“Hummmmm,” I say, my voice muffled by the clothing hung on either side of me. My face is pressed against an old pair of ski bibs (I should really clean out my closet) as I attempt to get a good look at a blue blouse that’s a contender to wear in our family pictures.
“Maybe,” I reason, unconvinced, as I toss it, still on the hanger, onto our bed. The pile of Chris’s collared shirts — plaid, solid, cuffed — and my maybes — blouses, skirts, dresses, jeans — grows higher still.
“What in the world are we going to wear for family pictures,” I whisper to a left-foot little boy boot, still missing its right-footed match.
We have our family’s picture taken every year — it’s something incredibly valuable to us. Family photos are an investment, and I want to like the final product hanging on my wall. Oftentimes liking what my family is wearing goes a long way in the happiness felt when I get images back. 🙂
If you can relate with my struggle, I have some tips for you that I believe will help ease your stress and feel comfortable with your choices.
No. 1 — Really and truly, wear what you love! You’re perfect. The tips below are not rules, so if you want to break them, go for it!
No. 2 — Consider your home
– When deciding on colors, take a look at your home decor. Do you like gentle neutrals? Bright and bold colors? If you’re planning on hanging one or more of your portraits on your walls, pick a couple colors and choose clothes that fit in your color and design scheme.
Gentle neutrals fit in great with this sweet family’s farm house decor.
Beautiful bold jewel tones here!
No. 3 — Colors
– I suggest not wearing exactly the same color, but rather trying to dress in the same color family (fall colors, neutrals, bright colors, etc.) Coordinate and compliment with color. 🙂
Blue and orange — super complimentary colors.
Really love the cohesiveness of this color pallet with the pop of red in the shoes for little brother. Having a pop of color is fun!
No. 4 — Textures & Layers
– Textures (tulle skirts for girls ,knit sweaters, lace top) and layers (scarf/vest/jacket) photograph super well well.
Hellllllllo, vest! Hellllllllo, great over sized scarf!
No. 5 — Patterns
– I love when there’s an outfit in the family that has a strong pattern, but don’t be too generous when dressing in patterns. Too much of the same patterns is like wearing all the same color. And if there is more than one strong pattern, it can distract from the focus of the image, which is you and your family! Also, interesting tidbit, you want to shy away from small pinstripes, too, as they create strange patterns in the camera. Who would have known? I’m here for ya, pals.
Love how the bright red of the little guy’s plaid goes so well with mom’s scarf!
Great example of how lots of patterns can work because of the size of pattern and the complimentary nature of the colors and coordination.
Sister’s pattern brings so much fun to the portrait!
No. 6 — Think long term – Generally speaking (or in this case, writing — ha!) classic clothing that will stand the test of time and is free of words, cartoon characters
Great classic clothes! Dark denim dress, simple hair bow, thick stripes.
Again, great classic outfits. This image can hang in your home for years and years without becoming dated.
No. 7 — Accessories
– Can’t forget accessories! Jewelry can serve as a type of layer of clothing, too!
Love love love the sister’s red necklace and mom’s scarf!! And the layering of the dad and sister. So great!
An accessory can tie in clothing colors, too.
No. 8 — Be comfortable!
– This one is major. If your kids are wearing something they hate, choose something else. A grouchy kid dressed the best is still a grouchy kid. 🙂
No. 9 — Socks
And, finally, watch those fellas – white socks shine like a beacon in a photograph. 🙂
No. 10 — If you’re still scratching your head on what to, here’s some hands-on advice. Start with mom’s outfit first. When mom is happy with her clothing choices, it makes picking the rest of the clothing so much easier. Once you have mom’s outfit, take an inventory of it. Is it pattern? What colors does it have?
For example. Here’s our family picture from this year.
Since I picked my dress first, I knew immediately that I was going to be the main pattern with my large polka dots and I needed to look for coordinating and complimenting clothing for my other family members in colors that went with grey, blues and creams.
I sought out texture by adding the corduroy and deep denim on my youngest. I brought in a second pattern in my oldest’s shirt, because… I wanted to. 🙂 Ha! But also, the pattern isn’t strong since it’s all blues. (had it been blue with different colors mixed in, or had it been a larger plaid, this shirt might not have worked.) Since both boys were in the same color, I knew I wanted to get away from any shade of blue so we weren’t too matchy. The yellow of Chris’s shirt was a nice complimentary color to the blue, so we went with it!
We shopped our closets for this year’s family picture (kind of ran out of time… oops!), but if I had a little more time, I would have laid out our clothing choices and taken a picture of it on my phone.
Then, I would take that picture shopping. I would have pulled up that picture and searched for little things to make the picture have more texture and layers — a properly sized necklace for me, a little tie or maybe suspenders for one of the boys. Boys photograph really well with a t-shirt worn over an open button down. That would have been a fun direction to go with one of my little guys, too. Using that photo, I might have even found a shirt or pants that I liked better for the boys or Chris. All that to say, the world is your oyster. 🙂
The best advice is to just relax and have fun. Have photography that shows the love and connection in your family is all that really matters anyway. 🙂
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