What to wear on your Family Shoot
Well thought-out styling is key to the success of your family photoshoot. Scroll down to read my tips and tricks and find out exactly what to look for & what to avoid in order to beautifully style your family for a family photography session.
Best colours
Earthy tones or light pastels are by far the best colours to wear in a family photoshoot taking place in a natural, outdoor location. Think cream, beige, browns, muted greens, rust.
If you are planning on printing some of the images to hang on your walls, think about your home before settling on wardrobe colours. What earthy tones would work best with your existing home decor / sofa?
Where to start?
When planning what to wear on your family shoot, I recommend starting from the parents - mum in particular.
Once you find something mum loves to wear, you’'ll have an outfit to ‘anchor’ the rest of the family wardrobe to, making styling choices much easier.
For women, I recommend feminine dresses (both long and midi). Remember that clothes can be as simple and as frill-free as you desire! Choose something you feel great in :)
Once mum’s outfit is decided, it’s dad’s turn! For men I recommend smart-casual outfits, like light-coloured jeans or smart shorts matched with a polo or button-down shirt.
Once mum and dad have two favourite outfits in the right colour palette that coordinate well with each other, move on to choosing the kids’ wardrobe. With the parents outfits decided, you’ll find choosing the children clothes much easier (there’s always way too many cute options to choose from for kids!).
FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHY INFO & PRICING
Coordinate, don’t match
You definitely don’t all need to match on a family shoot! My recommendation is to pick 2 or 3 earthy tones and build your outfits around that.
Once you gather all the clothes , look at all the outfits together to make sure they coordinate well.
Textures matter
Natural materials like linen, cotton and wool have wonderful textures that will immediately elevate the look your images.
Think about a chunky knit cardigan in autumn/winter, or a straw hat and linen dress in autumn/summer.
Patterns
Patterns are best kept to a minimal in family photoshoots.
In fact, you don’t need to include any pattern if it’s not for you! But if pattern is what your soul desires, I recommend that only one family member chooses a subtle pattern, and the others wear block colours that coordinate well with it.
Please refrain from wearing outfits that have a thin striped pattern, as this can occasionally cause an unpleasant effect in photographs that you’re not going to love!
Shoes
Choose shoes that are comfortable to walk in, and whenever possible opt for a natural-looking material like cotton, leather (or faux) or suede.
Avoid wearing flip-flops (unless you’re at the beach and plan to go barefoot), athletic shoes, or very ornate options that will be distracting.
If the weather is cold, choose a single-colour boot with minimal details.
ASK ME A QUESTIONMakeup and jewellery
To ensure that styling matches our natural locations and that the images remain focused on your love and connection, I recommend make up and jewellery to be kept minimal. Makeup can be as natural as you’d like, and jewellery is best limited to small, delicate pieces that complement your outfit without distracting from your natural beauty.
Hands
In my shoots there is often a focus on hands, so I recommend hands be naturally groomed for all family members (nails trimmed for men and children, and perhaps a treat to a pre-shoot natural manicure for the ladies :).
Dress for the weather
Try to always choose outfits that (aside from looking cool!) keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
In very warm weather, think sandals and floaty dresses for the ladies, and a smart pair of shorts matched with a short-sleeved shirt for the men.
What to wear on an outdoor family shoot in winter?
I promise you you’ll love your images far more if you don’t all wear coats in them! Think cosy jumpers, thick cardigans, wholly hats, plain-colour wellies; opt for darker bottoms whenever possible so any drop or streak of mud is nicely concealed.
Layer up as much as needed without it looking bulky. Doubling up on socks and wearing leggings under trousers or long dresses is always a good idea!
CONTACT ME - ROSE SOL - NORWICH AND NORFOLK FAMILY PHOTOGRAPHERTips for kids
Consider dressing your children like little grown ups (think cute dresses for the girls, and shirts + trousers / trouser shorts for the boys). You are going to melt when you look at your images!
If your baby or young toddler is teething, use it as an opportunity to accessorise! Bring along a few cute bibs in colours that coordinate well with their outfit that we can change throughout the shoot.
Whenever possible, do bring a backup outfit for the children. They will love to explore our locations, and a muddy bottom is inevitable at times!
What’s best not to wear on your family photoshoot:
Avoid clothes or shoes with logos
Avoid suits and other tailored, office-type clothes that will clash with the natural outdoor location
Avoid bold patterns whenever possible
Avoid unnatural colours like bright reds, blues, yellows, neons etc that will clash with the natural tones of the outdoor locations
And lastly…
Make sure you can move around without your bra showing in your outfit of choice
Ensure your clothes aren’t see through
Whenever possible, bring a change of clothes for everyone, especially for the kids, and especially in rainy/muddy weather.
Have everyone try their outfit on to ensure it fits properly and is comfortable for moving / walking / running in!
And lastly, these are just guidelines. Choose something you love and feel comfortable in!
I know what looks best in an image, but you know what looks and feels best on you! :)
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