A Styling Guide for What to Wear During Your Family Photo Session

Here me out...

I was standing in a Central Michigan TJ Maxx, a 10 hour drive from my own closet, less than 24 hours from my own family photo session, and no one had their outfit picked out yet - except for me... and I was just hoping that I could make it work.

I panicked. I knew kind of the color pallet I wanted to go with - but when you walk into a store, there is ZERO guarantee they are going to have what you are looking for. In fact, just count on them having the exact opposite.

And I was doing this for the entire group by myself. They were all looking to me to make the decisions.

So I took this as an opportunity to lean in to the experience as the client. NOT as the photographer. Sure I could take my checklist that I give out to my clients as a foundation. But I wanted to make sure I was present as one of my own clients would be.

I did the first thing I think any of my clients would do, and call their bestie. Standing in the men's aisle I quite literally panic-called and asked her "how to style linen pants!"

Because, here's a fun detail, my husband did not bring his jeans like he said he was going to do. He changed the plan on me and didn't tell me until I was walking out the door to go to the store.

You can never blame the universe for not keeping it interesting. (Also, plan on something like this happening. Stay ahead of the surprises as much as possible or just resign to it and go with the flow happily).

I told her "this is part of my job description, I help people do this all year long, why is this so hard?"

My bestie is the BEST at giving plain, simple, down to earth, logical advice and replied - "Ha! Do we ever follow our own advice? Just keep it in your color pallet and do one outfit at a time."

And that is exactly what I did. I kept a couple things in mind:

I was working with the summer heat - so outfits had to be climate comfortable.
the color green (grass and trees) - so the colors had to contrast from the lush green pallet.
bright lights (early morning sun on the water) - so I had to be careful with white adjacent neutrals so as to not wash anyone out.

Working with what was in everyone's closet and comfort level, and keeping it my color pallet I found an array of outfits that really are cohesive but unique to everyone. Doing it all at the same time, it took me one afternoon (about 6 hours) to get it all completed.

What I am saying is - decision paralysis is a real thing, and it happens to exactly all of us when we are in it. But this part of the process does not have to be frustrating or derail the absolute joy that comes from having your family photos done.

Here is a simple guide, with lots of usable tips and ideas to help you through your outfit styling for your very own session.

Read through this guide DO NOT GET OVERWHELMED or overthink it. Honestly, use the summary below to simplify it all and then use the "Break it Down and some things to keep in mind" at the very end to help with small details.

P.s. If you ever need any extra help or want a last minute opinion - never hesitate to reach out to me. I'm here for you.

TOO LONG DIDN'T READ

Or maybe you skimmed it but need a summary. Or maybe you read it but need a simplified version

COMFORT Feeling good over looking stereotypical Pinterest worthy.
PERSONALITY wins every time. Let individuals be themselves.
WEATHER must play into your decision heavily.
SEASON use the colors of nature in her current state to coordinate your outfit with her.
PATTERNS and TEXTURES make it interesting, but a sprinkle of interest is best.
MORE is not more.
SHOES matter. Comfortable sure. But you will see them in the photo, and they will be a distraction if they are not meant to be there.
COORDINATE, don't match.
AVOID mixing opposite hues, keep deep rich colors with their cohorts and bright vibrants with theirs.
PLEASE try on the outfits, stand next to one another, take a photo, look at it. Does it all look cohesive? Send it to me if something looks off, I can help identify adjustments.
DON'T OVERTHINK IT. Don't overdo it. Simple is good too.

It feels like there are a lot of rules on this page. But it is just a guide. None of this a must. If you don't want to style at all and let everyone be exactly as they are, that is a-okay with me as long as it is good with you.

Let everyone's personality shine through and know that your photos are going to be an absolute masterpiece of uniqueness and character. Which in the end is what we are trying to encapsulate in all of your photos - each individual, who they are right now in this moment, and how they contribute to the whole.

Simple. Make it make sense.

WHY CHOOSE ME?

I recently had a client tell me she loved when her friends family did their photos on the beach, everyone had black shirts and khaki pants. My immediate reaction...

"What was it you liked about the image over all?

I try to make the outfit relatable. So we were on a beach, what do we normally wear on a beach? Does it make sense to wear pants and black shirts? Or would we normally gravitate towards something like dresses with color and shorts with flip flops and fun and breezy type of feel to the images.

When I think about matchy-matchy outfits, I also want to take into account everyone's personality. When you're capturing family photos you're capturing everyone individually as part of a whole group. You want them to stand out, you want them to feel like they are seen as individuals and they are apart of this coordinated effort. We want everyone to feel comfortable and be confident in what they are wearing.

When we have all of the same thing in the an image, our brain just scans it and moves on. We also want to think about keeping the interest in the image. THAT is what makes a good photo great. When you just can't stop looking at it."

Make it make sense. Don't over complicate it. If you don't usually wear hats, you're not gonna like how you look with a hat in a photo. If the colors you're wearing don't match the environment, it won't make sense. If you're wearing black shirts and khaki pants on a beach - its going to look off, especially if everyone is wearing the same outfit... Even if its a great photo.

There are a couple of points that should be heavily emphasized when making outfit decisions though:

COMFORT. A mom who has gone through all these hoops to make this affair happen and then is miserable in her very own outfit is gonna 1. remember it, not making it a great memory and 2. show it in her patience, her resilience, her smile. The same with a toddler, and that one family member who never wants to be in front of the camera. Please prioritize FEELING good over LOOKING Pinterest.
WEATHER. Your sweater is a adorable, but you're going to be miserable in the middle of the summer no matter how cute you look. Vice versa, LOVE your dress, please pair it with fleecy tights, a cute jacket, and boots in fall so you're not clammed up trying to keep yourself warm instead of engaging freely with your family.
SEASON. Your outfit should be relatable to the environment around you. More over, coordinate your colors to the mother nature's current colors and you'll have a huge head start in this process.
PERSONALITY. Its how we see individuals in a crowd. Let everyone stand out so 40 years down the road you can look at the photo and say, "oh yeah - that IS DEFINITELY "Nana" or "Jim" or "My sister".
PLEASE try on the outfits, stand next to one another, take a photo, look at it. Does it all look cohesive? Send it to me if something looks off, I can help identify adjustments.

Cohesive and Coordinated... NOT Matching.

A little knowledge of the color wheel can go a really long way.

Keep it simple.

Pick a color of the outside ring of this color wheel for your outfit.
Options for the other outfits can be directly to the left and right of your chosen color (analogous),
And directly across from your chosen color (complementary),
And the colors directly left and right of those complimentary colors (analogous),
And you can also get more color shades by using the inner rings - (monochrome).

I chose the solid blue dress. From what is shown on this color wheel alone I have the following: 1. Dark blue from the outer ring and all of its inner ring shades. 2. Two colors on either side of that blue and their inner rings (blue green, green, blue-violet, and purple). 3. The blue's complimentary colors (orange) and the two colors on either side of that orange, (yellows - reds) and all of theirs shades as well. THIRTY - 30 colors to choose from to dress everyone. Choose a couple of neutral options to compliment everyone and stop right here if you wanted. Styling done.

If you need a couple more options you can add a third color (triad). Just find the third corner of the triangle by using your first two colors and evenly space them out.

Need one more options? Use TWO SETS of complimentary colors. This option can get a bit more complicated. But it can world to create a rich color scheme, vibrant, bright colors.

Last tidbit you want to be weary of when it comes to color theory is trying to stay with in the color pallet of warm or cool.

Bright vibrant colors (yellow, red) don't mix great with saturated gem tones (rich blue, green).
Keep it one side or another: ie. bright blues and bright yellows, rich greens and maroons.

Here is another visual of each of these options. The Spruce has THIS article that breaks it down nicely for home decoration... but it works perfectly here because you want your family photos to fit in to your home nicely when you're planning your wall art.

TOO LONG DIDN'T READ (or don't understand)

You don't need to memorize all of this.

Create your color pallet:

Just pick a color you really love to wear.
Now choose the color to the right and left on the wheel.
Complimentary colors come directly across the wheel.
Use the shades of all of those for even more options.

Supporting Character: Neutrals.

Now that you have picked your color pallet, fill in with neutrals. Someone has a shirt with their color, someone else has a dress. Maybe grandpa is in all neutrals, and grandma has her color in a her necklace or cardigan. The other items on their person is neutral.

Select one or two, even three neutrals and stick to those. Don't go crazy with these either.

I found this article on Gentleman's Flair that is a pretty good breakdown of neutrals, how to pair them with colors, and a lot of good tips on Men's outfits specifically, considering sometimes they are the hardest to dress because their options are stereotypically less than women's options.

Think of muted, earthy hues. This does include deep blue (like blue jeans) and olive green (mother nature color).

I don't agree with the baby blue on this chart. I do however think the texture/color combination Jean Blue is a neutral.

a jean jacket
a jean dress
a pair of jeans

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Just a Sprinkle: Textures, Patterns, and Things

Patterns.

Pick one for one person. Especially in a small group. If someone has an absolute favorite piece they want to wear and it has a competing pattern (mean they are both bold and attract attention) you're going to want to eliminate one of them.

The family in this photo have two patterns.

Similar pattern.
Different color.
Both subtle, non competing.
Not matching, similarity allows for cohesiveness without being over bearing.
Cohesive with the color pallet.

Take a peek at my family photo above at the top of this post. My daughter and sister in law are both in patterns.

First this is a bigger group, so we can get away with it.
My sister in laws bold pattern over powers my daughters which is more subtle and lighter colors, thus they aren't competing for attention.
They are not similar, no matchy-matchy.
They compliment one another in color and shade.

PRO TIP: a pattern is a really good place to get your color pallet from! Start with the pattern outfit if you want, then pull colors out of it to dress everyone else.

Textures.

These are in the same rules of Patterns. They are a really great way to break up the monotony. BUT more is not more. One or two fabric textures and you're going to create an interesting element to the outfit.

Accessorize to mix it up!

Statement jewelry. More is not more.
Jackets or cardigans.
Belts. Like over a dress, perhaps.
Scarves.
Hats.
Shoes or Barefoot.

Little Tommy's track shoes... not an option.

You don't need to overdo it. Not everyone needs to be dressed up and decked out. But accessories add depth, interest, they keep the eye busy, which means they keep the eyes on your photo - its not just a glance and a pass.

Break It Down

Now that you've been inundated with too much information. Lets break it down.

Start with the Matriarch or the head of home or the one whom coordinated this session. Pick their color from the color wheel.
Does the first person have a pattern? Use the pattern to pick out colors to style the other people participating.
If there isn't a pattern yet, find a complimentary color on the color wheel (across the wheel), this will the main color in some one else's outfit.
Now go to the right and left of either the first or second (or both) color chosen above. These are two (or four) more color options you can use to dress the other participants.
Need more colors? Go to the inside of the wheel for other SHADES used.
Pair the main color on each person with one of the three neutrals.

Make it interesting:

Do we have a pattern outfit?

Textured piece of clothing?

Accessories? Who can wear a hat, jacket, statement jewelry.

Some Things to Keep In Mind

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

Have everyone try on their outfit, standing next to one another, in a mirror, take a selfie. Look at it.

If it doesn't feel right or look right, change one thing at a time.

Do this at least a week ahead of time so you have to adjust.

Don't be like me, doing this the day before.

If all of this is too much

Go back to the original color wheel. Pick a color - that is for you.
Pick a color to the left or right or straight across, those are the colors for others.
Add neutrals to supplement.
Be you.

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Let me know what you think. What tips and tricks do you have for coordinating outfits? Have any advice for those that feel overwhelmed? What can we do to make this process less daunting and frustrating.

3 Comments

Sep 28, 2024, 7:46:04 PM

Katlyn Smith - Looking forward to getting your help on selecting the outfits and your thoughts on the exact photo locations on the property at the visit before the day of the session

Jan 24, 2023, 11:59:55 PM

Samantha Schinsky - Thanks so much for your comment Brenda, I'm glad you can find this relatable. I am an advocate for showing up just how you are - and sometimes that is hoodies and jeans! It makes the photos feel so much more authentic and real. Clients will feel and see it too in the end.

Jan 17, 2023, 8:30:51 AM

Brenda - Aside from dealing with problematic lighting, "what to wear" is the worst part of any photoshoot, be it one person or 20. I love the idea of getting it all picked out ahead of time, and I especially love the "let's just wear hoodies and be ourselves" for a couple of shots. Wearing things I'm not fully confident in shows up in photos way more than I ever thought possible!

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