, a cardigan, a blazer, an awesome necklace, and more. Adding lots of accessories and pops of color is great. Choosing one color to be your accent color and adding it here and there can be fun. An outfit that looks great in person can look boring in photos if there is no accessorizing.
Think about your outfits well in advance so you can buy additional things if needed.

I loved this family's choice of color palette, bright and beautiful, bold summer colors.  The print looks great on dad and there is some layering there.  The solid color looks fabulous on mom and I love the texture on her top as well as the texture of the ruffles on the little one's dress. 

Some great color palates are yellow and gray or earthy neutral tones like brown and beige with pops of color like purple or pink for example. Sometimes really bright, fun colors can make an awesome color palate. You may want to consider the season your photos will be taking place in (but you don’t have to!) and definitely consider which colors look good on you.

This is from my family's most recent photo session.  It was Fall so I loved the earthy tones for our color palette.  Getting both the boys outfits from Gymboree made it easy because they have coordinating lines.  I went for a solid color for both me and the hubby to slim and balance the kiddo's outfits that were a little on the busier side.  I made sure to add a great necklace to my outfit, accessorizing is important for photos.

I've put together a pinterest board with some great outfit inspiration that I also share with my clients, so you can stop by for more ideas.  http://pinterest.com/jilltirrell/outfit-inspiration-for-portraits/

Hope this helps!