What to Wear for Family Portraits

Family portraits are more than just simple photographs. Over the years of photographing families, we have come to consider them as timeless memories captured in a single frame. One of the biggest concerns that families generally have is choosing the right outfits, which sometimes can feel like a daunting task. After all, the clothing you select will not only reflect your family’s personality but also set the tone for your entire portrait session. But don’t worry, from our experience, we got you. So, let’s take a look at the art of choosing what to wear for family portraits and ensure we capture your family’s unique style.

From color palettes selections to your preferred styles, every detail matters. Whether your goal is for a more classical feel or something that’s more contemporary, our ultimate guide will walk you through the essentials of dressing your family for amazing photos. We want you to make your job selecting outfits that complement each other and yet allowing for their personality to come through.

Say goodbye to wardrobe stress and hello to awesome photos that hopefully you will be proud display for many years and make your house a home!

 

Coordinating vs. Matching

Let’s start with whether or not you want your portraits where everyone in your family is wearing the same outfit or not. We’ve all seen them before, such as when everyone in the family is wearing jeans and a white shirt. Typically, we don’t recommend it, as we believe in coordinating more and less matching. It’s still your choice but perhaps consider a color palette instead and go from there.

Ideas for color palettes could include:

• Earth Tones, such as olives, rusts, tans or that mustard look.
• Neutral Colors, such as grays, creams, soft denims or even beiges.
• Warm Tones, such as taupes, blushes or burgundies.
• Cool Tones, such as soft blues, whites, grays or even navy blues.

In addition, it is important to try and avoid patterns that are considered “busy,” which often causes a distraction when looking at the end result of your photos. In our experience, we find that if you want patterns, to keep them simple, such as stripes, and vertical at that. Otherwise, stay with solids as they usually will photograph best.

If you want a suggestion for even better contrast, try wearing items that layer, such as jackets, scarves or sweaters. If you do, again, stay within the palette, but select a different color than the rest of your ensemble.

 

Dress for the Location

Prior to selecting your palette, take into consideration the location of your session.

• For Outdoor sessions, such as a beach or a park, consider something a little more relaxed and go with fabrics and colors that are more natural. We did a photoshoot at a regional park that is full of nature earlier this year, and the guys wore jeans or pants that were rustic in nature and different colored untucked flannel shirts with lighter color undershirts under the flannels, while the women wore dresses that were on the rustic side and different colors. The small grandchildren were also dressed in a similar rustic theme. It was perfectly planned and with the location in mind.

• For Indoors or a Photo Studio session, you might want to consider something slightly dressier than a park, but not necessarily formal.
• Formal Locations is where you want to take your session to the next level in formality. And yes, that means getting your shoes shined guys!

Now instead of making things look too general or you want more ideas by group, here are just a few suggestions:

• For Women, consider blouses with jeans or nicer dress pants, a midi-dress or a skirt, neutral boots or flats versus high heels, and jewelry that is more subtle.
• For Men, consider button-down shirts or depending on location, pull-overs with collars, jeans or casual dress pants, neutral shoes or boots.
• For Kids, consider comfortable outfits, cute outfits (no cartoon graphics), dresses or rompers. One thing to consider is the ages of the children and how long they’ll last in said outfits. Also, avoid anything too tight, too itchy, and we highly recommend bringing a change of clothes.

Clothing Items to Avoid

Besides the matching outfits and the above issues for kids, try to avoid trendy items that will go out of style quickly, as well as logos, or even better yet, neon colors.

 

A question we often get leading up to a family’s session is what to wear in family photos to look thinner? Looking thinner in your photos starts with making smart choices when it comes to how your outfit actually fits, the colors you choose and the style you prefer.

Some Suggestions for Looking Thinner

• Dark, Solid Colors
• Monochromatic Outfits, such as dressing in one color or ones that are of similar tone.
• Tailored Clothing so that your clothes are not too loose or ones that cling too tight to your body.
• V-Necks and Scoop Necks are good options as they tend to draw the eye vertically and elongate the neckline. Be sure to avoid high neck lines if you’re trying to slim your face, as well as your upper body.
• Vertical Details, such as vertical stripes, seams, or button-downs. Avoid wearing wide horizontal stripes or bold prints because you will get the opposite effect you are looking for.
• Long Layers, such as cardigans or jackets can create vertical lines that will give you that slimming look.
  

  Photography by Three16photography.com

  If you do go with layers, we recommend keeping the layers open rather than buttoned up.

• Mid to High-Rise Pants is a great choice to consider as they can define your waist, as well as smooth out your torso area. However, you want to avoid low-rise styles because they often cause those muffin-top effects.
• Dark, Matte Fabrics, such as shiny or clingy materials will often reflect light and emphasize bulges. Matte fabrics are more forgiving and will show up better in your photographs.
• Defined Waistlines, such as adding a belt or choosing clothes that taper at the waistline.
• When you pose during your session, stand tall with your shoulders back, and avoid slouching, crossing your arms, or pushing your head forward.

 

Final Thoughts and Suggestions

Other quick tips for your family to keep in mind is to:

• Lay out all your outfit choices and see if you feel like they coordinate to your liking. And if they don’t this is when you can make changes rather than doing it after everyone is dressed for your session day. That can become chaotic, full of stress and your photos will reflect all those emotions.
• Choose and try out your hair & makeup ahead of time if you choose too.
• As mentioned before about kids, bring backup clothing. Depending on their ages, let’s be real… getting dirty, having spills or those little “accidents” do happen. Plan ahead.

Just a Reminder:

• Stick to a cohesive color(s).
• Avoid black or white themes. Add various mixes of tones and textures for dimension.
• Make sure everyone’s clothes fit well and they are comfortable.

In addition, One of the biggest challenges we’ve come across over the years is wearing glasses. The lenses tend to cause the face to come out distorted, which could result in a less than picture perfect effect. Consider your photos without your glasses or bring frames without lenses. Experience shows that you will be unsatisfied with your portraits that were taken with the lenses on your existing glasses. So, prepare yourself to have your portrait shots taken with either your glasses without lenses or without glasses altogether.

 

Conclusion

When all is said and done, you will look your best if you are wearing something comfortable and with your own sense of style. After all, they are your portraits. The above suggestions are to allow you to get the best-looking portrait possible.

If you’re interested in a Family Portrait Session, reach out to us and let’s have a conversation. You can contact us at Three16 Photography.