What to wear for family photos | St. Louis family photographer

As a family photographer in St. Louis, I often get asked, what should I wear for family photos?? Luckily, all my families get a complete prep guide that includes tips for putting together the best outfits for family photos, including color schemes I tend to think work well! But I figure I’d share some of that knowledge here so you too can figure out what in the heck to wear for family photos! 

What you wear has a huge impact on the feel of your images! How formal or casual it is, how light or dark your outfits are, whether you match or not all plays into the look and feel of your images. 

Overall Tips On What To Wear for Family Photos

Here are some of my best tips for picking out an outfit: 

• Don’t match, COORDINATE! You want these pictures to look like they could be your family on a day you’ve just dressed up a little nicer. 
• Don’t wear small prints. It can be distracting and lead to weird effects in the camera. 
• Be comfortable with what you wear! Walk around your house and make sure you are not constantly adjusting something. You will feel awkward and won’t be able to focus being in the moment during your session. 
• Don’t forget your accessories! If it’s a cold day, incorporate some layers into your look! And don’t plan your shoes last (or you’ll end up at target the night before the session, like me!)
• Think about where you want to display these pictures in your home and match your outfits to your decor! 
• Lastly, when choosing “whites” to wear, go for creams and NOT stark whites!

What to wear for your family session to achieve a light and airy look: 

To get the light and airy look that feels like a summer breeze, you’re going to want to shop for lighter, more neutral colors, of course, but fit and fabric also will impact this! Go for fabrics that fall off the body easily and that can be swished around (think linen blends and maxi dresses). The goal here isn’t to all wear the same neutral colors, but rather to match neutrals that go together well. 

Here we have a color palette of beautiful, light and airy color! You can build around this palette to make a beautiful outfit. 

Here are a few examples of light and airy images! 

What to wear for your family session to achieve a vibrant and bold look: 

So you’re not a fan of the light and airy and you want something that pops just a bit more? I’ve got you! Focus on bold colors and maybe even slightly more form fitting pieces! This is where velvet can really shine as well because it has so much contrast in pictures. Here’s a potential palette to work with: 

This palette works especially well for fall photos! With a more bold palette, I always recommend adding in at least one neutral color to balance things out so your images don’t feel so heavy.

Here are a few examples of vibrant and bold images I’ve taken! You can see here how this family did a great job picking a color palette that is bold and bright, but still balancing with some neutrals.

Some of my favorite places to look for outfits include Gap, Old Navy, Altar’d State, and Baltic Born (just be aware of their return policy). They all have great options depending on the look you’re going for!

I hope that was helpful! My clients get even more detail including how to accessorize, layers and more! If you’re interested in getting your St. Louis family session done, contact me here!

All my best,

Sara