|| Emily’s Dress – Similar ||
|| Photos by Kourtney Teel (you can contact her via DM on Instagram ||
I know, I know. It’s only September. But holiday card photo time is creeping up on us, and I wanted to get this post out there in plenty of time for everyone. One of my most asked questions from friends, family, and blog readers alike is, “Do you have any pointers for what to wear for family photos?” Since I take family photos at least once a month… I absolutely do!
So here are my top 5 tips for what to wear for family photos.
1.) Think about where you are shooting. The background of your photos should complement the outfits you decide to wear. For these photos we were just shooting at our house, so I wanted us to be comfortable and wear outfits we would wear on any given day.
2.) Don’t get too matchy matchy. Even though I LOVE ME some 90s family photos with everyone in black turtlenecks and jeans (who has those from their childhood???!?! BE HONEST!!) family photos have come a long way since then. Now, my favorite family photos are when families look coordinated, but not matching.
For fall and the holidays – I think that emerald green, navy and burgundy look amazing together. And don’t be afraid to play with patterns. I think that stripes and plaids are SO fun for fall. For summer shoots – I love crisp white. At the end of August we did another family photo shoot in red white and blue and it turned out SUPER cute. I will be sharing it next week. For a winter shoot (like our baby announcement here) – I think it’s beautiful to play off the background. We shot in classic neutrals, and I LOVE the way those photos turned out.
3.) Think about the feeling you want the shoot to have. Are you going for fall preppy? Or do you want your photos to look mountain holiday? Or maybe you’re like us, and you are sending out Christmas cards with summer photos on them because it’s all you have time for. It is what it is. Whatever the case may be – think about what feeling you want your shoot to have.
4.) Don’t forget a good blanket – or the props you might need. Every year the blanket we bring to our family photo shoot is the MVP. Before we had kids, it was a buffalo check blanket that we sat on with Henry. Two years ago it was a navy and emerald green tartan blanket from LLBean. This year, it was the throw from our living room because the kids were melting down in the front yard. 🙂 Also – SO many cute holiday shoots now include twinkly lights, picnic baskets, mugs of hot cocoa, pumpkins, pinecones… etc. Getting creative can be super fun if you put in the time. (Full disclosure – this year I did not put in the time. Oops. You win some, you lose some.)
5.) Be true to you – and your family – and your kids. Truth be told, we wear A LOT of white in this family – and my boys are ALWAYS in white polo shirts. The outfits we’re wearing in these photos are what you’d see us wearing on any given day. I like family photos that speak to the people in them – and I think photos always come out better when you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing. So when you’re thinking about what to wear for family photos – think of what you would wear on a normal day – and go from there!
One last thing. Even though you may have picked out the perfect outfits…. just expect that your shoot may not go as planned… especially if you have young kids. {Or in our case, 3 young kids.} I always tell our photographer, Kourtney, that she has 10 minutes… yes… 10 minutes to get the shot. Anything more than that and my kids are running wild and have officially lost it. So move quickly, be prepared, hope for the best – and if all else fails – flip your kid upside down to get him to smile (see David in 90% of the photos).
Life isn’t perfect, these photos definitely aren’t either, but hopefully the tips above will help you make your next family photoshoot a success.
What To Wear For Family Photos
For Her Casual:
For Her Dressy:
For Him:
For Girls:
For Boys:
