Feeling stuck on what to wear for your in-home session? This post breaks it down simply. Start with one outfit you love and build around it, choose coordinating neutrals or muted tones that complement your home’s style, mix in texture for interest, and skip anything too bold or uncomfortable because great photos happen when you feel at ease!
Choosing outfits for family photos can be one of the most stressful parts of planning your session. Let me make it easier for you! Spend a few minutes exploring this page, where you'll find color palettes designed to coordinate your family's outfits effortlessly. For in-home sessions, keep the color of your walls, floor, and furniture in mind when choosing outfit colors.
The key to taking cohesive group, family, or couple pictures is to wear colors that complement each other. Don’t all wear the same exact shade of one color, but instead mix similar neutrals, or wear varying shades of one color.
You want looks that flow together, but aren’t exact copies of each other. Start with one outfit, pattern, or color that you love. Determine what accent colors work best with it to formulate your family's color palette.
Complement, Don't Match
I strongly suggest sticking to neutrals. When I say neutrals, I don’t just mean white, beige, and grey. Every color on the rainbow has a neutral tone or a muted version.
Here are some examples of color tones that get the job done:
Neutrals, Neutrals, Neutrals
Color Combinations
What color combination should you choose?
This is perhaps that most challenging question to answer as each individual will have different preferences and tastes. There truly is no one size fits all answer. Our skins tones, personality, and culture will all influence which colors we are drawn to and feel best wearing.
A few tips to help you make the decision:
- Select one of the color palettes below, such as "Dark and Emotive," "Light & Airy," or "Modern & Cool."
- Focus on specific color combinations from within that palette. For instance, if you choose "Modern & Cool," you might combine shades of gray, blue, and white.
- Keep the environment in mind - wall and furniture colors play a key role in the overall look, so choose outfits that complement your surroundings.
- It's often easiest to start with one key outfit and style everyone else to coordinate it. This usually means beginning with mom's outfit. Yay mom!
Color Palettes
Dark & Emotive
Your color scheme will influence the overall feel of the images. These rich colors naturally lend themselves to a moodier edit.
Notice how the family primarily pulls from the bottom color palette but also touches on the top color palette. The son is wearing a dark blue denim shirt; mom is wearing a berry colored dress layered with a textured dirt colored jacket, with a black hat; and dad is wearing a breeze colored shirt. The tall grass adds gold.
Light & Airy
If you're after a light and airy edit, these are the color palettes you want to pay the most attention to! These paler colors naturally lend themselves to a brighter edit.
This family coordinates from all three color palettes - which you can easily do when all the colors are from the same mood! Dad is wearing a simple stripe pattern of white, concrete, and cornflower. The ladies are wearing white dresses with a slight hint of crepe. Mom's lipstick adds some crimson and their skin tones add some blush peach. The overcast sky and cityscape in the background adds concrete.
Cool & Modern
The cool & modern mood might be the best of both worlds - some light and airy colors, like concrete and ice, as well as some moody colors, like royal and seafoam.
Here's an example where the furniture contributes to the overall color palette! Her blue sweater just pops against that mustard colored chair! It wouldn't have nearly the same effect if she were wearing, a light pink sweater! This image coordinates from the middle palette.
Warm & Inviting
What's the difference between the Dark & Emotive color palette and this one? The Warm & Inviting color palette tends to have more vibrant colors!
This image was shot in the same location as the family shown on the Dark & Emotive color palette page. Notice how the deep orange shirt is much more vibrant that any of the colors worn by the family? A good rule of thumb is to balance a few of the vibrant colors with a few of the more muted colors, like the girls did in this image. One is wearing a deep orange shirt and deep royal pants, the other is wearing an amber colored shirt with cream colored pants.
Patterns & Texture
Patterns in Moderation
They don't have to be eliminated altogether, but they should be used in moderation. Avoid wearing really busy, distracting patterns, as well as combining different patterns. Limit patterns to one person.
Textures can add dimension to your photos, so fringes, denim, faux fur, and linen are all invited to the party.
The knit blanket adds a layer of texture and interest to this image. The suspenders, hat, and tie all add visual interest as well.
Mom's lacy shirt adds a touch of femininity while dad's lightly dotted shirt adds a bit of texture.
Dad's simply patterned shirt nicely complements the dresses.
The Beauty
of Textures
Consider A Texture's
Typical Context
"Textures evoke specific moods. Silk lends a luxurious vibe to any outfit. A plaid flannel shirt can look cozy with corduroy, but it becomes more serious when paired with a black leather jacket. Denim is a casual texture you can use to dress down other fabrics: Pair a satin tank with jeans—rather than something like brushed wool trousers—for a relaxed yet stylish look. Think about the context in which you might wear a particular material, then pair that material with other textures to subvert expectations."
"How to Mix and Match Clothing Textures"
written by MasterClass
Tweed jacket, cotton shirt, and denim jeans. Beautiful layering and textures.
Lenin blouse and pants. Simple pattern and flowing fabric.
Knit sweater with black leggings. Beautiful texture with flowing fabric.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Choose Comfort
Over Style
In order to get those really candid moments, where you’re interacting with your significant others, you need to be comfortable. Otherwise, believe me, your face will tell me all about the tight pants digging into your waist.
Think Movement
You will be getting some cardio on our session, running and dancing around. You don’t want to have to worry about something coming undone, or a bra strap showing, so make sure your clothes don’t need readjusting. I recommend choosing something that you already know and love.
You’re more than welcome to wear flowy skirts or dresses, that show movement. These add energy to our photos and they make you look gorgeous.
Her thin wrap beautifully conveys movement.
Wearing comfortable clothes allows this family to playfully interact.
Consider the Weather
Nothing is worse than overheating in the San Diego summer so breathable fabrics are a must! This is less of a concern with in-home sessions, where you can control the comfort of your environment with a touch of the thermostat.
Location
Keep your location in mind. If we’re in a flower field, don’t wear floral. You should stand out, not blend in. If your couch is dark green, and you want a pop of color, wear orange or yellow. If you want something more muted, wear grey or a lighter green.
Prepare
Prepare your outfits ahead of time. Make sure everything fits, is cleaned, and wrinkle free. If your little girl loves dresses, please have her wear bloomers or shorts underneath so we don't accidently photograph undergarments. Consider having a dress rehearsal where everyone tries on their outfits a week or two ahead of time. That way if something doesn't quite fit, you still have time to find a replacement.
Formality
Make sure everyone is dressed to the same level of formality. If mom is wearing a beautiful chiffon dress and dad is wearing shorts and a t-shirt, the levels of formality are off. This lack of consistency in attire conveys awkwardness in photos.
Props
Bring hats, scarves, jackets, suspenders, jewelry, a guitar, the baby blanket grandma made, your well behaved dog - anything that captures the essence of you to include in your session!
Kids
Dress the kids last! As soon as they get dressed, they're going to want a drink of red juice that will spill on their shirt or the baby is going to have a diaper blow out! Lessen your stress by dressing them last. But also keep in mind that things happen (Did I mentioned diaper blow outs?!) It's a good idea to have a second outfit for baby, just in case.
Things to AVOID
Not every color or style photographs well. Here are a few things to avoid
No Neon Colors
Photographing and editing neon colors can be difficult because they are very bright and often cause a color cast on the skin, making you or your loved one look unnatural. Seriously, when did Grandma turn bright green?!
Another reason to avoid neon is that our eyes go to the brightest part of the image first. So if you’re wearing a bright orange shirt, people aren’t going to be looking at your face, they’re going to be looking at your shirt! That’s great if the purpose of the image is to advertise a clothing line. But if the purpose of the session is family photos, then we want the family to be the main focus!
Not only does the bright green hoodie draw attention away from the child, it also casts a green color on his neck, cheek, and chin.
No Logos, Characters, or Clothing with Words
Speaking of advertisements, avoid clothes with logos, characters, and words. Companies design clothes with these features to draw attention to their product and inevitably away from you. You become their advertisement. However, in family photos, YOU are the main focus. Don’t allow logos, characters, and words to compete with the focus that should rightly be on your family!
No Overly Casual or Distracting Attire
This includes:
- baseball caps
- sunglasses
- croc shoes (just, no)
- dark shoes and white socks
- hoodies, overly baggy or overly tight clothes (your goal is snug, comfortable clothes that allows freedom of movement)
- hair ties on the wrist
- cell phones, keys, wallets, or other bulky items in the pockets
- fitness watches (too big and bulky)
