Deciding what to wear for your family photoshoot doesn’t need to be scary!  There are a few little things we can keep in mind when planning our families outfits that can help guide us in the right direction, but first off let me say this.  It’s a guide only.  You can take it or leave it.  This is your session and it’s your unique and individual personalities that make the photos what they are, so if you have something you want to wear that doesn’t fit with these guidelines, go for it! 

Dress yourself first

If you would like some help though, here are some things to consider.  Mumma, dress yourself first.  Pick your outfit and this will set the colours and tones that you can use for everyone else’s outfits.  When choosing your outfit, dress for the weather AND for comfort.  There is no use wearing a beautiful strappy, short dress in the middle of Winter if it’s going to be obvious that you are completely freezing!  This brings me to my next point.

Layers

Disregard what I said (bare with me), if you want to wear the dress wear it! But add layers.  Add a pair of tights and boots if it works, add a knitted cardigan or a favourite jacket. Layers look beautiful, especially if they are different textures.  A linen dress with a knitted cardigan and boots would work perfectly for a cool Autumn day and still lets you wear that dress you love. 

Textures

Different textures are good too.  Using different textures just looks aesthetically pleasing.  I’m sure there are more technical ways to say that and psychology behind it but honestly, it just works and produces great results.

Colours

So mumma, once you’ve chosen your outfit, take a look at the colours.  We want to match the family but we don’t want to be wearing all the same outfits (steer clear of the jeans and same colour shirt for everyone look).  For example, say you have a cream dress and brown cardigan and boots.  Let’s look at your partner now.  He could wear cream chinos and a light top.  Your son could wear tan chinos and a cream shirt and your daughter could wear a brown dress and light shoes.  You want to match certain item colours and keep the consistency between you, but not be ‘matchy matchy’.  This just creates a connection between you in the images and just looks beautiful. 

Colours that compliment my editing

There are certain colours that compliment my editing style:

• Browns
• Creams/white
• Tan
• Light pinks
• Maroons
• Burnt orange
• Light blues
• Dark greens
• Black/grey

Obviously not all together. You wouldn’t put blue and orange as your 2 main colours for your family.  But if you choose one main colour and then colours that compliment it, you will be fine.

There are also some things we want to avoid when planning out outfits for photoshoots.

Patterns

Any crazy, busy patterns that are going to pull the attention away from you and your family, we don’t want.  Try to stick to block colours rather than patterns.  Some florals can work so it’s not a hard and fast rule, but just ask yourself if it is too distracting.  If the answer is yes, then avoid it.

Logos

Logos can be distracting and not something we want people focusing on when they see your images.  Plain clothing without the big brand names is what we want to go for. 

Most importantly though, be yourself.  This is your family shoot, your maternity session, your newborn photos.  You want to look back and see yourself and your family as you are and not trying to fit a mould of what someone else thinks looks good.  If you are comfortable in it and it represents you, then wear it!

On the flip side, if you want my help with what to wear for your family photoshoot, please send me your options or a message to discuss and I will be happy to help.

Get in touch on https://mirandaadiephotography.com/contact#contact