The #1 question I get asked when clients book family portraits is, "What do we wear?" Having been a family photographer since 2008, I have some recommendations, particularly if you don't want to purchase new outfits for your entire family!
This may seem like an easy option, but I recommend against it for a couple of reasons. First, it's not what I would consider a modern look, which means your photos won't have a timeless quality. Secondly, it creates a trick in your photos of creating a "visual block" which means the first thing to be seen by a viewer is a block of one color, instead of your lovely faces! So my recommendation is to coordinate, not match!
Blue is my go-to color suggestion. Not only does nearly everyone have blue in their wardrobe, but there are also a lot of colors that pair well with blue!
Different shades of blue also look great together. A navy blue dress paired with a light blue dress shirt and dark jeans looks great!
Below are some color combinations that look great with blue:
Red and green are colors that pair naturally together! In outdoor environments, they look particularly rich and beautiful. I recommend going with the darker versions of these colors - hunter green and burgundy look fantastic together!
When it works for your family, I recommend having different outfit types to create more variety in your photos. This could mean a dress for mom and daughter, and pants for the gentlemen. Variety in tops also look great! A button-up shirt is a classic look; consider that for your son and a sweater for dad. These small touches help your photos to look modern and timeless.
If you want a casual feel to your photos, wearing jeans, pants or shorts will help to create that casual feel. Adding in dress pants, dress shirts, and dresses or skirts will make your photos more dressy.
See some images below for inspiration for your family session!
