What to wear for a family session
I have two sons. When they were little, I dressed them up all of the time in what I liked to call “Little Man Clothes”. But now that they’re 11 and 9 they mostly want to exclusively wear athleticwear. However, we have an understanding that two times a year I get to pick out their clothing- Christmas and family pictures.
We have a canvas print of our family photo above our fireplace that we update every year. Once I book our fall photo session (usually a mini session because this photographer’s husband has zero patience when it comes to family portraits) I start shopping.
The first thing clients ask about when it comes to coordinating photo session outfits is color. There are a ton of ideas on pinterest of combos. I usually pick my main color (based on MY outfit, which I’ll discuss more in a minute) and then look at a compliment to that. Depending on what I find, I might throw in a third shade or neutral.
My first step in picking out our photo session outfits is my own clothing. I’m very hard on myself when I see photos, so I am very conscious of choosing something in which I feel comfortable and attractive. I generally choose a jewel tone, as I love how they pop in photos and also think they are most flattering on me.
This year, I found this top from one of my favorite Amazon brands. This maroon color is one of my ‘regular’ colors, so it is something I’m sure I’ll wear again.
Next I look for my kids’ outfits. Much of my searching for their clothing is on second hand sites like Poshmark and Thred Up. I know that I might be picking something that doesn’t get frequently worn, so I don’t want to spend too much.
Some photographers will advise against plaid, but as a mom of boys it’s a hard thing to avoid when looking for cute clothes for them. I try to use the plaid as a layer that incorporates both my base color and pulls in it’s complement.
This year I found this shirt at the Gap. I liked that it incorporated the maroon with yellow and navy, using navy as my ‘neutral’.
I plan to put that under a sweater, so the plaid won’t be the focus. I found this great navy sweater with a maroon stripe on Poshmark that I just loved, but could not find it in the right size. So I compromised with a vneck navy cardigan. I then added a pair of dark khaki chinos that I already know my son will likely wear again (because we also have them in black).
My nine year old is more difficult. He will not wear anything but athletic pants and can be picky about his shirts too. I went to some of my staple stores that I use when I’m looking for clothes for them- Target and Childrens Place- and found a striped rugby shirt and pair of trendy navy joggers. I rounded his outfit out with a maroon bomber jacket I found on Poshmark. Pro tip: “love” the items you’re interested in and often the seller will send you a lower offer with discounted shipping!
My husband is the last person I dress. Talk about picky. But also, I just match him to whatever I did for everyone else. He almost always wears jeans and a sweater. We already have a navy sweater with a maroon stripe from a previous photo shoot. I’m looking for a jacket to add to the ensemble, ideally something he’ll wear afterwards. I’m still bargain shopping on Poshmark, but I’m hoping to end up with this:
A very rough idea of how it looks together- I miss polyvore!
In summary, my focus is coordinating not matching. Pick your pickiest member of your family (or the one who cares most what they look like in the finished product. In our family = ME), dress them first, and then plan around them. Pinterest is a great resource for choosing a color palette once you have your main color and I’m all for bargain shopping on local buy-sell-trade pages and second hand sites.
That said, it’s MOST important that everyone is comfortable or it will show in your photos! It’s not worth it to fight with a 4 year old over wearing their neon orange shoes because what’s most important is that you are able to capture the love and fun your family has when they’re together!