I get a lot of emails from clients concerned about what to wear for their upcoming family photos. And its a valid concern. The right outfit can make a huge difference in your photos. Long gone are the days of wearing matching black shirts and jeans (or matching white shirts and khakis.) You want to coordinate with one another, but avoid matching. I’m going to show you some examples of how clients have used patterns and colors to make their photos pop. I’ll do a few different posts over the upcoming weeks for different types of portraits, including seniors and children. I also put together a Pinterest board with great examples of what to wear. You can find it here.
Below, the blue in the dress is a nice color pop that adds something to the photo. His cream sweater blends nicely with the cream accents on her dress.
A good rule of thumb is to have one family member wear a pattern and have everyone’s outfits pull from a color in the pattern. Below, dad has a great, colorful pattern and the son is wearing solid colors from that pattern. They’re still coordinated, but different enough to add interest to the photo.
Another example of pulling colors from the pattern of one shirt. The little girl also has on a nice, vibrant color that will make her stand out, but still blend nicely with her parents.
This family went with lots of blues, but they’re still not too matchy. The little girl’s pink breaks it up, and so do the ruffles on her shirt. Textures are always a good idea, as they add depth to your photos. Sweaters are great for this, as are scarves. If it’s too hot for that, something like this young lady’s ruffled shirt is a great way to add texture in warmer weather.
Another great example of helping the little one in the family stand out by using color. Mom and dad both have great texture with their sweaters and your eye is drawn to the little boy with his brighter yellow, which goes nicely with the purples and grays on his parents.
Here, mom and baby both have patterns but, as you can see, it works really well. The baby’s pattern is more bright and bold and mom’s is more understated, with colors pulled from the baby’s shirt. Dad’s is more neutral but still a color from the brighter pattern. Mom’s belt and bracelet also add interest to the photo.
Below, the family did a great job coordinating with dad’s shirt. Mom’s shirt has awesome texture and her scarf adds a pop of color. The stripes are a great addition, too. The little boy blends nicely with both mom and dad and also has nice texture in his sweater. The dogs are also a great addition! We always welcome pets in family photos. After all, they’re members of the family too.
Last, but not least, a bit of a different example. Mom and dad blend really well with one another. Mom’s dress has an awesome pattern and dad’s shirt is more understated, but still complements her blue dress. And then their daughter is a nice pop of color. This wouldn’t work if she were wearing a pattern (since mom is wearing a bold pattern), but the solid red is a great addition to break up the blue. A solid pop of color tends to work really well when done this way. And again, we love to include pets! Look how good he’s being.
Demure Dragonfly 