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Now that you’ve booked a photographer for your family photos it’s time to start thinking about outfits for everyone. This article is packed with my best tips, tricks and insider secrets for styling your portrait session.

Outfits for mom

Dresses and skirts tend to look most stunning on camera because they really flatter the female body — which is probably why the red carpet is always full of so many dresses. I recommend choosing long flowy dresses or skirts because they’re flattering on all body types, look amazing on camera and bring extra movement and dimension to your photos. Maxi (or floor length) skirts and dresses will give us the best “twirl factor,” add more romance to your walking photos and look especially gorgeous when juxtaposed with nature, like the desert, forest, fields or beach. Cute, shorter cocktail-length dresses or midi skirts photograph beautifully as well. My clients who choose to bring two dresses will sometimes choose one of each! I recommend avoiding pants and shorts for your session and saying yes to a dress (or skirt!) or two! You won’t regret it!

Flattering your figure

In my experience, every woman (regardless of her size or shape) has an area of her body that she’s self-conscious about. Recognizing the areas you’re self-conscious about when selecting your outfits is key. Choosing flattering silhouettes and colors that complement your natural features is the best way to ensure you’ll love the way you look in your photos. Three-quarter length sleeves create an awesome slimming effect on all arms, so be on the lookout for an option with a longer length sleeve. If your dress has shorter sleeves (or no sleeves) consider bringing a cute jacket, blazer, cardigan or pashmina to incorporate into your look. Skinny straps or strapless dresses have the opposite effect on arms on camera. For most women, skinny straps actually make arms look BIGGER. So, I recommend avoiding those whenever possible if your goal is slimmer-looking arms.

Choosing color schemes for your family photos

When choosing colors for your outfits, I recommend selecting lighter, neutral tones and more muted shades. Bright, bold or neon colors are distracting and take the focus away from where it should be: YOU! And how much you all love each other 🙂 You can never go wrong with light neutral earth tones colors like cream, taupe, camel or light gray. The camera also loves shades of soft pinks and muted blues, mixed with sophisticated light-colored neutrals. That softer, more neutral color palette fits beautifully into almost all natural outdoor environments and keeps the focus right where it should be, on you!

Coordinating everyone’s outfits

The goal for coordinating a family’s outfits is to visually break up the colors and shades so that you’re not all wearing the same color on top and bottom (like everyone in blue jeans with white shirts). The more you can mix it up, the better! I encourage you to think about planning each outfit with “dominant colors” and “accent colors” in mind. A dominant color is the color that you see the most in an outfit, while an accent has a smaller piece of visual real estate. When you’re planning each family member’s outfit, if you can aim for each person to have a different dominant color, and then tie in and vary the accent colors, it’ll look great all together.

Most of my moms choose their dress first, and then build the rest of the family’s outfits based on that. This is my number one tip!

What should dad wear?

Long pants with closed-toed shoes is the most sophisticated and masculine look for a man. They draw attention away from your legs and feet, and place it where you want it: on your face! So, for your session, it’s best to leave the shorts and sandals at home. Dress pants, colored pants or nice dark-washed jeans work best. Brown leather dress shoes complement almost every look, whether you’re wearing slacks, colored pants or dark-washed jeans. As opposed to athletic shoes, dress shoes, help elevate your photos and will give them a more editorial look.

Kids outfits

Babies look adorable in just about anything! For toddlers and up I recommend following the same rules for mom and dad. Girls look the best is cute flowy dresses and boys in a romper or shorts and a button-down shirt look so handsome!