what to wear for family photos

Photos by Ashley Sasak Photography and Emma Dobbertin

Our friend recently took some 6 month pictures of Greylen (a few above but will share more soon!) and I realized that it was significantly easier to pick out outfits for all of us this time around vs. the first time we took family photos (the fact that I didn’t JUST give birth probably helped). Here’s some of the tips I’ve followed!

Choose something that goes together but doesn’t match
Gone are the days of matching denim shirts (my family did that once, no joke). Instead, just choose things that go together. Pick a color scheme and mix and match colors that coordinate.

Choose one thing and build off of it
If you don’t know where to start or even which colors to use, choose one item you love and build off of it. My first piece? Greylen’s outfit 3 out of 3 times. I figured out what she was wearing first and then made sure that Ben and I had outfits that went with her outfit.

One pattern on one person
I’m all for pattern mixing – I love it. But, in family photos, stick with one pattern on one person (I see a theme with all of our photos above – Greylen wins the pattern lottery every time). Pull colors from that pattern for the rest of your family’s outfits.

Neutrals work best
This might just be personal preference but I’m really into neutral-colored outfits. Of course a pop of color here and there is fine but these photos will most likely be printed for your house, your office, etc. and you don’t want the colors clashing with your decor. And whatever you do – stay away from graphic tees, character tees, etc. Way too distracting!

Skip the trends
You can easily spot a photo from the 70s or 80s and the same will probably go for photos taken in this decade. However, try to minimize the dated look by skipping trends and opting for classic and timeless clothing!

Wear something you’d normally wear
You’ll feel more comfortable and look more natural if you wear something you’d wear on any other day!

If you can, purchase from one store
For the sake of time, I bought every single piece of clothing we wore in our last photo session from Old Navy. So easy. Other one-stop-shops include Nordstrom, Dillard’s and Gap. Better yet and easiest of all, pull something from your closet!

What tips do you have for choosing outfits for family photos?