Clothing Ideas for Family Photos

Sharing clothing ideas for family photos for each and every season with tips for making your family photos beautiful, memorable and not cheesy!

Our family photos are some of my favorite photos ever. As a mom, we’re often he ones taking the pictures, so having photos with our kids and whole family are truly so special.

We end up gifting this to our parents, hanging them in our own home and using them for family holiday cards. They’re such special moments of a specific time in our lives and I love looking back on them year after year.

But, scheduling and planning for family photos can be overwhelming—between finding and booking a photographer, selecting a location and picking outfits for your whole family to wear—it’s a lot to think about! And, when you’re spending good money on a professional photographer, you want it to be perfect!

When taking your family photos, choosing the right clothing for these photos can make all the difference in creating a cohesive and visually appealing image that you love forever. I’m going to walk you through some ideas for family photo outfits and the best locations and colors for each season!

Tips for What to Wear for Family Photos

Coordinate, Don’t Match

I think we all have one of those bad family pictures from our youth where you’re all wearing the same outfit and it’s usually something hilarious like matching turtlenecks with khakis or something bad, haha!

When picking your outfits for a family photo, my best tip is to coordinate your looks with a color scheme, but don’t go all matchy-matchy. It ends up looking outdated, cheesy and a bit forced. When you opt for complementary colors, you create a cohesive look that feels natural and purposeful.

By coordinating colors, patterns, and textures, each family member can wear something that makes them feel confident and highlights their individual style while still looking harmonious as a group.

This allows for more creativity and flexibility in outfit choices while still ensuring that everyone looks good together in the photos. Coordination also helps avoid any distracting or clashing elements that can take away from the overall aesthetic of the family photos. Ultimately, focusing on coordination rather than strict matching outfits allows for a more natural and visually appealing family photoshoot.

Solids & Small Patterns

Opting for solid colors or small patterns for your outfits when taking family photos is recommended because it allows your beautiful faces to be the focus of the photos, without being overpowered by loud patterns.

I personally love to mix solids and some small patterns for an interesting and cohesive look.

Consider your Background

You should consider the backdrop for your photos when picking your outfits. If you have a busy, colorful background, opt for simpler, more neutral outfits.

If your background is lots of nature and greenery, don’t wear green—you’ll likely blend in. Soft, neutral colors like greens, pinks or whites can be great to complement a background like this.

For neutral background with wheat colored plants, common for fall photos, choose rich colors like jewel tones and darker neutrals for some contrast and drama.

For blues, if you’re shooting at the ocean, lean into the colors and opt for a variety of more blues in different shades, or go choose whites, and a mix of soft neutrals like tans and light blues.

Decide on a Style

You’ll want to pick a style to keep things cohesive. You don’t want one person wearing a gown and the next wearing blue jeans.

Decide between a more casual look, a dressier look or something in between—that’s where I typically land, but more towards the casual side.

If you prefer a casual style, opt for comfortable, everyday outfits that reflect your family’s personality.

For a dressy style, choose more formal attire such as dresses, suits, and dress shirts. These can look so elegant, but aren’t quite my style.

At the end of the day, you want to choose something that fits your family’s style and makes you all feel comfortable, confident and like YOU.

Consider Skin Tones

It’s important to consider the skin tones of everyone in your family when picking out outfits for family photos. Opt for colors that complement their skin and don’t leave them washed out or add too much contrast.

Extended Family Sessions

Extended family photos can be a bit harder to coordinate, so don’t ask too much of everyone. Set boundaries, but make it easy enough for everyone to get dressed for. For example, one year we did a family photo shoot at the beach with Rob’s extended family and everyone was supposed to wear a blue shirt.

That was simple enough because who doesn’t have a blue shirt?

And if you don’t, it’s an easy one to find. There were shirts with small patterns, button downs, polo shirts and even a denim dress, plus differing bottoms—mostly khakis and whites.

Clothing Ideas for Family Photos for Different Seasons

Let’s talk about some family picture outfit ideas for different seasons. I often start with my look and build out from there. Whether I’m wearing a floral dress or a white flowy dress, I’ll decide on what I plan on wearing and build out everyone elses’ outfits for photos accordingly. This makes it a bit easier to get started.

Spring

Spring is probably one the best and most popular times of the year to do family photos. I’d recommend choosing a location with blooming flowers, lush greenery, and clear blue skies. Think botanical gardens, parks, wildlife preserves, or fields filled with wildflowers.

When it comes to colors and patterns for your outfits, pastel shades like pink, green, blue, and yellow work well for spring photos. Small floral patterns or simple stripes are also fun.

Summer

If doing pictures in summer, I recommend doing them in early summer, as it gets hot fast! We just did this and when it’s hot, kids get less patient. Opt for the same locations as you would for spring photos and take advantage of the greenery and flowers. Beaches are another great location if you’re. vacation or live near the beach. You’ll likely want to schedule photos for later in the day as it stays light much longer.

When it comes to colors and patterns for your clothes, choose light and airy colors like pastel colors, whites, blues, sage green or a neutral palette for a summery look. Dainty floral prints are always great for dresses too.

Limit patterns to one or two outfits in the group and have the rest of the outfits complement that pattern with solid colors. This will create a cohesive and visually appealing family portrait.

Fall

Another really popular time to do family photos and for good reason! The colors are so beautiful this year. Make sure to book far enough in advance and check and see which time of year is the peak for fall foliage. Consider locations that feel like fall—forests, parks with colorful fall foliage, fields with wheat-colored grass, apple orchards or pumpkin patches for something whimsical and fun.

For fall outfits, autumn tones like rust, mustard, olive, forest green and burgundy are great choices—easily one of my favorite color palettes. Lean into fall patterns like plaid, stripes, and small floral patterns in fall colors can also add a cozy and seasonal touch to your family’s look. Pair with leather boots and leaher sneakers for boys to complete the look.

Winter

While not as common, wintery family photos can be really fun and different. Locations with snow-covered landscapes, cozy cabins, or even Christmas tree farms can make for stunning backdrops.

Colors that look best in winter family photos include rich jewel tones like deep reds, emerald greens, and royal blues.

Patterns like plaid, fair isle, flannel shirts and cable knit sweaters can also add a festive touch to winter family outfits. Don’t forget to layer up with scarves, hats, and gloves to stay warm and stylish in the cold weather! These photos can be so fun and whimsical!

Colors To Avoid for Family Photos

When choosing outfits for family photos, it’s best to avoid bright colors or neon colors that may overpower the overall look of the photo. Also avoid overly dark colors that don’t give enough contrast or visual interest.

I’d also recommend steering clear of large, loud patterns or loud patterns that can be distracting and take attention away from other family members, and sometimes date a photo.

I hope this helps you to easily plan your next family photo session and get amazing photos you love. Even though getting everyone out the door was a bit challenging, they ended up turning out so great and or photographer was amazing at getting the kids to look and smile. The candid moments are some of my favorites!

*all photos by the talented Jenna Sparks

BTW, the best white summer dresses to wear this season, and the best summer wedding guest dresses for all types of weddings.