What to Wear for Your Family Photos

Choosing outfits for family photos can feel surprisingly hard, and I know it can be quite stressful. One person loves bright colours, someone else only wants to wear black, and the youngest family member may reject anything with buttons five minutes before leaving home.

The good news is that family photo outfits do not need to match perfectly. In fact, they usually look better when they coordinate rather than match. The aim is to create a shared look where everyone feels like themselves, the colours work together, and nothing pulls attention away from the people in the photo.

Here are some tips from a local Bathurst family photographer on how to choose the right outfits for your session.

Coordinated outfits with the addition of different textures feel natural when colours sit in the same palette.

Start with a Colour Palette, Not Identical Outfits

The easiest way to dress a family for photos is to choose a colour palette based on the feel you are going for. This gives everyone room to show personal style whilst still looking connected.

A good family photo palette usually includes:

• Two or three main colours

• One neutral shade

• One softer accent colour

• A mix of light and medium tones

• only one or two patterned outfits with everyone else in more subtle colours

  
  

For example, instead of dressing everyone in white shirts and blue jeans, try cream, denim, tan, and dusty blue. The result feels more natural and less staged.

Strong palettes often come from colours already found in your home, your location, or the season. If you are after a warm colour palette, consider mustard, brown, rust, cream, burgundy and taupe. If you are after a lighter, more pastel palette, choose clothing that is neutral and light-toned. Colours that would look great for this palette are cream, white, beige, grey, muted pinks, coral, rose & light blues.

When using these colour palette's it can be a great idea to choose a couple of pops of colour and keep the rest neutral.

Colour Combinations that Photograph Well

Some colours are especially easy to coordinate because they sit comfortably together and flatter a range of skin tones.

Palette	Colours to try	Best for
Soft neutrals	Cream, oatmeal, beige, taupe, light denim	lifestyle sessions in any season
Warm earthy tones	Rust, camel, olive, chocolate, ivory	Autumn parks, bushland, golden hour
Pastels	Blush, sage, ivory, dusty blue	Spring gardens sessions & newborn photos
Rich winter tones	Charcoal, forest green, burgundy, cream	Winter sessions

Please DO:

• choose clothing that fits well and that you feel confident and comfortable in

• start with one person's clothing first, then build everyone else's outfits off of that

• coordinate, don't match

• change up textures and prints - a good rule is to have one or two patterned outfits and keep everyone else in solids or subtle textures

• Adding texture gives a neutral palette more depth (think linen, cotton, knits, denim)

• use lots of neutral colours

• keep hair loose & flowy rather than slicked back - this adds more movement to your photos

Avoid:

• thin, close together stripes (it causes an odd effect in photos)

• small checkered shirts (large checkered shirts are ok)

• large logos, cartoon characters, or words on your clothing

• too many dark colours - it can make the photos look dull

• neon colours - they cause colour casts on your skin which don't look great

• High-contrast geometric prints - they can distract from the people in the photo

• bright white - it is very reflective - opt for off-white or cream instead

• hair ties of wrists or brightly coloured watches (including apple watches)

• leaving anything in your pockets - leave phones and car keys in the car or give them to me!

• shoes that do not match the setting - if you are going to be in a paddock, remember you will be dealing with long grass and dirt so ensure your shoes will work in this scenario

Dress for the season without losing comfort

Seasonal dressing makes family photos feel natural. It also helps everyone stay comfortable, which matters more than most people realise. A child who is cold, itchy, or overheated will not care how good the outfit looks.

Season	Colours to try	Clothing Options
Summer (cool, light materials that are breathable)	White, cream, pale blue, sand, and soft grey, light denim	linen or cotton shirts & dresses, soft neutral coloured shorts, flowy skirts
Autumn (warm colours & cosy textures)	Rust, camel, olive, chocolate, ivory, mustard, cream, denim	Knit jumpers, long sleeve dresses, boots, layered shirts, jackets
Spring (Soft colours & light layers)	Blush, sage, ivory, dusty blue, soft peach, soft florals, rust, tan	Floral dresses in muted colours, linen shirts, light cardigans, chinos/ relaxed trousers, soft skirts If using florals, keep the rest of the family in quieter colours pulled from the print
Winter (Warm & cosy layers that still show shape)	Charcoal, forest green, burgundy, cream, navy, camel	Knit jumpers, wool coats, long sleeve dresses, scarves in soft colours, beanies, denim

Why it Works

Neutral colours here, combining white with sand coloured pants and a pop of sage green to add interest. Linen clothing adds texture to the neutral palette, allowing warm tones to shine through in the golden hour light.

Why it Works

The little girl is wearing a neutral patterned dress to create interest. Combined with dads deep rust shirt and mums neutral white dress, these colours complement the wooden features in the background.

Why it Works

This warm colour palette combines different shades of rust with neutral colours and a pop of muted colour with dad's sage green shirt. The rust and neutrals help the family stand out from the predominantly green background, and the combination of denim and linen helps add texture to the styling.

Why it Works

The combination of a forest green jumper and a neutral knit with denim jeans sum up everything we love about winter. Lots of textures and cosy layers to make these guys stand out in the beautiful soft winter light.

Why it Works

A brightly coloured floral dress makes for a great focal point that contrasts with the green and yellow background. Balancing out the brightness of the dress with neutrals and muted colours pulled from the dress (in the sage green), keep these family photos balanced.

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