Dress to Impress, Not to Stress: A No Hassle Photography Styling Guide for Busy Families

I totally get it, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to wear for your photo session, especially when coordinating multiple different people. You want your own clothing to look good on you and for your husband and kids to agree to wear something nice. Ideally with clothing you already have or aren’t too expensive, and that actually fit and you can wear more than once. Now add in trying to coordinate not just with each other, but also with your photographer’s style and the location, and it’s enough to overwhelm anyone! I got stressed out just writing this! But worry not, here is my styling guide with some easy to follow styling suggestions that will look good.

Rule Number One: Your faces are more important than your outfits

Even though I will be giving you styling advice, the most important thing I want you to take away from this article is that it is OK to not match or coordinate perfectly. You might like how you look better in a stylish dress, but I know you will love photos of your children’s faces even if everyone was wearing different color sweaters with logos on them. So do what you can, but do not stress about it. It is totally ok to show up in something basic or something that does not match perfectly! Toddler refusing to wear any shoes except for his rainboots (pictured)? Let him! You’ll probably want to remember this phase in his life! Our lives aren’t perfect so our outfits don’t have to be either. If you would like permission to stop reading and NOT stress about your outfit, here it is :-) Come as you are, and we will make great memories! That being said, just a little bit of coordinating with the clothes you already own, can go a long way in making photos look even better and adding that extra pop! So here are some tips:

The Basics: Coordinating Outfits 101

Here are some very basic photography styling principles which will help your photo session be a success! These principles work with both fancy and casual clothing, and you can likely find outfits in your house that you already own that will work, if you so choose!

Think Coordinating Not Matching Colors In general, photos usually flow better visually if everyone is not wearing the same thing. Instead think colors that work well together. That doesn’t mean everyone has to look completely unique either. Sometimes especially kids can look absolutely adorable wearing the same clothes. Just try to have a bit of variety and at least one different outfit and different color in the group
Stick to 2 or 3 Coordinating Colors Find two or three colors that work well together and try to coordinate your family with those. Usually I recommend choosing one main color and then thinking of which other colors might work together with that color, based on the clothing your family already owns or could easily get.
Choose Mom’s Outfit First: Lets be honest, Mom probably cares the most how she looks in photos (I know I do!). What’s more, women’s clothing can be the most patterned and thus hardest to match with other’s clothing if those are chosen first. So it’s usually easiest to start with Mom’s outfit. Choose something that fits well and you think you look good in. Then match the rest of the family with clothing and colors that work well with that initial color. If its a patterned dress, simply choose solids for the rest of the family.
Think high contrast. Consider choosing one bolder color and then choose a softer supporting color to coordinate and contrast. Tans, creams, whites, and some pastels can be great supporting colors in combination with most bolder colors.
Nicer clothes are definitely preferred to casual clothes. They just look better, they usually fit better and are made out of a nicer material AND you feel better about yourself in them too. Casual clothes have a tendency of being baggy and non-formfitting, which can make you seem heavier than you are.

Patterns are great and add interest to photographs! They are best in moderation, with only one or two family members wearing them.

What not to wear:

Here is a list of things to consider not doing. Usually these are fairly easy to avoid, even without buying new clothes.

Don’t wear multiple different kinds of patterns as a family. Patterns can be absolutely great, but try to choose just one. For a smaller family (5 people or less), you might have just one member of the family wear a pattern. For a larger family, you can have between 1-2 people with a pattern that coordinates together. A good rule of thumb is one pattern for every 2 solids max. Different colors of plaid, or polka dots and stripes just don’t look as good together. It would be better to have everyone wear a plain solid shirt than to have multiple different patterns.
Don’t wear clothing with logos. Logos are usually high contrast and distract from your faces in photos.
Don’t wear clothing you can’t sit or move well in. Very short or tight dresses are discouraged for this reason. You will likely be walking and sitting during your photoshoot so make sure you can comfortably move.
Don’t wear clothing that is incompatible with the weather. If you are miserable in your clothes (or worse, if your kids are miserable in their clothes), the photos will just not turn out the same. Whether you are way too cold or way too warm, your discomfort will show in your faces. Make sure to wear light breathable clothing when it is hot and consider layering up if it is cold. If you would like to wear a dress in cold weather, this is fine, but make sure to have warm underclothing and make sure to bring a jacket that you can slip on and off.
Avoid super tight clothing and super puffy clothing. Too tight clothing will show every problem area you might be uncomfortable with so making sure clothing fits properly or even runs just a bit large to help combat this. You also want to avoid the flipside of puffy jackets or hoodies as the extra material bunches up and can also look unflattering.
Avoid shorts whenever possible. We do want to be conscious of the temperatures but in general shorts do not photograph well. Young children can get away with this at times, but adults sadly can’t.
Don’t forget to coordinate shoes! Don’t wear colorful sneakers. If you can stick to black or brown shoes that is ideal, but whatever you choose make sure your shoes coordinate with outfits and each other too. It is definitely noticable in photos when one person is wearing really different and casual shoes from everyone else.

Consider your photo location:

Ideally, the colors you choose in your clothing will contrast with the photo location. For instance, if it is spring and all of the trees and grass are neon green, it likely won’t look as good if your entire family is also wearing some shade of green. The photo locations I use do generally have a lot of green, so you can keep that in mind to choose a contrasting color which will help your family stand out from the surroundings. For instance navy blue often looks great in contrast with green, as do creams and tans. Season will of course also change the colors of your photo location. So for instance in November and December, the leaves have changed colors and there is a lot of yellow in the trees, in which case yellow might be a color to avoid specifically in late fall. Don’t worry about this too much though, as this is definitely not a make or break it moment. You will still look great if your clothing is very similar to the surroundings, its just that if it contrasts nicely, you will look even better :-) Look at the picture above and below. They are both great pictures! But see how the top image draws your eye more simply because the little girls clothing is in contrast with the background colors. BUT the girl in green still has a great photo!

Consider your photographer’s editing style

Every photographer has a different editing style and certain colors will look better than others with that editing style. For instance, there are light and airy photographers who prefer for their clients to wear all or mostly white and there are dark and moody editors who prefer very dark colors exclusively. In contrast, I am a bright and bold editor, meaning I prefer bold bright colors and high contrast images. As such, I tend to prefer bold jewel tones in combination with lighter neutral colors that help add additional high contrast elements to the photos. Jewel tones can compete for attention with each other, so its usually best to choose one and then find more gentle neutrals to pair with such as creams, tans and white. Again, this one is not a hard rule, just an extra way of adding a bit of interest to photos, so do not stress about this one too much either, but again it is something to consider.

A list of easy tips:

Adding different textures to an image is an easy way to add interest. One way to do this is by adding accessories such as scarves or hats. Layering clothing made out of different materials, such as a wearing a long sleeve layer over a short sleeve layer of a different material (example: jean jacket over a dress)
Consider going to thrift shops like Goodwill to pick up accessories. It is a particularly good place to find jewelry that will match your outfit for cheap. But I also regularly see fancier children’s clothing or women’s dresses for cheap.
If one person is wearing one color, consider how someone else in the family might wear a small amount of that same color in their outfit. Look above for a great example of this. You can see the different colors chosen in multiple people’s outfits, and the color connects them. Notice how the little girl’s leggings and little boy’s undershirt are the same color as dad’s sweater.

Feel free to break all of these rules! This is about you!

Please do not stress out about clothing. This photo session is about capturing YOUR memories and how YOU are as a family. Your faces and your connection with your family is what is most important. Feel free to break any and all guidelines if that is what matches your family’s style best.

In the end, styling DOES make a difference. Coordinated outfits can add additional pop to an image. Dressing up can help you enjoy what you look like in photos more. But ultimately, clothing is just a supporting character in your photosession. Your faces and your family connection matter the most, so do not stress! Wear what works best for your family and what reflects your family.