Estelle Photo Co
What to Wear for Your Family Photos
Figuring out what to wear to your family photo shoot is not easy, and I know it can be stressful, so here are some tips from a local Portland family photographer (that’s me!) for selecting the right outfits.
The colors, patterns, and textures you wear make a HUGE difference in how your photos will look. Put a family in a field wearing all blue & white (please don’t do this) and it will look very different than a family wearing what you see in the photos on this page.
How to Dress Your Family
First, you need to decide what kind of feel you are going for. If you are wanting a warm color palette, consider mustard, brown, rust, cream, burgundy, and taupe. If you want a lighter, more pastel palette, choose clothing that is neutral and light toned. Colors that would look great for this are cream, white, beige, gray, muted pinks and purples, coral, rose, and light blues. If you are looking for a dark and moody look, choose some moodier colors, but mix in some lighter colors with it to keep it from looking TOO dark. Another idea would be to choose a couple of pops of color but keep the rest neutral.
Please Do:
- choose well-fitting clothing and something that you feel confident in
- start with the pickiest person’s clothing first, then build everyone else’s outfits off of that.
- coordinate, don’t match
- change up textures and prints
- always add in lots of neutral colors
Avoid:
- thin, close together stripes (it has an odd effect in photographs)
- small plaid or buffalo prints (also looks weird in photos), especially in very contrasting colors
- large logos, cartoon characters, or words on your clothing (unless you’re very intentional, like you’re going for a 70’s vibe and want a vintage graphic tee)
- too many dark colors, as it makes photos look dull (especially black, avoid black unless it’s pants)
- neon colors, they make color casts onto skin and it’s not pretty
Borrowing From My Client Closet
I have a client closet full of beautiful dresses for clients to borrow during their session. Please check it out and let me know if you need info or if you want to set up a time to try something on.
Styling Hair
Quick note on hair. Keep it loose and flowy, rather than tight and slicked back. I’d rather your child showed up in 2 day old braids than tight french braids. Messy hair is more inspiring and fun to photograph than perfect hair! If it looks good in wavy curls, then do it because that’s going to photograph the best and if it’s windy, it will look amazing! But if anyone has thin hair (especially little girls), you will want to style it so it’s out of their face. Especially for locations that can be windy, it will be in their face the entire time if you don’t pull it back somehow.