Twin Cities Family Photographer - How NOT to Dress for a Family Photo

This is a recent photo of my mom, sisters and I.

Cute right?
Well, mostly.  :-)

If this was not an impromptu photograph we could have improved it a lot by our wardrobe choices!  Notice my bold-patterned shirt?  Well, this shirt is a pretty good example of what you should never wear for a family photo!

I encourage families to stay away from "matchy-matchy" outfits - everyone wearing shirts and bottoms of the same color is almost never a good idea for a family session.  Especially not black and jean! I know the same-color-shirts-with-jeans look sounds like a nice uncomplicated way to get a decent portrait, but it can also be disastrous.  Even if you don't mind it at the time, you may cringe at the sight of it years down the road!

My own family has a large, black-shirt-and-jean family picture, taken by a professional years ago.  Great picture overall - LOVE that we got the whole family together for it and I have great memories from the day.  But if you look at it for very long you'll begin to notice the children's "floating heads".  The children are of course being held, or standing in front of an adult who is wearing the exact same color shirt as they are - thus creating the illusion that they are nothing more than floating heads.  Funny illusion, but not so great for a family portrait.

When you are preparing for a photo session, first be sure to put each person in colors that compliment their skin tone.  This is possibly the most important step to creating a portrait the whole family will love.  The second, and more complicated step, is to choose colors that compliment each other and do not clash.  And thirdly - bonus points for choosing clothing you can layer, accessorize, or has a nice texture to it; this can add a lot of personality and depth to the finished portrait.

A good rule of thumb for those group holiday photos: Dress in neutrals (beige, ivory, taupe, black, gray, and white) which compliment your skin tone.  These colors will blend easiest and best for impromptu photos, and most people have a neutral colored shirt on hand.  The colors may sound a little boring, but you will find there are so many different shades within the neutral palette (pinks, greens and purples, even!) that can actually create very deep and rich color combinations.  Just be sure not narrow the colors down to black and white - you'll like the photo far more if you let everyone choose their own neutral combo.

Happy Styling!

Questions?  Leave me a comment below.