What to wear for family photos.
My intention for this article was to share 5 tips for what to wear for family photos. To share the rules for how to create a cohesive look that is going to transfer well into a photo and will look aesthetically pleasing.
I was all set to type it and then I took some photos of my kids as they were playing over the long weekend. I got some really nice, well posed photos. The thing is that for me those aren’t the photos that sing to my heart. The photos that I love are the ones of my kids pulling silly faces and in mismatched clothes because those are the ones that showcase their personality. The pretty ones are nice and if I were less quirky they would be the ones I would put on the wall now, but I know for 100% certain that in 10 or 15 years time the photos that I am going to cherish are the ones that show their personality.
I promise, after this moment of self reflection I will share the tips of what to wear for a family photoshoot but I’m going to take a moment to share with you the rabbit hole that I went down as I photographed my kids.
Why take family photos?
It made me question what photography is about for me. The end goal isn’t to have a pretty photo on the wall that isn’t reflective of my family and their personality. The end goal for me is to capture moments. It’s to capture a brief snapshot of their personality and who they are right now. I want photos on my wall that celebrate who they are, that celebrate their authentic self. I want photos of them in moments of joy.
Part of capturing their authentic self is that favourite top that is now 3 sizes too small but is loved so much they can’t bear to part with it and besides ‘it’s ok if I don’t lift my arms, my tummy is still covered, see!’ as I heard over the weekend. It’s about bright colours and bold prints for some, it’s about their favourite characters, their favourite colours, their favourite TV shows or movies. All those things will change in a heartbeat and photos will be there to remind me in a decade of the time of who my children are today, their personalities, and them. Why would I want to follow rules and deny myself of that.
Why follow the rules?
Well the answer is because I do also want the nice family portrait of the 5 of us on our wall, all looking co-ordinated and cohesive. Looking like we belong together and not like a rag tag team. Saying that, we are also the family that had a family portrait taken all dressed in our Halloween costumes and another year my mum had convinced my children that she was a witch and could take them out on Halloween to fly above the city on her broom. We did a family photoshoot and a good friend photoshopped the kids onto brooms and gave us photos of them all flying about Perth. On the 1st November there was the photographic evidence of their adventure the night before so obviously it is very important for me to have personality reflected in photographs.
I realised my compromise is much like the El Paso ad. Do both! We have our family photo as a group and as small groups following the 5 tips for what to wear for a family photoshoot below and then we can get changed and have photos together in clothes that are going to show individual personalities.
5 tips for what to wear for family photos
Tip 1 – No bold prints or characters
These t-shirts are designed to be attention grabbing, you don’t want one person’s t-shirt (or fluro orange stubby shorts – just saying) to be the sole focus of the photos. In the case of the fluro orange stubbies, what has been seen can not be unseen (by your friendly photographer or anyone who sees the photos!) There are also issues with bold prints and patterns possibly accentuating areas that you don’t want accentuating and clashing with other patterns etc. Generally the rule is, don’t do it.
Tip 2 Pick a colour palette.
You could either look at it that everyone wears autumn colours or winter colours etc or have a colour that runs through everyone’s clothing as a way to create a cohesive look. This is the same idea as the trend in the 90s or early 2000’s where everyone wore denim and a white t-shirt but it doesn’t need to be done to that extreme. One of the first family photoshoots I did, the family did it well. They chose a blue pallet and everyone made sure they had blue on their outfit somewhere to pull it all together.
Tip 3 Accessorise
Accessorise to match others in the group but also to show your personality. For example if you know that your daughter has small red flowers on her dress then Mum could think about wearing a red necklace or dad could wear a tie with some red on it.
In the photos above the gorgeous Mr F wore his blue shirt and jeans as his mum and dad asked but he desperately wanted to wear his cool tie as well. He matches with everyone in the family but part of his awesome personality shines through with his choice of tie!
Tip 4 Avoid Hats
They put shade over part of your face. If you are going to wear a hat, does it look good tipped back so we can see your face? If not, could you maybe leave it off? If it’s your signature hat could you hold it in your hand, is there a different way to use it other than on your head?
Tip 5 Hue and saturation.
Try to stay all in the same brightness range for clothing. Are you looking for bright and fresh, for calm and subdued etc and pick clothing in shades that are matching. If everyone is in subdued autumn colours and one person is in fluro orange stubby shorts that person is not going to blend in.
Tip 6 Break the rules!
Tip 6 Break the rules! (See what I did there!) Photos with happy kids wearing mismatched clothes are going to look a heck of a lot nicer than photos of kids who are wearing matching clothes and who are miserable. We have one family photo where my youngest is wearing a Minney Mouse ear head band and a fluffy coat. She wasn’t comfortable with the photographer and the photographer was trying to force her to take the headband and coat off which was even more distressing for my daughter. Photos are supposed to bring joy, they aren’t supposed to cause upset and distress (honest) so while it’s lovely to have everyone looking cohesive etc I’d much rather have matching smiles than matching shirts in a photo!
Don’t forget, if your photoshoot is long enough take a change of clothes and have some photos where personality can shine.
My last tip isn’t really about what to wear in a family photo shoot, it’s about actually having a family photo shoot. In 10 years time, what photos do you want to be looking at? A phone photo or a professional photo? (These two photos were taken on the same day. One was taken by my mum on my phone and the other was taken by me. I love and appreciate that mum captured the moments but I’ll probably put my photo on the wall, the only wall mum’s photo is going on is my facebook wall.)
If you are ready to update your family photos then please, get in touch.
Great article Emma. Just another tip from me – please take your sunnies off or reduce the darkening in regular glasses. Just saying, Narelle
Those glasses that are self tinting are an absolute pain in the bum 😂 ‘would you mind standing in the dark for 5 minutes so they change back to regular glasses please’ 😂