When you’re trying to create a beautiful and timeless family portrait it is important that you choose the right clothing. Not too long ago it was popular for the whole family to wear white shirts and blue jeans.

A quick Google search will probably return lots of matching outfits in family portraits. These days, however, the trend is to coordinate, not match for a couple of reasons. First, this is the best way to show off each family member’s unique personality. And second, not every outfit looks good on every person. So below we’ve outlined some tips in helping you choose the right outfit for the whole family.

Colors

Try to wear neutral, coordinating colours. Do not match! Like we mentioned above, not every colour or fit works for every person. Mix colours that go well together but are not exactly the same. This is easiest done using neutral colours, which will also weather the years better than bright, bold colours.

Try dressing with layers as opposed to bringing a whole new outfit. Often famlies would like to get a little bit of wardrobe variety in their session, but let me tell you that with kids you won’t have time to change. Family sessions usually move along rather quickly as we try to fit in as many shots as possible while children are cooperating. So by layering rather than bringing a change of clothes you can quickly and easily change up your look.

Try Avoid

Try to avoid dressing your little ones in short dresses as they have a tendency to ride up. You will spend most of your session playing so be sure that the outfit you’ve chosen to dress your little one in is play-time appropriate. Use spandex shorts if you are putting your child in a dress just in case.

Try your best to hide diapers. Bloomer pants are a great choice, and a longer shirt (tucked in or not) will help as well. It is not absolutely imperative that diapers are covered up. We recommend that you do a wardrobe test-run and if you find yourself fiddling with your child’s clothing to cover up their mid-section, diaper, or underpants, choose a different outfit.

Watch out for

Be careful with accessories. Often children don’t want to wear hats or scarves and will remove them. In other cases they’ll use them to hide from the camera. Remember that the important part is not the outfit, but the moments that are captured of your family. Just go with the flow if your child removes accessories to avoid crying.
At the end of the day, there’s no right or wrong when it comes to how to dress for a photoshoot. Use this as a guide rather than gospel. Sure certain colours look more aesthetically pleasing than others but as long as you’re happy and comfortable that’s all that matters. Remember, you want the photos to be a true reflection of who you are as a family, not what someone on a blog said you need to be like.