How to Coordinate Family Photo Outfits
Yearly family photos have become a thing we do. Does my husband enjoy it? I’d have to say no, not so much. But, he does know how much they mean to me, participates willingly and with a smile.
Here’s the thing, I’m usually the one behind the “camera” taking photos of our family. Taking family photos is a way for me to implement myself into the memories we are creating. The photographer we have used for the last three years is wonderful at capturing our family dynamic. She has an eye for natural lighting and always surprises me with the moments she captures.
Choosing outfits for a photo session can be a bit stressful if you are as indecisive as I am. Most of the time I have a dress in mind that I want to wear. I usually see one while shopping on Vici or Forever21, buy it and am all set. I then base the rest of my family's attire around what I’ve chosen. I find this is the easiest way to coordinate outfits. Here’s how I do it:
First, choose your outfit. It makes deciding what your partner and/or kid(s) should wear easier. Once you’ve chosen it, consider your color palette. Choose three to four colors to base the other outfits around. Then, decide who is going to match with who. This will help you decide who is going to coordinate color wise. Our first family shoot Emmy and I wore the same color while the boys wore baby blue polos and khaki shorts. Last year the kids matched and Michael wore a polo that matched my dress. This year, because I was indecisive, I switched it up. I was going with a baby blue theme, but because I have had these floral crowns since Emersyn was a baby I switched my dress choice to better complement the crowns. Michael and Hunter are going to match and Em and I will be wearing two different colored dresses.The dresses pair well together though! I think it will be a nice contrast versus each of us wearing baby blue. If we were doing a spring session, I would have definitely kept our original outfit choices.
When you know what colors you want to wear, look in your closets. Family photos are always an excuse to buy new outfits, but you don’t necessarily have to. Khaki’s are great for boys and/or jeans depending on the season. Your partner may have the perfect polo or dress shirt in their closet. And as for your little lady(ies), if you’re unhappy with anything you already have, order a dress off Amazon. You can find a cute, comfy dress or romper for under $15.
Once you have all your outfits picked out, you are ready to go! If you are taking photos where shoes are involved, that’s one last step you should consider. Because we do beach sessions, I don’t worry about shoe choice. If you’re going to be walking through a sunflower field, a woodsy area, a garden, anywhere that requires footwear, make sure they coordinate with the setting of your shoot and the time of year. Other than that, that’s pretty much how I pick out our family photo outfits and color scheme. How it helped!
XOXO