After choosing a photographer the hardest decision for picture day has got to be what to wear. These are the outfits that will be immortalized in your family photo albums and, hopefully displayed in all their ginormous glory on your walls. It’s a pretty big deal :)

I know a lot of my clients stress about how to coordinate clothing for family photos or how to choose outfits that photograph well. Well stress no longer! Here are a few tips on what to wear to your next photo session:

First step:

Determine your style. There are three basic styles. The CLASSY style which is formals, dresses, ties. Or the CASUAL style which is t-shirts, shorts and sandals. Or, the most popular style of late, CONTEMPORARY, which is a mix of casual and classy. Think of a dressy top and great accessories paired with a pair of jeans. To choose your style you need to ask yourself a few questions:

Where will we be taking pictures? If you know we will be heading to the Provo Canyon for pictures on a hiking trail you probably wouldn’t want to wear your favorite black dress. Take the location into account when determining your style. However if you are dying to wear the black dress then that is something to let me know right away when we are determining location because the important part is that the photo backdrop matches your style completely.

What represents ME (or US?) For me personally I hate, loathe and strongly dislike wearing skirts. Sunday clothes drive me nuts. BUT put me in a pair of jeans and a dressy top and I feel cute, classy and ready for pictures. So go with what you love. Your pictures should be a reflection of YOU, not the latest uncomfortable clothing trend.

**Remember: Everyone in the same group needs to reflect the same style.

Second Step:

Pick your inspiration piece. Just like decorating a room in your home, it helps to choose one inspiration piece (in this case, piece of clothing) to center your choices around.  I usually find one patterned outfit that I adore (whether it is a shirt for my husband or a dress for my daughter) and then use the color palette from that pattern to determine the solid colors that everyone else will wear.

If you do not want to use any patterns then choose the inspiration outfit and determine one or two other colors that coordinate with that main color. I do not usually recommend more than three colors in one photo, it can be distracting and take away from the most important part: Your faces!
Certain family clothing stores like Gap or Old Navy have seasonal lines of clothing that all follow a similar color palette –this can be extremely helpful when determining what colors look well together and look best for the season.

You don’t have to run out and buy everyone a new wardrobe for picture day! (Though if you’d like to, then by all means be my guest!). Look for your inspiration piece in your wardrobe and pull things together from there. Often times you’ll find a coordinated family look with only a few (or no!) purchases. If you do decide to shop, even affordable stores like Target or Old Navy have GREAT children’s clothing lines. In fact, every time I’m in those stores I drool over the children’s clothing and dream up photoshoots :)

Finally:

Think texture! Visual texture is great, it really is amazing what a difference it adds to a photo. Texture can be created with clothing choices like thick knits, ruffles and layers.

Think Accessories! Funky shoes, jewelry, scarves and hats all add interest.

Think Color! Remember, if we’re taking your pictures in a field of lovely yellow Aspen trees … you probably don’t want to wear yellow ;) I adore bright colors, but that doesn’t mean you need to wear neon to get noticed (in fact, please don’t, unless that really truly is your thing ;)) A pop of bright red in a scarf over a fun black top is enough color to stand out and add interest.

Think Coordinated (not Matchy-matchy!) Yes, in the photog world, matchy-matchy is definetly a real word. Don’t be so afraid of making wrong clothing choices that you play it safe with white shirts and khaki pants. I’m guilty of this – don’t feel bad J My very first family photos when my oldest daughter was a year old included white polos (myself included) with jeans. I love those photos … but wow, they could have been so much more colorful, interesting and personal if we had worn something that showed off each of our unique personalities in a coordinated way. If your color palette is together and your style is the same for your group then you are on the right track for a coordinated family picture.

Some don’ts:

I recommend avoiding more than one large pattern. If your girls are wearing flowers then let them be your accent and surround them with solids.

Avoid words and logos on your clothing. So distracting, trust me. The exception to this rule would be for my seniors. If your son/daughter LIVES in their Aeropostale t-shirts with the large logo then let’s get a picture of it :)

In general white is not the best main color choice for your pictures. This is pulled off much easier in portraits (like a little girl in a white sundress) than in groups. White is a very very reflective color, which means it can be not only difficult to photograph, but can overwhelm an image with bright white, distracting from your cute faces. If you love crisp white try using it as an accent color or in your accessories.