After leaving professional photojournalism in 2014 to have our first baby, I started doing family photos regularly. The number one reason I’m asked to do family photos is to prep for holiday cards. I LOVE this tradition! When I was growing up, my mom saved all the Christmas cards our family received, and either put them in a bowl where we could sift through them throughout the season, or we taped them up on a wall or doorframe in our kitchen. It was so fun to see all the families we knew posted in our house during a cozy, celebratory season.
So I am thrilled to participate in that with families who ask me to take their photos. It is a huge honor, and when I go into a friend’s home and my photos are printed on beautiful canvases and hanging on the walls of their living space… Oh, it’s just a joy. :)
I also know from life behind the camera AND in front, with my own tiny humans, that family photos can be incredibly stressful and un-fun for everyone involved. I find that 98% of the time, it’s mom who initiates, and dad and the kids can barely restrain their eye rolling (I am ashamed to admit that I still roll my eyes a bit when my own mom wants to coordinate our own huge family photos, since there are now like 20 of us to get together and looking good - ha!).
And so, I wanted to write a little family photo FAQ series to help you prep better for your family photos. I’m basing this off 12+ years experience of working as a family photographer, and 7 years of having my own family photographed, even if I just set up the tripod with a self-timer. :)
The number one question I get when people book sessions (after “how much does it cost?” ":)) is, “What should we wear?” The simple answer is: simple, classic, comfortable.
Easy to remember, but you’ll probably want more specifics.
A quick story: a few years ago, when we had two toddlers, I booked an expensive wedding photographer to do our photos. His work is beautiful, and I felt the pressure to live up to his standards, and maybe even end up on his social media feed!? Silly, but this is the world we live in. Once we knew the location, I had a vision for how I wanted everyone to dress, specifically me. I ordered a new dress that I was excited about. I tried it on, but had never worn it until the day we did the photos. I felt great in it, but when I got the photos back, it was awful. The dress was unflattering, clung in all the wrong places, and didn’t work with the location. Thankfully, this same photographer had also written a blog about how to dress for sessions, and his main advice was to dress in what feels most like you — your worn-in plaid shirt, your ripped jeans, whatever. So in addition to the bad dress, I also packed my jeans that made me feel like a million bucks, the sweater we got engaged in (which I still have and LOVE), and my duck boots. Not fancy, but an outfit I really loved for everyday cold weather, and felt like myself in. We ended up using one of these photos for our Christmas card that year, and it’s still one of my favorites.
The lesson? Especially for Mom, please don’t buy a new outfit for family photos. If you do, have someone take photos of you from many different angles and in different light, and move around while they do, so that you can see if you feel great in it once you see it frozen in time. Do you want a new, potentially uncomfortable and unflattering dress that fits your vision, or do you want to move freely and comfortably as you interact with your spouse and kids to capture your family at this specific stage of your lives?
For your kids, classic and simple is always best. Neon, logos, words, and busy patterns are most distracting (aka unicorns, sports logos, anything that says “princess” or “lil slugger"… you get the idea). I’ve even put my own babies in huge hair bows or little hats that make them look like one of the Newsies and it ends up being distracting. We want your KIDS and their personalities to shine — they don’t need lots of extra frosting on top. And, it goes without saying, but their clothes should be clean (at least when we start the session ;)).
Pinterest is a wealth of great color schemes if you’re struggling with an overall look for your family (and so are the photos I’ve posted here — these families have all done a great job with colors!). Don’t be afraid of patterns — they can look great if only a few people wear them and coordinate with each other. White and black should both be avoided, as they are a little extreme and can throw off the color balance and skin tones in the finished photos (navy and cream are both less severe alternatives that look great). If you’re ever stuck, please reach out and I can help you find something that works!
Other things to note: sleeveless tops and dresses rarely look good in photos, shorts are not great (unless you’re at the beach, and even still…), and please don’t forget about shoes! I’ve had people show up for engagement shoots dressed super well down to the ankles… athletic shoes and dress pants (even on your little kids) don’t work so well.
A final word about clothes: we are looking to capture the you who lives inside your clothes, not your cute outfit. Of course you can put thought into how to dress for a photo session, but if you’re in doubt, keep it simple and comfortable. Your kids, your spouse, and you will all be happier for it.