My husband and I started our photography business about 3 years ago, and we've done a bunch of family photo sessions over the years. The biggest thing I notice that makes all the difference in how well family photos turn out is the outfit choice! Putting just a bit of effort into family photo outfits can make all the difference in how the pictures turn out.
Now if you think this sounds expensive... hear me out. We just had our fall family pics done and the most I spent was on a new dress for myself which wasn't even totally necessary. Benny's entire outfit was thrifted, and since Kyle's wardrobe is pretty neutral, I just chose pieces that he already had that coordinated with me and Benny's!
- Color scheme
- First you need to decide if you/your photographer have a specific style. Do they capture light and airy photos? Dark and moody? Traditional? I tend to think darker color clothes look better in photos since it makes the image appear more striking. If your photographer's style is light & airy, consider wearing lighter colors as that tends to look better with that style editing. I chose my dress first because the burnt orange color was different, eye-catching, & was perfect for fall look I was going for. I went with blues/greens for the boys and tried to keep their outfits darker to stay with my more traditional fall theme.
- Coordinating NOT matching
- It's easy to think with family photos that you need matching outfits, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Find pieces that coordinate! I went through and laid our outfits out on our bed and worked from there to make sure we coordinated. Some of the pieces I was considering for Benny didn't look right once I laid them out. But the colors in the plaid shirt he wore tied in with both the orange in my dress and the blue in Kye's shirt. Had the three of us worn a plaid shirt, that'd be totally overwhelming and would likely clash more than match.
- Consider a dress over jeans
- I've found that dresses are almost always more flattering in photos. The sway of the dress usually captures well on camera, plus it's always nice to have an excuse to dress up! Not only are they more flattering, but you don't have to worry about your shirt pulling up or anything like that!
