What to Wear for Family Photos

One of the most common questions I get as a family photographer is, "What should we wear for family photos?" Choosing outfits for the entire family can be overhwelming, especially when you want everyone to look coordinated without appearing overly matched. The good news is that a few simple styling guidelines can help you create timeless, beautiful family portraits you'll love for years to come. As a Lake Country family photographer, I work with families in Lake Country, Milwaukee, and all over southeastern Wisconsin to capture beautiful memories, and I love to help take the guesswork out of what to wear for family photos. Here are my favorite tips for choosing outfits that photograph beautifully and help everyone feel confident in front of the camera.

Cohesive but not matching

If you want to create an unforgettable family portrait, your whole family’s outfits should coordinate. That said, you don’t want outfits to match too much; it diminishes the luxury feel of your portraits. Start with a color palette, possibly warm tones like creams, browns, greens or cool tones like blues, grays and whites. Consider the location of your photos and make sure the colors blend well with the background.

Next, start with one person in the family’s outfit. I always start with mom first to make sure she feels confident and beautiful. From there, pull colors from her outfit and bring those into the other family member’s outfits.

Styles that are flattering for the camera

Not every style of clothing will result in flattering photos. Because the camera sees in 2-D, it will pick up the shape of your clothing rather than your body. That’s why I recommend choosing fitted clothing over loose, baggy, or boxy clothes. They don’t have to be skin-tight, but they should complement your natural figure. Your photographer can use posing tools to accentuate or minimize certain body parts based on what you are comfortable with.

I also recommend that you minimize patterns when possible, since those are distracting from the face and can easily compete with each other if multiple people in the family are wearing patterns. For family photos, it’s ok for one person to have a minimal pattern, but most people should steer toward solid colors and emphasize textures like knit, linen, or lace rather than patterns.

Consider the season and location

Whether you’re doing outdoor family portraits in Milwaukee in summer or studio portraits in Hartland in winter, you’ll want to make sure your outfit choice makes sense with both the season and the location of your photoshoot. For all family photos, I recommend that families are in sync with the seasonality and formality of their outfits. For example, if dad is wearing short sleeves and shorts, the rest of the family should wear sleeveless dresses, polos, or other clothing that looks like it belongs in summer. Similar guidelines apply for formality – you wouldn’t want dad in jeans and his daughter in a formal dress. They don’t go together!

When deciding on the level of formality and the clothes that are appropriate for your family photoshoot, consider the photoshoot location as well as where in your home you want these photos to live. Does it look like those clothes belong outside if you’re doing outdoor family photos? Does the color palette and level of formality match your décor and accents in your home? Once you can answer yes to those questions, you know you’re on the right track!

If all of this feels overwhelming, I’m here to help.

It can be hard to coordinate everyone’s outfits for family photos, and maybe you feel like you don’t have time or capacity to do it. That’s why I include an in-home consultation for all my family photoshoots where we solve the “what to wear” problem and get you feeling ready and confident for your family photos. Whether you're planning family photos in Hartland, Delafield, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee, Milwaukee, or elsewhere in Southeastern Wisconsin, choosing the right outfits can make a huge difference in the final images. If you’re looking for a family photographer and would love support in creating the family photos you’ve been dreaming about, I’d love to hear from you.

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