Family Photo Week: What to Wear for Family Photos

I have some wonderful family photos coming up for some sweet friends of mine, so this week will be dedicated to Family Portrait Ideas.

Today's post is all about choosing the perfect outfits for your family portraits. This is the question I get asked the most- What should we wear? I've come up with 4 cardinal "rules" to help you plan the perfect Family Photo Wardrobe

Source: everythingfab.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

I'm pretty sure everyone knows this, but when YOU think you look good, you feel good. When YOU are uncomfortable with how you look, you feel bad. That means, if your husband absolutely hates wearing a tight button up shirt or tie; or if you are wearing a dress that you feel is cut too low or is too tight around the middle or keeps sliding up; it's going to make you entirely focused on what you don't like. Dress in something you enjoy wearing and what makes you feel like a million bucks in, not something you liked on the hanger but weren't in love with when you put it on. People photograph a hundred times better when they are relaxed and having a good time, and it's very hard to relax when you go into a session not feeling comfortable in your clothes.

Source: designmom.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

Children grow like weeds, so if your son has a favorite shirt he wants to wear everyday; or if you have a vintage dress for your daughter that your grandmother passed down to her, have them wear those keepsakes in the photos! Another great idea is an outfit you were wearing on an important day, or shirts that have a specific meaning. The family I'm taking photos of this weekend are wearing ASU t shirts for some of their photos, since the parents met at ASU, the dad just graduated with his PhD, and the girls go to preschool there.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Rosemary on Pinterest

What are you going to so with these photos? Are they being used for Christmas cards, or are they going to be hung up in your living room? Will you be using any for graduation announcements or will they be  used as a header on a blog? Each of these things go along with specific color schemes, so you may want to dress accordingly. If they are for Christmas cards, and you've found a great design you love that is aqua & red- stick to that palette and stay away from burgundy and forest greens. If your living room is painted bright yellow and has all black furniture (like mine), it would be a good idea to stick to a neutral wardrobe palette. If your child is graduating high school and you want to use the photos for his purple and gold announcements, dress in complimentary tones. And if your blog has a heavily patterned background, stick to solid colors so the outfits don't clash with your blog.

Last but not least, if you want to add interest to your photos bring along lots of different layers and accessories to change up the photos. Cardigans and funky jewelry are super easy to throw extras in and when everything coordinates its easy to mix and match for lots of different looks. Hats, ties, watches, shoes, and jackets for men are great extras to bring along to layer and mix around. 

Eye candy by shezzie featuring handcrafted necklaces

I'll be sharing lots of wardrobe sample in the future, as well as introducing a very special guest that will help walk you through the overwhelming task of collecting the perfect photo ensembles- stay tuned!