What you wear for your session is the single most important consideration that impacts the overall look and feel of your images, second only to your choice of photographer.

Depending on your personal style, you may wish to create something truly unique, investing in some trendy, cutting edge clothing for your family for a fashion layout look from a magazine. Whether you dress up, dress down, or get totally funky, it is important that every family member finds their style. Appearing in the same image doesn’t mean you have to wear the same outfits. While we’ve all seen the images of families together on a beach in a white shirt and khakis (and those images have their place), it is also important to showcase your individual styles and personalities through the clothing you select.

Try coordinating without overly matching. For example, if your daughter decides on a dress in gingham blue and white, your son may choose a solid blue shirt that picks up the blue from her clothes. You could then opt for a different shade of blue (or a complementary shade) for your husband. Matching one another in terms of formality and the style of dress means dad shouldn’t show up in a tie and jacket while the kids wear jeans and T-shirts. And should you decide to go for a beach look, matching in style without wearing the exact clothes will make for perfect portraits. Another idea is to stay in the sames tones...blues and greens, yellows and reds, etc.

Since kids have a lot of fun in sessions where they are allowed to wear something that they’ve picked out, feel free to include them in the process of selecting their clothes. Some of the most treasured images include funky, mismatched outfits, so if your daughter refuses to take her tutu off or your son’s preferred attire is a superhero cape, let them bring it along.

For large family portraits, consider having the men dress in one color and the women wear an accent color. For example, have the men wear gray or black and the women wear bright pink or red. That way each individual can choose the style of clothing that best represents their personality while staying in the color scheme.

Feel free to ask any questions about clothing for a shoot- I'm always happy to help!