What to wear on your family photoshoot. 

You have your family photoshoot booked, or you are planning on booking one. Now you are wondering what outfits the whole family should wear. 

Here are a couple of tips that might help you prepare. 

Pick coordinating colours in a similar pallet.

Pick a colour pallet that works for you. Pick 3-4 colors as a starting point. Have a look in your cupboard, we all tend to have a similar color palette in there. The times where everyone was wearing white shirts and jeans are long gone. 

Don’t match your colours.

It is not necessary to have the colours exactly the same. In fact, it is even better when they are not. Having the same colours might make people blend into one another. Having different matching colours might add interest. 

Be True to your family. 

Family portraits are a lasting memory you should cherish forever. It reflects who your family is at this point in time. Be true to everyone’s character when picking their outfits. If dad and son never wear a tie, don’t pick one for your shoot. It might make it look very unnatural and uncomfortable. 

Put all the outfits next to each other.

When picking your outfits, put everyone’s outfits next to each other to check if they fit or not. If you are in doubt, you are always welcome to send a little photo from your phone to us to see if it would work. 

Patterns, lines and flowers

Adding some patterns and floral prints to your outfits, might work really well and add an extra layer of interest. However having too many different floral patterns might be too overwhelming and take away the attention to the essence of the photo. It is best to mix patterns with solid colours.

Try to avoid large logos and characters. They are often distracting and you often won’t even see the whole logo, and Elsa might look funny on a t-shirt where the kids are jumping. 

When choosing an outfit with lines, be aware that horizontal lines often make things look wider than they are in reality on a photograph, while vertical lines often slim down and compliment the curves. 

Layers and Textures 

Textures and multiple layers are often very nice in photographs. (depending on the season.)  Textures can come with wooly beanies, cardies, scarfs etc.  

Look at your home decor.

If you are planning on having the images printed and framed, it really helps to plan in advance of where you would like them to be, and to dress according to your style. 

Avoid all black or all white clothing.

White t-shirts often reflect a lot and might blow out parts of the shirt. For sure on location shoots, where lighting is harder to control. 

Bring multiple outfits 

It is always handy to bring multiple outfits to the shoot so that you can switch if we see that during the shoot the clothes aren’t really working out. In our studio, we have a spare room where you can easily change. On location shoots, we will always be able to find a little spot where you can easily swap out a t-shirt. We always have a large reflector with us on the shoots that we can easily use as a cover if needed.

Where is the shoot taking place?

In the studio you will be able to choose between different colour backgrounds. But on location, it might be good to think about the place we are taking photos. If we go to a forest, green area, you might want to think about a color palette that compliments green colors, yet does not fade into the background. 

Look online for clothing collections or google family portraits. 

If you really are unsure about matching colour pallets, look online for full clothing collections to have a bit of an idea and find something you have available. It might also help if you just type in on google: “family portraits”. This could be very helpful, not only to find inspiration for your outfits but might also give you some ideas for poses. Of course our photographers will help you out posing, but if you happen to find a specific photo that you would like to recreate, you are most welcome to bring it along on your shoot to show the photographer. 

Don’t stress, lets have fun!