What Should We Wear for Family Pictures? A Simple Guide to Choosing the Perfect Outfits
One of the first questions families ask before a portrait session is:
**“What should we wear for our family pictures?”**
It’s a great question—and one that can feel surprisingly stressful. You want everyone to look coordinated without looking like you all showed up wearing the same outfit. You want the clothing to look good with your home and personal style, but you also want the photographs to still feel natural years from now.
The good news is that choosing outfits for family pictures doesn't have to be complicated.
As a family photographer, I help families plan their clothing so the final portraits look coordinated, timeless, and—most importantly—like **your family**.
Here are some simple guidelines to make choosing your family photography outfits easier.
Do We All Need to Match for Family Pictures?
**No. In fact, I usually recommend that families coordinate rather than match.**
Everyone wearing the same color or identical style can make a portrait look overly planned. Instead, choose a small group of complementary colors and allow each person to have their own personality.
For example, instead of everyone wearing white shirts and blue jeans, you might combine:
* Cream
* Soft blue
* Tan
* Denim
* Muted green
The colors work together without making everyone look identical.
Think **“coordinated family” rather than “matching family.”**
Start With One Outfit You Love
A simple way to begin planning your family photo outfits is to choose one person's outfit first.
This might be Mom's dress, your daughter's favorite outfit, or Dad's shirt.
Once you have that starting point, pull colors and textures from that outfit for everyone else.
For example, if Mom wears a soft sage-green dress, the rest of the family might wear cream, tan, denim, brown, or other muted colors that complement the green.
This is much easier than trying to choose everyone's clothing at the same time.
What Colors Work Best for Family Photos?
There isn't one perfect color palette for every family, but **soft, natural, and slightly muted colors tend to photograph beautifully.**
Good choices often include:
* Cream and ivory
* Beige and tan
* Soft blues
* Sage and muted greens
* Warm browns
* Terracotta
* Dusty rose
* Soft gray
* Navy
* Denim
You don't have to avoid color. Just be careful with extremely bright or neon colors because they can become the first thing you notice in a photograph.
A good rule is to choose **2–4 main colors** and repeat those colors throughout the family's clothing.
Should Everyone Wear the Same Color?
Not necessarily.
If everyone wears the same color, the photograph can sometimes look flat because there isn't enough visual variation.
Instead, think about creating a **color story**.
For example:
**Family Photo Color Palette**
* Mom: cream dress
* Dad: navy shirt and khaki pants
* Daughter: dusty blue dress
* Son: tan pants with a cream shirt
Everything coordinates, but nobody looks like they are wearing a uniform.
What Should Mom Wear for Family Pictures?
Mom's outfit is often a good place to start.
Choose something that makes you feel **comfortable, confident, and beautiful**.
Dresses and skirts can photograph particularly well because they create movement and add visual interest. But there is no requirement to wear a dress. A blouse with trousers, jeans, or another outfit that feels like you can work just as well.
Most importantly, don't choose something simply because you think it's what a family photographer expects you to wear.
**Choose something that feels like you.**
When you feel comfortable in what you're wearing, it usually shows in the photographs.
What Should Dad Wear for Family Pictures?
Dad's outfit doesn't have to be complicated.
A simple combination such as:
* Button-down shirt + chinos
* Polo + jeans
* Sweater + trousers
* Casual shirt + dark denim can work beautifully.
Avoid feeling like everyone needs to be dressed at exactly the same level. If Mom is wearing a dress, Dad doesn't necessarily need to wear a suit.
Instead, make sure the overall level of dressiness is reasonably consistent.
What Should Kids Wear for Family Pictures?
For children, **comfort is especially important**.
If your child hates an outfit, they're probably going to spend the entire session trying to get out of it—and that isn't going to make for relaxed photographs.
Choose clothing that allows them to move, sit, play, hug, and interact with the family.
For younger children, I particularly like:
* Simple dresses
* Overalls
* Comfortable sweaters
* Button-down shirts
* Chinos
* Neutral or muted-colored tops
* Classic denim
Try to avoid clothing with large logos, characters, or distracting graphics unless that particular item is important to your child's personality.
What About Patterns?
Patterns can be great in family photographs, but you generally don't want **everyone wearing a different bold pattern**.
A good approach is to choose one or two subtle patterns and balance them with solid colors.
For example:
* One person wears a subtle floral pattern.
* Another wears a solid cream shirt.
* Another wears muted blue.
* Another wears tan or denim.
This creates variety without making the portrait visually chaotic.
Don't Forget Texture
Texture is one of the easiest ways to make family photographs more interesting.
Consider incorporating:
* Knits
* Denim
* Linen
* Corduroy
* Sweaters
* Textured dresses
* Layers
* Scarves
Textures can add depth to photographs without overwhelming the people in them.
What Should We Wear for Outdoor Family Pictures?
For outdoor family portraits, consider the location when choosing your outfits.
If we're photographing in a field, park, wooded area, or another natural setting, earthy and neutral colors often complement the environment beautifully.
For example:
**Outdoor Family Photo Palette**
* Cream
* Tan
* Denim
* Sage
* Brown
* Soft blue
You don't have to dress in earth tones from head to toe. A little color can add personality while still working with the surroundings.
What Should We Wear for Studio Family Pictures?
Studio portraits give you a little more freedom because the background and lighting are controlled.
Depending on the style of the session, families can choose anything from casual clothing to more formal outfits.
For a classic studio portrait, I often recommend keeping the clothing relatively simple and timeless so that the focus remains on the people and their connection.
A dressier wardrobe can also work beautifully when you're creating portraits specifically for display as wall art in your home.
What Should We Avoid Wearing?
There are no absolute rules, but some clothing choices can be more difficult to photograph.
Consider avoiding:
* Large logos
* Extremely bright neon colors
* Clothing with distracting graphics
* Everyone wearing the exact same outfit
* Extremely tight or uncomfortable clothing
* Very trendy pieces that may quickly look dated
* Too many competing patterns
And remember: **these are guidelines, not rules.**
If your son absolutely loves his favorite superhero shirt and that's part of who he is right now, there may be a place for it in your photographs.
Family portraits should document your family—not somebody else's idea of what your family should look like.
What About Shoes?
Don't forget the shoes.
Shoes are often overlooked when planning family portrait outfits, especially for full-length photographs.
Choose shoes that coordinate with the rest of the wardrobe. Neutral shoes, boots, simple sandals, and classic sneakers can all work depending on the style of your session.
For outdoor sessions, make sure everyone's shoes are appropriate for the location.
The Most Important Rule: Be Yourself
Trends come and go.
Your children will grow.
Your family will change.
That's why I believe the best family photographs aren't necessarily the ones where everyone looks perfectly styled.
They're the photographs that make you remember **what your family felt like at that moment in time.**
Your child's favorite laugh.
The way your daughter held onto Dad.
The way Mom looked at her children.
The little personalities that make your family yours.
Clothing should support those moments—not distract from them.
Need Help Choosing Your Family Photo Outfits?
You don't have to figure it all out by yourself.
As your family photographer, I can help you think through wardrobe choices before your session, including colors, coordination, patterns, textures, and how your clothing will work with the location and the style of portraits you're creating.
Whether we're creating relaxed outdoor family portraits or more polished studio photographs, the goal is the same:
**Photographs that look beautiful today and still feel like your family years from now.**
If you're planning family pictures in **Taylorsville, Spencer County, Shelbyville, Louisville, or the surrounding Kentucky communities**, I'd love to help you create portraits your family will be proud to display in your home.
**Ready to start planning your family portrait session?**
Contact **Portraits by David** to talk about your session and get help planning what to wear.
