10 Tips For Your Family Photo Outfits!

Fall is my very favorite season to dress for, I love the deeper colors, the textures, the layers… the sweaters! I just love everything fall related. The fall season is one of the most popular seasons to take a family photo, so I’ve put together some tips and ideas for picking out outfits for your photoshoot!

1. Choose the family photo location first!

Location plays a huge factor in your family photo outfit choice. You’re most likely going to wear something different to the beach than you would in the mountains. Think about the landscape and the colors you’ll be around, think about the vibe you’re going for and then go from there!

2. Pick a color palette

3. Get mom’s outfit first!

My recommendation is to start with mom (or daughters) outfit, this is because 1) us ladies typically are a little more picky and 2) women’s clothing often has more patterns, textures, and colors which makes it easier to base everyone else’s outfits on!

Dresses are always a great go to option, they’re flattering and easy to move in! If you don’t like dresses, jeans and a sweater with some cute booties is another great option. My best advice is to dress a little fancier than your everyday look, choose higher quality fabrics than T-shirt material it will just hang better!

4. Choose coordinating outfits (not matching ones, we don’t want an awkward family photo)

Gone are the days of everyone wearing the same outfit in a family photo! The outcome of your photos will look better when everyone has their own outfit. Avoid wearing the same exact color as your spouse or putting your kiddos in matching outfits.

Keep patterns to a minimum! Choose one family member to wear a print or patterned article of clothing, too many people in patterns can be very distracting. When it comes to patterns skip the bold or tiny prints that can easily distract.

5. Don’t be afraid of fitted clothing!

I’m a sucker for flowy and loose fitting blouses, I never have to worry about how I look after eating too many tacos! But when it comes to taking photos, fitted is more flattering. That doesn’t mean you can’t wear a flowy top, but if you do I suggest wearing it with a pair skinny jeans! If you choose a flowy dress, opt for A-line or something that hugs you tighter up top then flows out! You don’t want clothing that’s too tight, you want the right balance for sure, but you also don’t want something that doesn’t show your shape.

7. Keep the weather in mind for you family photo!

Weather is important to keep in mind because you (and everyone else in the family) don’t want to be too cold or too hot while taking a family photo. Being uncomfortable is the worst, and no one wants to be uncomfy!

8. Don’t forget the shoes

Shoes are important. I’ll leave it at that. Unless you intent to go barefoot on the beach (which I recommend), make sure your shoes coordinate with your outfit.

9. Don’t wait until the last minute to try on your family photo outfits!

Make sure everyone tries on their outfit before the day of your session, you want to make sure everyone feels good, everything fits, the outfits look good next to each other, etc. There’s been several times I’ve picked out outfits for my own family photos thinking what I purchased would look good next to each other, and I ended up not liking what I got when we all tried on our outfits. So make sure you have plenty of time to return or exchange things if you need to!

10. Send pictures to your photographer!

I personally love getting texts asking if I think the chosen outfits look good together. I take photos for a living and have lots of experience with how colors, patterns, textures, and silhouettes photograph! If you’re unsure about something just reach out to your photographer and ask, I promise we don’t mind helping! 

If you’re still not sure what direction to go when it comes to planning your outfits, below I have some examples of fall color palettes. And I also inserted a link to my fall family outfit Pinterest board, you can find that here!