Planning the outfits may be the most stressful part of scheduling family pictures.
You want everyone to coordinate—but not look like you bought six copies of the same shirt. You want the children to look polished—but you also need them to remain recognizable as your children. And somebody will inevitably announce that the pants they wore perfectly well last week are now “itchy.”
After photographing families in Paris, Texas, since 2008, I can promise you this: your clothing does matter, but it does not have to be complicated.
The goal is not to create a perfectly matched family. The goal is to choose clothing that works together, photographs well and still feels like the people wearing it.
Begin With One Outfit You Love
Start with the person whose outfit is usually the hardest to choose.
That is often Mom, although every family is different. Once you find one outfit that feels flattering and comfortable, use its colors to build the rest of the family’s wardrobe.
If Mom chooses a patterned dress containing rust, cream and muted blue, those colors can appear throughout the other outfits:
A cream shirt
Dark denim
A rust-colored dress
A muted blue button-down
Brown boots or neutral shoes
The outfits coordinate without becoming identical.
Coordinate Colors—Don’t Match Every Outfit
There was a time when family pictures meant everyone wore a white shirt and jeans.
There is nothing technically wrong with that combination, but it can make everyone blend into one large white-shirted organism.
We want to see each person while still creating a cohesive portrait. Choose two or three main colors and add one or two neutrals. Neutrals include:
Cream
Camel
Gray
Denim
Black
Brown
Soft white
For my warm, bold and slightly moody photography style, earth tones and deeper colors usually photograph beautifully.
Think rust, mustard, olive, burgundy, navy, chocolate, cream and muted shades instead of extremely bright neon colors.
Mix Textures and Use Patterns Carefully
Texture adds interest without distracting from faces.
Knits, denim, linen, corduroy, lace and layered fabrics can all give a photograph more depth.
A cardigan, jacket or textured dress can help an outfit look finished without making it overly formal.
Patterns are welcome, but they need a little breathing room.
Try choosing one or two patterned pieces and keeping the remaining outfits mostly solid.
If everyone wears a different plaid, stripe or floral print, your family portrait can begin to look like several wrapping-paper designs having an argument.
Very tiny checks and closely spaced stripes can also create strange visual effects in photographs, so medium or larger patterns are generally safer.
Think About Your Home
Your portraits should look like they belong in your home—especially if you plan to display them as wall art.
If your home is filled with warm wood, cream, brown and natural colors, extremely bright clothing may feel out of place on the wall. If your home is colorful and eclectic, you may want your portrait wardrobe to reflect that. You do not need to match your couch. Please do not bring me a paint chip from your living room unless you really want to.
But thinking about where the photographs will live can help you choose a color palette you will still love years from now.
Dress for the Location
Family sessions can take place at KLP Studio in Paris, Texas or outdoors at a location that fits your family.
For studio portraits, clean lines, timeless clothing and rich or neutral colors work especially well.
The controlled environment keeps the focus on your family without Texas heat, wind, rain or mosquitoes the size of small aircraft.
Outdoor sessions allow more room for movement and can support layered, relaxed outfits.
Your clothing should still make sense for the season and surroundings.
Boots and textured fabrics may feel perfect in a fall field, while lighter fabrics and softer colors can work beautifully in spring.
For Full Sessions, we may be able to combine studio and outdoor portraits depending on timing, distance and available light.
If we plan to use both, choose outfits that complement both settings or bring one easy layer to change the look.
Comfort Matters More Than You Think
If an outfit pinches, scratches, slips or needs to be adjusted every 30 seconds, it will affect the session.
Children need enough room to sit, walk, cuddle and play. Adults should be able to move comfortably and hold little ones without worrying that something is shifting out of place.
Try everything on before the day of your session—including shoes. Check the fit while standing and sitting. Make sure undergarments do not show through clothing and that pockets are emptied before the session begins. Phones, keys and giant wallets can create mysterious rectangular lumps that I promise you do not want preserved in your family portraits.
What Should You Avoid?
These are not unbreakable rules, but I generally recommend avoiding:
Large logos, words and cartoon characters
Neon colors that reflect onto the skin
Too many competing patterns
Clothing that wrinkles immediately
Uncomfortable shoes for outdoor locations
Identical outfits on every family member
Last-minute clothing that has never been tried on
Hair ties left around wrists
Bulky items in pockets
Smartwatches when you want a timeless portrait
The most important exception is personal meaning. If a particular jacket,
hat or pair of boots is part of someone’s personality, bring it.
A photograph should not be so perfectly styled that it stops feeling like your family.
What About Children Who Have Strong Opinions?
Let them have a little ownership.
Give younger children two parent-approved choices instead of asking an open-ended question.
“Would you rather wear the blue shirt or the green shirt?” usually works much better than “What do you want to wear?”
If your child has a beloved accessory that does not coordinate, bring it with you.
We can photograph the polished version first and then let their personality have its moment.
Those images often become family favorites because they preserve who that child actually was at that age—not merely how successfully we convinced them to wear beige.
You Do Not Need to Figure It Out Alone
Choosing outfits is part of preparing for your session, and I am happy to help.
You can send me photographs of the clothing you are considering, and I can help you identify what works together,
what may be distracting and what might need one small adjustment. Sometimes changing a single shirt or adding a textured layer is all it takes to pull everything together.
Your family does not have to arrive looking like a professionally styled catalog. You only need clothing that fits, coordinates and allows you to be comfortable together.
The connection matters more than the clothes. The laughter, the little hands, the familiar expressions and the way your family belongs together—that is what I am photographing.
Ready to Plan Your Family Session?
Kristin LaRue Photography offers studio and outdoor family photography in Paris, Texas, with an experience designed around real connection and photographs that still feel like your people.
If you are ready to update your family portraits, visit my family photography page or contact me to begin planning your session.
