What to wear to a family photoshoot: The Ultimate Guide + 5 Massive Mistakes to avoid
What to wear to a family photoshoot can be puzzling, but there are simple rules and easy stylish wardrobe choices that you already have home and do not depend on the current fast fashion trends. Bear in mind, I am not a photographer that requires her clients to dress “according to the photographer’s brand, style or colors”. I think that’s borderline abusive and very much self-centered and if your photographer requests that you wear certain style just because they want it to match their portfolio (and it’s a paid shoot), run! In my shoots, you do you.
Yes, I said what you wear doesn’t matter at all. What that means is you don’t need to mimic someone else’s style. But what you wear matters – you should feel like you, comfortable, sexy and beautiful, fun and sensual. What you wear helps you so much to achieve how you feel. So dress to feel GREAT. Also the crazier the outfits, the better the pictures. Some general rules:
Rule #1: Wear clothes. Show up.
Do you need to go shopping? No. You have clothes. Wear them. Look and feel like yourself. Because that’s who we are creating portraits of.
But do you want to go shopping? Muhahahaaaa…
Rule #2: Dress according to weather.
If it’s 3°C and you show up not dressed enough, you will be cold, your kids will be miserable and your pictures will show it.
If you think your kids can hack it and you care more about the look than comfort, remember I warned you.
This comes based on 20 years of experience with parents who think they know better:
There is no amount of bribing/ talking that will make a cold, miserable child (or adult) feel warm and comfortable.
Your pictures will suck and that’s just how that is.
Wind chill – what it is and how to use the info
Wind chill tells you how cold it feels on your skin, not the actual air temperature. Wind blows away the thin layer of warm air your body creates, so you lose heat that much faster. That’s why 8°C on a calm spring day can feel totally fine, but the same temperature with strong wind suddenly feels bitterly cold. In Finnish weather forecast it’s marked with the icon of a person.
Wind chill Cheat sheet:
- Every 5 m/s of wind equal one change clothes. Short sleeves -> long sleeves, long sleeves -> thin sweater, thin sweater -> thick sweater, thick sweater -> jacket.
- Kids, lean people, and people who don’t move much feel wind chill even more intensely.
Rule #3: Matching outfits vs coordination
As favorite as team look was in the 1990’s, it’s time to leave white t-shirts and jeans for your whole gang in the past. Let your personalities shine.
Black is always classy and nice. Red lipstick, too.
Planning a color palette?
Choose a neutral color (white, black, greys) and add two to three other colors to it. Use this coolors.co : link an image and get a color palette.
Not everybody has to wear all the chosen colors. Somebody’s outfit can be monochromatic, somebody’s outfit can have all colors.
Choose your own outfit first, plan everybody else’s after that.
family photographer tips
KIDS WITH OWN OUTFIT CHOICES
If you want to be dressed in pastel harmony and your one kiddo in red tatters refuses to change, and you think you might just get a heart attack or better yet cancel the family photo session, do this instead:
Let them wear whatever they want at the start of the session. We take pictures, swap to new outfits and continue shooting. Everybody happy.
Rule #4: Dark or light colors
Take into account how dark or light the background will be. Dark clothes against dark background or light against light result in harmony for close ups, but slightly less visibility in landscape photos from afar.
So if your goal is little human against big nature, then a better choice of what to wear to a family photoshoot is light clothes against dark background or dark clothes against light background. It also works well in close ups.
Rule #5: Mix colors, patterns, textures, lengths, and materials
Ideally include following in your list:
What to wear to A family photoshoot – Clothes, outfit:
- something that flows
- something knitted
- something long
- something short
- extra layer that can be taken of
- accessories: hats, shawls…
What to wear to A family photoshoot – Footwear, shoes, shoesies:
- shoes that blend with the outfit
- or shoes stand out completely (bright yellow, bright red)
- or barefoot – my favorite choice whenever it’s not -25°C
What to wear to a family photoshoot: 5 massive mistakes to avoid
1. Embrace the unexpected
Real talk: something will go “wrong”. A gust of wind messing up hair, a toddler deciding they hate shoes, someone falling into the only puddle for miles. Those are hands down the best moments!
The more you let go and enjoy the experience, the more natural and joyful your photos will be. A little chaos and dirt just makes everything real and more fun.
2. Dressing according to your moodboard, instead of the weather
I know I spoke about this, but no matter how much I do, people still show up dressed too little, get too cold too quickly and end up really miserable. It’s SO MUCH EASIER to take layers off, then to talk someone into feeling warm when they are not. Always dress too much.
3. Thinking you have to dress “nicely”
What to wear for a family shoot is not the same what you should wear to work or party at the presidential palace (but it can be if you want). Think of this as a time capsule of who you are and what your style is right now. We are capturing your life and you should really wear what you wear on your average day. So if you average day is dining with the president, then…hey!
4. Thinking you can’t dress outrageously
But darling! Of course you can and should, should you feel like it! What to wear for your family session doesn’t have to be cis, hetero and beige. Bring your A game and let’s have some fun!
5. Avoiding patterns, stripes, prints
Out the window with the old rules and in with new: wear what you want. Stripes were a problem for digital camera sensors in the naughties (2000-2010), prints and patterns were a problem during the “beige era” of 2010-2020, and now – finally – we have the era of YOU. The correct answer to what to wear to a family photoshoot is whatever makes your soul happy. And let your partner and kids do the same.
Now what?
Look at family gallery
or you can
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