Family Portraits

What to wear

Here are the three main things I suggest when it comes to choosing outfits for family photos:

1. Keep it simple.
2. Keep it YOU.
3. Keep it comfortable.

There’s no need to purchase new outfits for family photos. Select something from your closet that you’d throw on if you had some new friends coming over. Solid colors work great, especially when paired with varying textures or layers.

If you’re a jeans-and-a-T-shirt kind of person, great! If you are business casual, it all depends on the place too .. If you’re into flowy dresses, then go with that. Wear whatever feels comfortable while you play and interact with your kids.

Make sure you and your partner can move around, sit on the ground, lay in bed, and play with your kids. Avoid anything too restrictive or afraid of getting dirty.

Coordinate the level of dressiness or casualness as a family.

When it comes to picking outfits for your kids, make sure to involve them in the process. For young kids, I suggest pre-selecting 3 outfits for them and letting them pick their favorite. Give them some control so they remain happy and engaged during the photoshoot. Having a new person in their space can feel like a lot! Letting them dress themselves is an easy way to set them up for a successful photo session; this also builds excitement. 

Finally, make sure to have a Plan B. Keep extra outfits on hand in case you need a change of clothes due to unforeseen circumstances! This applies to the little ones.

What Not to wear

If you’re feeling unsure or overwhelmed when thinking about what to wear for family photos, I find that looking at a list of things to AVOID can make it easier. This will help point you in the right direction and help you understand what could become a distraction.

AVOID

• All black or all white clothing
• Big logos 
• Busy patterns
• Large text
• Matchy-matchy

Ultimately, the goal is to avoid having any distractions. We don’t want anything to pull the eye away from your faces in the images.

An all-black outfit, for instance, will absorb light, causing us to lose details in the images. Typically, black is a flattering color, but if you wear all black, you could blend into the background too easily.

All-white does the opposite. It reflects light in every direction and can create exposure challenges for the camera by blowing out your outfit, making it much brighter than everything else in the frame, it also loses details. 

When it comes to text, it’s best to avoid it completely. The first thing we look for in photographs is faces. The second thing is — you guessed it — text. It’s our instinct to read any words in an image. That’s not something you want to draw attention to in your family photos.  

Although there are photographers (and families) out there who lean towards the matchy-matchy look, that is specifically for the type of session selected.

 When everyone is dressed the same, the outfits draw attention to themselves and take away from the connection between family members. UNLESS, if you want matchy-matchy … do it in different shades of the color palette.

Finally, as much as punchy colors or intricate patterns can work to enhance your personality, we don’t want any one individual to stand out too much in the context of family photos. The idea is to capture your connection with each other. So it works best to have everyone on the same plane. Save the bold patterns for your branding photo session!

Relax

Breathe. Your body and mind know you haven´t known your photographer for a long time - it is ok to feel that way.

Deep breathing helps us come back to the body and regulate the fight-flight state.

Positive self-talk and compassionate talk. Talk to yourself like you would talk to your best friend or a loved one.

Mindfulness in action. Focus on how your five senses connect with your surroundings in the session. For example, notice the smell of your perfume, the smile of your children and partner, feel the hair of your children, observe the chit chat in your own mind .... notice things.

*Ask for a break. 

Don’t be afraid to ask your photographer for a break. No need to push through all the way; ask to take a moment to collect yourself, especially if things feel a little chaotic (which they probably will at some point.)

As a photographer, I will have breaks too, to review photos, have water and get to know you.

Managing expectations

A big part of having a successful session is managing your expectations. Your photo session, in all honesty, will probably not go down exactly like you have in mind. It falls on you to roll with the punches and keep a positive attitude.

Please remember that most sessions feel like chaos at times (with small children) – or even for the majority of our time together. This is normal. These kids are young and cannot be expected to “behave” the entire time.

(I don´t expect children to cooperate all the time)

They will not be engaged during the entire session. They will not be cuddly during the entire session. They will not be sweet with their siblings for the entire session. That is normal and developmentally appropriate. We only need glimpses of this to make beautiful photos. 

If you are able to relax into it and simply enjoy your children during your session, I guarantee that moments of love and connection will happen organically. It’s about setting the scene to allow for that to happen, and staying present so the moments are real.