Getting family portraits taken can be fun, and stressful all at the same time. There are many details to put together before the session like date, location, time, and what everyone will wear. Many people find themselves looking for help on that last one. Deciding what to wear for family photos can be stressful or it can be fun depending on what type of person you are.

With the right tips, choosing what will be worn in your photos can be fun for anyone. Follow the tips below to help you decide what your family will wear in your photos.

Choose Colors

A great starting point in deciding what to wear is with the color scheme. There are a few things to consider when choosing what colors everyone will wear. 1. The location of the photos. 2. The room in which the pictures will be hanging.

Say you are choosing a fall photo shoot at the park amongst the orange and red changing leaves as a backdrop. You wouldn’t want to put your family in matching orange sweaters, they would sort of disappear into the background. Think about a color that would nicely contrast with your background, using the fall foliage example again you might opt for shades of purple, blues, greens, or deep dark reds.

It may not seem like an important piece of deciding the wardrobe, but the place in which you plan to hang the pictures should play a very big part in your choice of colors as well as for the overall tone of the picture. If you are hanging the portrait in a formal living space with decorations of blues and reds you won’t want to pick out clothes in bright beachy neon hues. Your portraits will stick out like a sore thumb against the decor.

Limit Colors to 3

To avoid visual chaos, it is good to limit the amount of colors you use to no more than three. You can of course fill in with a neutral like gray, white, black, or tan. Make sure to limit your neutral fill ins to just one or two to help keep things sort of uniform.

Start with a Focal or Favorite Piece.

Once you have a few general colors in mind think of things that fit into that category that are in your family’s closet currently. Maybe it is a beautiful floral print dress that your little girl just loves to wear. Start with the busiest piece and/or most favorite and build the rest of the wardrobe from there.

Have Fun with Layers and Accessories.

These are the items that are going to add dimension and interest to the photo, and they can even help tell a story about the personality of the person wearing them. Just make sure to keep in mind that variety is the spice of life here. Opt for different accessories, don’t put your two sons in the same jackets or if you do give them a different shirt under them or different pants. Mix it up to keep it interesting and give everyone their own personality.

Make Sure Everyone is Comfortable

You don’t want to put anyone in an item they totally hate, it will show through in the portraits. Make sure each family member has an outfit they feel confident in. This is a good one to remember for the ladies (moms) in the photo. Find something that makes you feel stunning.

Disperse the Colors Amongst the Outfits

Don’t put everyone in red on top and blue jeans on the bottom. Mix up the color scheme if the littlest one is wearing the focal pattern piece maybe dad would wear one color from the pattern and a sibling another and then another sibling in a complimentary pattern and mom in the same color as the sibling in solids. This helps to tie the color scheme together without it looking too overthought.

Lay Everything Out

Go around the home and gather all the items in your color scheme that could work as well as any new purchased items. Find a place with ample space to lay everything out as if you were posed in the picture to see how it all looks together. If you are not fond of the lay out just switch out a piece here and there until your find a combination you love.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

Start planning out your wardrobe far in advance of your photo day. It can take some time to find clothes and a combination that you really love. You don’t want to end up just throwing something together the night before.