What to wear for a family portrait photography session
Have you booked your family portrait photography session, or about to, and wonder what you should wear for the photo shoot? Wearing the 'right' clothes not only makes you look great but makes you feel great too, so if you would like some tips and inspirations, please read on!
Clothing style
As a rule of thumb, I would say wear something everyone feels comfortable in! A family portrait should reflect who you are and how you interact as a family, so wear something you enjoy wearing on a regular basis. Don’t feel obliged to dress up in a way that is not how your normally dress. If you love hanging out in jeans, do come to your photography session in jeans – denim goes with almost everything and photographs well. If you love dressing up, it is fun to go through your wardrobe and express yourself through your clothes!
Whether you are opting for casual or more formal outfits, it is worth co-ordinating among family members. It is worth making sure everyone is in a similar style so no one particularly stands out, and the images look harmonious as a result.
I would also advise ladies to wear flowy dresses for an outdoor photography session (if you decide to go with dresses), which would allow you to sit comfortably in most circumstances and the spread of the fabric will help give more shape.
Colour
Colour is another important consideration when it comes to dressing for photos. Light colours will create a fresh airy look and suit summer outdoor settings; whereas bright colours will help stand out among the fallen leaves in autumn. If the photography session takes place indoors, it is very much down to your likes and dislikes!
White is a popular colour for family portraits, which gives a bright and clean look and can be easily co-ordinated among any group size. It is particularly powerful for photo shoots with newborns, symbolising the pureness and innocence of the little one. If you decide to have the whole family wearing white, it will add interest to the photos by varying texture and style among the clothes everyone is wearing.
If you would like to have a colour theme other than white, for example blue, having variations in shade will help to add depth to the photos. You can also mix plain colours with patterns.
One of my personal favourite is a mix of neutral colours, as in the colour palette below. These neutral colours also mix well with pastel colours.
If you are attracted to strong colours, dressing family members in contrasting vibrant colours also give a cheerful and attractive picture.
When it comes to darker colours, it is advisable not to dress everyone in dark colours, or we may lose the silhouette of individuals. Also for any members with long dark hair, it is best to avoid wearing dark colour tops so there is a clean line between the head and shoulders.
Patterns
While mixing plains colours with patterns do work well, I suggest sticking to outfits with simple and small patterns. Try to avoid big logos, cartoon prints or block patterns – part of them may be hidden in clothes creases and look funny in the photos. They may also date your portraits in the years to come.
Putting clothes together
Rather than go out shopping for new outfits from scratch, I suggest starting with what you have already got in your wardrobe. You may find that you may need to get one or two new pieces; with today’s choices of clothing outlets there is something to suit everyone’s budget. Here I have put together a few sample wardrobes simply from H&M’s current summer collection and hope they will give you some ideas!
White is a popular colour for family portraits, which gives a bright and clean look and can be easily co-ordinated among any group size. It is particularly powerful for photo shoots with newborns, symbolising the pureness and innocence of the little one. If you decide to have the whole family wearing white, it will add interest to the photos by varying texture and style among the clothes everyone is wearing.
For more inspirations on dressing up for family photos and some of my work, please see my family portraits gallery.
