What to wear for your family photoshoot that will give you confidence in being comfortable and knowing you’re showing up looking great as a group!

STEP ONE – Mom
I recommend starting with yourself! Think about what you’ll be most comfortable and confident in. I highly recommend a dress that has a timeless feel and will function well. Or a beautiful, neutral colored blouse with sleeves and your favorite pair of jeans. Longer dresses with sleeves work really well for a few reasons. Just above or below the knee to full length works well to cover your legs and a flowy, loose material is great when it’s warm out. This is helpful if your child is small and get down to their level, ensuring your legs and crotch area is covered. 3/4 length, flutter sleeves, or draped sleeves are great for covering the upper arm area. If you’re someone who is concerned about their arm appearing bigger than it is, this is important. Having a little bit of material to cover your arm when its pressed up against your body or child, helps solve this problem. And lastly, the cut of the dress, cinched in the waist area or under your chest area is great for a curvy shape.

Here’s what to look for in a great dress

– The cut of the dress. You’re going to want a dress that cinches around your mid section, preferably right under the chest area. This allows for a distinct separation from chest to gown, which is really important to maintain a feminine shape, even if you’re carrying a little extra in your tummy area. Most maternity dresses are designed like this to allow the extra material to flow over the belly, but also flatter a belly that doesn’t have a baby in it!

– Sleeves. Many women are concerned with how their arms look in photos. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the best shape of your life or like most of us, your arms are not your main concern. When an arm is pressed up against something like your body, it may appear 4x bigger than it actually is. This is true when holding a baby or even holding onto your partners arm when posing. Covering your arms with sleeves takes care of this issue. It’s that easy. I recommend wearing long sleeves or if it’s summer 3/4 sleeves. Bell sleeves and ruffled sleeves also photograph really well!

–The length of the dress. Midi or maxi, high-low or just above the knee, you’re going to want a dress with a good amount of length to it. Long flowy dresses are a God-sent for family portraits and here’s why. During a portrait session you might be chasing your little ones through a field, snuggling them up in your arms, laying with them on a blanket in the grass or swinging them around in the evening light. You’re going to want an outfit that is going to function as you need it to. A short dress just will not work and here’s why: if you need to squat down (very common pose for when you have toddlers to get down to their level) you’ll have to kneel to the side so we don’t see up your dress, and if the fabric doesn’t cover your full thigh, the pressure of your leg bending together, kneeling down can create bumps and bulges that you’re going to wish weren’t there!! Plus long flowy dresses photograph very beautifully when backlit, same as loose curls in your hair.

– The print and type of material. This is a very important topic. I’ll always recommend a light, neutral colors in breathable comfortable materials. Firstly, we want to avoid bright colors, distracting patterns, logos and text at all costs. So no fleshy colors like red, orange, yellow, bright pink, bright green, etc. We want light colors that reflect clean light back onto skin. If you happen to fall in love with a tighter, stretchy dress well-known for maternity photos, you’re going to want to consider a body suit/spanx of some sort to smooth everything out underneath. Although, these dresses are beautiful, comfortable and show off your belly bump they can also present some problems. Pretty much anything you’re wearing underneath will show where the elastic of the garment is tightest on your body. So a bra, underwear and leggings will create lines and bumps that you’re not going to want to see! So I vote spanx or commando. My goal is to get the photos to be the very best they can be in camera.

–Shoes? You can’t go wrong with flat sandals. If you’re dress covers your feet, it’s just another reason to wear something comfortable and simple. Don’t stress out over this. If we know we’ll be shooting somewhere that involved a lot of walking, be mindful of it. If you know you won’t last very long in flat sandals, bring sneakers and you can kick them off in between locations. But for the most part, your feet may not even show in the photos, especially if you’re standing in grass. I really only recommend heels if we’re shooting in a town on sidewalks for easy walking.

– Do I need any accessories? Nope not really. It’s best to bring a bag to hold  your phones, a water bottle and a snack if you think you’ll need it! I do recommend wearing some dainty jewelry if you have. A little sparkle can photograph really well. Earrings, rings, necklaces and bracelets can really take close up shots to the next level. Totally up to you though!

STEP TWO – Dad

Dad’s are actually pretty easy when you tell them what they’ll be wearing ahead of time isn’t too much different than what they would normally wear.

– Shorts or pants? Ask yourself this, how hairy are his legs and would it potentially it interfere with the photos. Most guys’ leg hair isn’t that distracting so they can totally get away with wearing shorts. But if you know he has an abundance of dark leg hair, make the right call. Either way, keep it neutral. Earth tones, gray or navy blue are always safe. Jeans or flat material? That’s up to you. Denim has a bit more texture that might photograph better than flat material if he has a child on his lap but other than that, either it’s fair game.

– A simple button up shirt is classic, timeless and guaranteed to photograph well.  Extra points if the sleeves can be cuffed and rolled up mid forearm, but that’s just me being hyper-specific.

– Okay, but what Color?
A) Pick a color from the pattern on your dress
B) Pick another solid, lighter or darker color.

– Pick out a pair of brown loafer/clog/boot type of shoe. Absolutely no sneakers, beat up work boots, or shiny black dress shoes. we want subtle and comfortable… But if he’s a sneakers, white t-shirt and fitted hat kinda guy, let him do his thing. It’s better for him to be comfortable rather than wearing something he hates.

– Accessories? If your guy has a thing for his watch, let him wear it. If he wears a chain, wear it in all the glory. Other than that, I cannot think of anything else your man should be wearing that won’t be a distraction. I do not recommend apple watches.

If you’re only styling for two, congratulations! You’ve successfully made it through your styling training and have earned the passage to shop! If you have kids, keep reading…

STEP THREE – Kids

You’re doing great. Keep it up! Let’s not veer too far off course, you’re almost there. Keep your kids outfits simple, I repeat SIMPLE!

Boys: Overalls are the perfect way to add more variety to the styles you’re already wearing and can really hit a home run towards timeless. Add a simple white t-shirt or onesie underneath. Depending on the season, choose from corduroy, linen, cotton or jean material. Solid neutral colors.

Girls: White dress and leggings are always a win.

Boys: I will recommend overalls again but jeans/shorts and a t-shirt work fine too. If you love the look of overalls on a child like I do, try to find overalls in one of the colors from the print of your dress.

Girls: Again, a white dress is always going to be a win but choosing a color from the pattern of your dress will really help bring all the colors of the palette together when photographed collectively as a group. I always have diaper covers “bloomers” on hand too. I don’t really recommend matching identical outfits unless it really brings the group together or it sets your heart on fire.

Take Action!

First, take a look in everyone’s closet and see if you already have any of these items that might work. If not, see what’s in stores close to where you live. If you know you get over-whelmed in stores especially when you have your children with you, make arrangements for someone to watch them so you can go on your own. But if you’re comfortable ordering outfits online, do you best to be distraction free! My clients receive access to Style & Select!! It’s an online outfit-coordinator that helps choose outfits based on size, gender, season & color palette. If you’re ordering online, be sure to do this 3-4 weeks before your scheduled shoot date, that way you have time to send things back if they don’t fit!! This guide is supposed to help you minimize department store meltdowns the day before your photoshoot. Give yourself the time, you deserve that!!

Feel free to reach out to me if you’re feeling stuck and need help! This is a bigger task than it seems and I want to do everything in my power possible to make sure everyone is as ready as they can be!!

Melissa xo