Advice on the style of your photoshoot

  • firstly, is there a particular 'style' you're after - casual, formal, or something in-between?
  • if so, it's best to co-ordinate your family's outfits around that style - you don't want one of you in a super stylish 'going-out-in-an-evening' outfit with another one of you wearing ripped jeans and trainers, as the two will look odd next to each other in your photos,
  • don't be fooled into thinking a photoshoot is where you have to dress up smart - yes, by all means dress up, but remember that informal clothing can also look great,
  • if you do go for an informal look, please plan it out in advance:
    • the 'Planned Casual Look' works brilliantly - if you've carefully chosen what casual clothing to wear, then it will look great,
    • if anyone just turns up wearing their most comfortable trainers and t-shirts it might be OK, but there's a high chance it won't,
    • the problem is when you tell everyone in the family "it's casual", they'll each have a different view of what 'casual' means, so please make sure you agree what each of them will be wearing,
    • we've seen the occasional family turn up with the mum and her daughter dressed in 'stylish casual', whilst the dad and his son wore their version of 'casual', which they took to be the nearest t-shirt, shorts and trainers they could find - yes they probably felt comfortable, but they actually looked scruffy stood next to the mother and daughter, so the photos weren't as good as they could have been had the father and son tried harder with a 'Planned Casual Look' like the others,
  • for more help in this area take a look at our other guides on what to wear in our photoshoots: advice for women on what to wear and advice for couples on what to wear.

Advice on choosing colours for your family

  • the first thing to consider is "do you want some form of co-ordinated colour scheme?" we're certainly not saying everyone should match exactly - they shouldn't - but you might want, for example, a blue 'theme', or some other theme,
  • there are two big reasons why you might want some form of colour scheme (though of course it's fine if you don't):
    • backgrounds - think about the type of backgrounds you might have in your photoshoot - are you in a park, the country or a back garden with lots of green backgrounds? Or are you in an urban setting, where there might be concrete, steel and brick colours instead? Choose colours that will work well with the backgrounds you're likely to encounter,
    • displaying the photos - is there already a strong colour scheme in the room in which you want to display your photos? If there is, does that make you want to steer away from certain colours of clothes that might clash with the colour of your room? Would that make you change your mind about the colours you want to wear? If you haven't thought about this it's definitely worth doing so in advance while you've time on your side.
  • whether or not you've decided to use a colour scheme you'll still need to 'co-ordinate' your colours - by 'co-ordinate' we mean 'complement', rather than 'match' - and definitely not 'clash', for example:
    • orange and pink clash, so just don't go there,
    • purple and green are nothing like each other, but they're 'great friends' who love each other really and go well together,
    • in nature you'll find yellow, white and blue are common on a sunny day, so they might work with your clothing colours too,
    • blues and pinks, or blue and coral, or blue and white also work as great complementary combinations.
  • don't be afraid of bright, bold colours - they look great, as long as they're coordinated,
  • it can be helpful to consider whether one of you has a key outfit around which you want to choose the other outfits - if that's the case, choose that outfit first - for example, if one of your children has an outfit that looks fabulous, start with that, then select the outfits for the rest of you to complement that key outfit (again, we're not talking 'matching', just coordinating),
  • it's best to stick to somewhere between 2-4 main colours amongst the whole family, not more - we want you all to look like a work of art, rather than a riot of graffiti,
  • for more help in this area take a look at The Inspirator - it's a free tool we created to help you choose some colour combinations that work for you and your family - have a play with it and see what colours you feel work best for you.

Things to avoid

  • clothes with characters, even if your lovely Miss or Master Small Person loves them, as these will be very distracting in your photos,
  • large logos and big writing can also be distracting when you look at the photos later on - it can also look dated quite quickly,
  • tracksuits and hoodies don't usually work well, as they can easily make a great casual look turn scruffy really easily (remember from earlier - the 'Planned Casual Look' is fine, if it's done well - just plan your coolest or favourite casual in advance instead of letting one of your family look like they just ran out of the house in whatever they were wearing whilst lounging in front of the TV),
  • we'd suggest you steer away from having everyone in identical outfits - everyone wearing white tops and the same colour jeans can look nice, but some say they feel it's now looking dated, so only do this look if you really, really want to. If this look does appeal to you, try instead to have each of you wearing different shades of jeans, some dark, some light, with a range of different white tops and styles to break up the 'sameness',
  • some things work well in solo photoshoots - bright reds, yellows and oranges, or bold stripes or flower patterns - however, these don't work as well in family portraits, because they usually make the person wearing them stand out too much from everyone else,
  • don't wear seasonal outfits - Santa or Halloween witches won't look good in your living room in mid July,
  • don't get a new haircut the day before - make sure you've had time for you to get used to how you 'wear it',
  • don't let anyone overdo their makeup - it will look even stronger in photos than normal:
    • if anyone wears lots of eyeliner that really darkens their eyes, now might be the time to ease off a little,
    • we say this because when people smile, their eyes will naturally close slightly, which can make the whites of their eyes look smaller - if you're wearing lots of dark eye makeup this will make your eyes look like they're almost closed, which won't look as great, so think "less is more",
    • don't overdo the foundation either,
  • and lastly, socks:
    • now is not the time for anyone's entry into the #WorldsLoudestSocks competition,
    • we're not just talking cartoon socks - even bright, stylish, or heavily striped socks will stand out too much in your photos,
    • when you later look at your photos we want you to look at those lovely people in the photos, rather than having your eyes to go straight to their socks,
    • so get people to tone down those toe-coverings if you can.

Specific advice in choosing outfits for children

  • make sure they're comfortable wearing what you've given them,
  • you don't want to spend the session battling with them to wear a particular jacket or a dress, as you won't enjoy it,
  • so get them happy (in advance) with what they're going to wear - if they're happy, then you will be too (and it really will show).

Do bring along props and other extras to the photoshoot

  • accessories, such as hats and scarves work well,
  • these can often be at their best when their colour enhances, or is different than, the colour of any nearby clothing,
  • we'll also take some individual portraits of each person, so if anyone has a particular hobby or interest, where you could bring along some form of prop, please do so as they'll usually look great in these individual photos - these could be anything from sports equipment, to musical items, or favourite toys.

Tips to help you decide what to wear for a family photoshoot

  • choose an outfit that's good to look at all year round and in any season,
  • think about timeless styles - you'll be looking at these photos for years, so wear styles that you don't think will date quickly,
  • layering clothing can work really well, as it adds variety - for example, boys might have two shirts, or a shirt and a casual jacket - girls might have a dress and a jacket or a hoodie - that way we can do some photos with one layer, some with the other layer, then some with both layers, which can make it look like they're wearing different outfits,
  • what you wear on your feet is just as important as the rest of your outfits, so give your footwear (and socks) your full attention and choose what goes well with your clothes,
  • and... don't forget about what YOU will be wearing - it's all too easy to spend your time thinking "what should I organise for the rest of the family to wear?", only to consider your outfit last of all - if you end up just throwing any old outfit of yours into the mix at the end, then you're doing it wrong - you need to look FABULOUS, so think about it carefully - if that means going back and changing someone else’s outfit so that you can look stunning, then that's what you should do,
  • top tip - decide on YOUR outfit first, then everyone else's afterwards - you should love YOUR look in the photoshoot.

And finally...

  • don't leave choosing your outfits to the day before - do it at least a week in advance (in case anything needs washing, ironing, polishing, or if one of you changes your mind about something),
  • if it's April to September, and dry outside, make sure what you wear is something you don’t mind wearing while sitting on the grass, 
  • check for any marks or damage on all of your outfits, particularly on any child's clothing (as if you spot it too late it will only annoy you when you see it on the day),
  • once you've decided on your outfits lay them all out side by side on the floor, or on a bed (including footwear and socks), to check they all complement each other and that nothing clashes,
  • don't forget that this is the time to really let your personality show, so bring long anything that's special or unique to you - yes, we want you to show off,
  • remember the above is just advice - there are no fixed rules - so if you think everything looks great together, then it probably does,
  • just make sure that ALL of you feel comfortable and relaxed in your outfits,
  • but most importantly, that YOU feel super confident in what you're wearing.

Finding out more

Read more of our helpful tips about preparing for your photoshoot.

CHOOSING COLOURS
ON THE DAY OF YOUR PHOTOSHOOT

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The first of these is 'A Guide for Families on What to Wear at a Photoshoot'. This is a 50 page magazine, full of lots of advice, photos and colour combinations to help you choose what you and your family might wear during a photoshoot.

Our second is 'A Guide to Seasonal Colours', where we take all of our colour combinations and group them into seasonal colour themes as an alternative way to inspire you.

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co-odinated pink pastel colours family photoshoot
This family chose to co-ordinate their colours around a general pastel pink and white theme.
teenage family photoshoot in the park
Don't be afraid of bright colours - their daughter is wearing a lovely bright orange top, which works because no-one elses's clothes 'compete' with it.
family wearing green and blue in the park
Although the colours work well on this lovely family photo, this is an example of why not to wear logos. The large logo on the dad's t-shirt is too distracting.
mum and her two daughters hugging on a photoshoot
During this family photoshoot the mum decided to wear her favourite top, which was lovely, so she chose to dress her daughters in plainer clothes that worked well with her top.
large family of seven on a park photoshoot
This family chose a 'blue-centred' theme around which they chose their clothes - they're not all wearing blue, which is fine, but you can see all of the clothes do work well with blue.