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What to Wear for a Family Portrait: Photography Outfit Ideas

Every year when family portrait time rolls around, chances are you're like most people who stress to the max about what you should have your family members wear. Whether you're visiting Sears, JC Penney or hiring your own private photographer to take your family photograph, there are certain family portrait outfit rules you should be sure to follow.

Do's and Don'ts for Family Portrait Clothing

- Don't Do Identical Matching Outfits: Never, under any circumstances, have your entire family wear the exact same
outfit. The idea is to coordinate clothes among the parents
and children that aren't exactly the same, but outfits that
complement each other. For example, if you had every

- Do Choose To Coordinate: If you choose a two color theme, like black and khaki, and work with it, you'll see better results. This might seem a bit overwhelming, but it can be really easy to put together. You could choose to dress yourself in an all black dress, your husband in a black polo and khaki pants, your daughter in a black and khaki flower patterns dress and your son in a black sweater vest, white button down shirt and khaki pants. This will help your family look as if they are coordinating, but not identically matching. Just be sure to keep patterns to a minimum, as if two family members are wearing different patterns, they can certainly clash on film.

- Don't Wear All Pastels: One of the trendiest ideas in casual family photo sessions is for the family to wear all white or all pastel colors. This is extremely popular for outdoor photos, but only truly works with evening lighting, in outdoor locations with many vivid surrounding colors and with families with darker or tanner skin tones. So, be sure to avoid all white clothing. Otherwise, your family members will sort of blend together like a runny painting and will all look washed out.

- Do Choose Bold Colors: To ensure all family members look
bright and cheery, think about choosing bolder or darker shades of clothing for your family photo session. You can think about choosing colors to match the time of year you'll be using the photo. For example, if you're trying to take a family photo for a Christmas Card, think about using red, black, green or navy blue for your clothing theme. If you're getting photos taken in the Fall, think about using browns, oranges, reds or yellows.

- Don't Get Too Formal: While it might be fun to think about dressing up in formal attire for family photos, the best photos always capture your family in a more natural setting. Sure, you can choose nice clothing you might wear to church or to a party, but renting tuxedos and bringing out the evening gowns is rarely necessary.

- Do Keep It Casual: If you want to capture a family portrait you can pass down through your upcoming family generations, it's important to ensure you keep your attire casual. Otherwise, you'll end up looking like a stuffy family who is merely uncomfortable in their clothing and no one wants to be remembered that way!