Once you book your session, start thinking what to wear for family photos right away. You may think certain clothes will fit your kids or that one dress is clean. If you wait until the day of or day before you may run into an issue of clothes not fitting, being dirty or need to be dry cleaned.
Yes, your little one may love their Toy Story shirt but you may want to skip it for the family photo session. Just like patterns, characters on shirts can be pretty distracting. Characters, like too many patterns, can make your photo look too busy.
Photo credit: Eloise Layla Nurse Photography. As we mentioned earlier you would rather do coordinating colors than all white. Another reason to avoid white is because it is very easy to blow out parts of your shirt causing it to lose its detail. What I mean by blowing out is the shirt no longer has any of the details it is completely white as if the sun is shining brightly on it.
With clipping, this is where the black clothes loose the depth and details. I am a huge fan of a cotton fitted shirt. However, in photographs I like to add textures like scarves or belts to add a little more to the image. By adding different textures through the material of your family outfits or your accessories you are adding depth and interest to your photos.
If you are taking photos in front of a backdrop, consider what you are wearing. I remember an image of my husband, myself and baby daughter which was taken in front of a black backdrop.
Once we received the photos it looked as if floating heads were holding a baby. These photos will be hanging on your walls and treasured for years to come. This is true for photo shoots too. Dress for the weather we have not the weather you want. Darker, practical colours work better when choosing what to wear fo your family photo shoot. An urban setting can work really well for more formal pictures but wearing smart clothes in wild woodland can feel out of place.
The same applies indoors. If you have a formal drawing room this could be a good spot for some more formal pictures. I also love the juxtaposition of very relaxed shots in a formal space which is often a lovely setting for kids in fancy dress. Equally, a messy playroom might work better with relaxed clothing choices than anything too smart.
Also, unless your children are very used to wearing them, then flipflops and sandals can be a problem with stones getting under their feet. And your feet will feature in some of the pictures so also bear that in mind when selecting your footwear. If you normally wear glasses, then do wear them for your photo shoot. And if your child usually wears glasses that applies to them too.
The only thing that can be difficult is if you have special lenses which go dark in the sun. If you usually wear make-up, then do so on the shoot as you want to look like you. Less is more when it comes to clothes for newborns. A simple vest or baby-grow where you can see their hands and feet is ideal. Equally, snuggly blankets and swaddles work brilliantly for newborns. In our second example below the family are wearing pink blue and purple which again very looks pleasing to the eye.
Another colour scheme might be navy blue, burgundy and dark green. But please avoid pure white and black items of clothing if possible as many photographs are taken against a white and dark grey background.
We have also noticed that bright pastel colours work really well for children photographed together — even if the colours are not especially coordinated. Pastel colours just seem to offer a sense of fun to the occasion and final images. Perhaps only one or two outfits needs attention to achieve a good result.
What colour range might best suit your home if you were hanging wall portraits from your studio session? If you come to a decision on a colour scheme even if it is a broad theme , it is important to communicate this is to the rest of the group — especially if you are planning a generations shoot that involves more than one family.
You would be surprised about often this gets overlooked! Try to stick to solid colours. The running theme of any advice we give on clothing, is that when the final photographs are viewed, attention should be drawn to faces and personalities. Ideally, items of clothing should not be competing for our attention in a group photograph. Similarly, for individuals, it is ideal to wear similar tones top and bottom.
Does that grey top make you look washed out, or does that rusted colour give your skin a sallow appearance? But my attention was immediately drawn to her face and blue eyes by the lovely white scarf with little bluebird pattern. These graphics, particularly logos and well known characters can really detract from the focal point — your lovely faces. Peoples eyes will naturally be drawn to those in the first instance.
Rachel: I think that people should avoid any overly branded clothing and outfits that are too casual. I want to see people looking comfortable in their portraits, but I also want to see them looking like the best versions of themselves.
Tracksuits are hardly ever a good idea as wardrobe for a professional portrait. For example, I think it is wonderful that my son loves Skylanders, but I would not dress him in his Skylanders branded hoodie for a professional portrait.
That garish combination of colours and characters might make him happy right now, but it will not stand the test of time in a proper portrait. I certainly capture him in his favourite clothes in snapshots, but would select something more timeless and less distracting for a professional session.
Rachel: I like to have a mix of fabrics for texture. Lace is beautiful for little girls or as an accent for a woman. Knit jumpers are something that photographs well. I also like to suggest layers so that there is some visual interest to the outfits.
Putting a solid colour cardigan over a dress or a blazer with a t-shirt and jeans can add just that extra little touch of style that makes a portrait special. While I would advise people to stay away from bright whites on a regular basis as bright areas of white clothing draw the focus away from the subjects I do think that everyone in white on the beach or in a white studio looks gorgeous.
The hi-key effect is lovely. I also like spots, stripes and plaids together with block colours if they are subtle and of the same tones. I think just a touch of those extra elements on one or two of the family members makes the collection of clothes together look interesting and slightly spontaneous.
Above is my daughter Gemma — as you can see, the colour of her dress just made her natural cheek colour pop with peach. Like those that have a similar colour palette.
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