Family photo session style guide: What to wear.
August 1st, 2025
As a family photographer, busy mama of five kiddos, and wife to a man who–bless his heart–would wear his Crocs with socks and his favorite holey t-shirt everyday if he could, I thoroughly understand that dressing your family for a photo session can feel entirely too overwhelming.
Truly, to all you photographers out there who deal with clients who are stressed to the max trying to pick outfits, I feel your pain, and I feel their pain. Just because we’re photographers doesn’t mean we’re immune to the pressure of making sure everyone in the family has perfect outfits for the occasion. Fortunately, as a mom and a photographer, I possess some valuable experience pushing past the pain, and I’d love to share that with you so that you can share it with your clients.
The truth is, “What do we wear?” is probably the single most common question I hear after a client books, and, if I’m honest, it’s the very first thing I stress out about when I book a session with my own family. At the end of the day, the fact of the matter is that your clients are spending their hard-earned money and time on a photo session that happens usually about once a year, and there’s a natural sense of stress and pressure to get it right. They want to nail it, and outfits absolutely matter. And honestly? As a photographer, you should want them to nail it.
You already want them to be over-the-moon excited about their photos, before and after the session, but also? Great outfits translate to your portfolio. Great outfits affect how light is reflected, how shadows fall, how colors play, how patterns work together. They can make your editing a breeze or a nightmare (I shudder at the thought of neons and other bright colors reflecting on clients’ skin.)
Great outfits affect your client’s confidence. Confidence shows. Help your client nail those outfits, and there’s a really spectacular chance that you will nail the session. That’s why I’m here: to provide a clear and helpful guide that you can use to help lessen that stress for your clients, that will lead to beautiful and cohesive images where style matches location, that boosts your portfolio and ultimately increases referrals.
The art of coordinating (not matching!)
I’m sure it’s happened to you at some point… it’s happened to the best of us: you hop out of your car at the park with your camera, ready to shoot, and you see a family of 5 there–ready for their session with you–all wearing blue jeans and white t-shirts. Your stomach drops as you make a mental note to communicate more about outfits in the future. You do the best you can, but when it’s all said and done, you know this isn’t a portfolio building session.
This is called “matching”. Not what we’re looking for. We’re looking for “coordinating”. The difference? Matching outfits are all the same; coordinated outfits use complementary colors and styles and create a visually pleasing and cohesive look without feeling forced or dated. This doesn’t need to be over-thought, and there aren’t many rules with it, we just want to avoid major redundancies or an overabundance of bold patterns and colors.
Pro tip: Have struggling clients start with one outfit. From there, I usually advise clients to stay in the realm of 3-4 colors, and to not go too overboard with many patterns.
When starting with one outfit, it should be the hole in one. The gimme. The no brainer. There’s usually at least one person that is super easy for the organizing adult to plan an outfit for. Then, have them build around it. That one outfit–is it a solid? A floral pattern? Buffalo check? If it’s navy and white buffalo check, for example, the next outfit may have navy, white, light gray, lighter blue, some khaki… pick a color that coordinates, and that doesn’t clash or overwhelm.
How to help clients choose their color palette.
Lots of wiggle room here, and lots of room for client preference! That said, as a film photographer, I personally swoon at light and airy colors and neutrals, as they directly impact light reflection in a major way. Take a photo of a couple together wearing dark colors, and then again wearing lighter colors. Look at how light is cast onto their faces. It’s a big difference, especially on film. Darker colors may be great if you prefer contrasty images–just know your own photography style and preference and how color directly impacts that as you communicate with your clients.
I always advise picking 1-2 main colors that are worn throughout the family, along with the addition of a couple “accent” colors. Break up those colors into a variety of shades, patterns, and textures. The only other advice I encourage you to relay–reds and yellows typically photograph brighter than people think they will.
Let the location inspire you.
Don’t forget to encourage your clients to think about their location. Where is this session taking place? Urban sessions and cities lend themselves to dressier sessions with blacks and whites. Idyllic settings (think: a rural tree-lined field) work well with earthy tones. On the beach? Can’t go wrong with light and airy colors, and a myriad of blues. Figure out the location, and then have your client lean into it.
Embrace the season.
Like location, weather and season often have an impact on outfit selection. People often tend to mimic their environment in a natural way, and it tends to work out. Spring sessions bring soft pastels and fresh neutrals; summer brings bright and joyful colors; fall sees warm earth tones and rich jewel tones; winter brings textured neutrals, bold plaids, pops of festive color.
It may feel like a lot, but consider this example to inspire: a golden hour session on the beach. The light is low enough that you can put it directly in front of your clients, and it looks like there’s a giant softbox filtering it onto your subjects. For me? Very light colors with pops of darker blues is the winner in this scenario. With the main colors being light and airy (whites, even), the light is reflective in all the right ways onto faces, and the pops of nautical color complement the scene.
Pro tip: If the client is still struggling with selecting a color palette, encourage them to look at their home, at the walls and decor in their favorite room. What colors do they tend towards? Picking colors that will enhance their existing decor is sure to be a great idea, and may just make the difference in a 30×40 canvas choice over an 11×14.
Develop a pattern playbook.
Many clients are comfortable picking colors, but completely lose their way when it comes to selecting patterns. Ever heard of power clashing? It’s a thing, but not a good thing for photos. Help your clients avoid this type of mishap by creating a playbook for patterns.
Explain that what we don’t want is an overly busy image. We want outfits to compliment those sweet smiling faces, not to distract from them. Classic designs and clean lines are always a great idea–like gingham, or simple thin stripes. If they fancy themselves a little more bold, so be it, but caution them from incorporating more than one bold pattern. In lieu of a ton of patterns, encourage them to remember that they can always invite some texture by way of fabric variety, sleeve/collar style, and layers.
Don’t forget to layer and accessorize for style, comfort and variety.
If things just feel a little too simple, layering will usually solve the problem. Plain white button up feeling a little drab? Throw a vest over it, and Boom. Elevated.
The truth is that layering is the simplest, safest, and most effective way for your clients to add variety to their images. Layering different textures, colors, and patterns, and using accessories strategically adds visual interest and good dimension.
Not sure how to encourage layering? Think first of the season. You’re not going to advise that your client put on a blazer in 90 degree heat. A hat? Maybe. If it’s 40 degrees out, though, a cardigan, scarf or vest may be the perfect, practical solution. One other thought on encouraging accessories: Don’t you think it’s the perfect opportunity for your clients to showcase some personality? A simple hat addition can change a person’s look completely, and make their images much more unique to them.
Get everyone on the same page: How formal will this thing be, anyway?
I once had a grandfather (the family Patriarch) show up in a formal suit for pictures, while his grandchildren wore t-shirts. Separately, neither are an offense in pictures. But together? Eesh. Someone (not sure who) didn’t get the dress code memo, and this is often the case in bigger family sessions, when more than one nuclear family is represented.
So, go ahead and decide–how formal should this thing be? Is everyone wearing flip flops and t-shirts, or full-blown tuxedos and ball gowns? (Full disclosure, I condone neither of these choices for “standard” family photo sessions.) But, consider location, and consider your personalities, and go from there.
If you’re opting for more casual, consider comfortable everyday wear (though slightly elevated). I see this look often in at-home newborn sessions: bare feet, comfortable khaki pants and a solid colored crew neck t-shirt for dad, long comfortable sundress for mom.
Semi-formal more the style? Dress pants and skirts with blouses/button-downs, dresses… this is often the look we get at formal family sessions for holiday cards and the like.
Going completely formal? Usually not an option for family sessions–unless we’re celebrating something. A birthday. An anniversary. An occasion.
No matter what the selected style is, emphasize the importance of everyone being comfortable and feeling like themselves.
What NOT to wear: common clothing mistakes.
We’ve already talked about blue jeans and white shirts, so let’s move onto some other clothing woes you’ll want to help your clients avoid.
First and foremost, my biggest pet peeve as a photographer is when people show up in graphic t-shirts. E.g., a kid with a Spiderman shirt. Or a Dad with a giant “Polo” written across the shirt. Please, whatever you do, make sure your clients avoid shirts with logos and large graphics. Trust me on that.
They should also avoid neon and overly bright colors (hello editing nightmare), wrinkled or ill-fitting clothing (looking at you Sorority Sally with your crop top and way-too-tiny skirt). Also encourage them to avoid uncomfortable shoes (lots of walking, lots of complaining), and really anything that makes them feel self-conscious.
Though it’s going to happen from time to time no matter how good your communication is, you can avoid these common pitfalls by ensuring proper communication, and by creating and sharing a client session style guide, with a “What to Wear and What Not to Wear” FAQ Page on your website.
Empower your clients with these practical tips for success.
Set yourself up for success, as we mentioned, but thorough email communication, but also by sending Style Guides well in advance. Go ahead and make it a part of the booking process: client pays, and have that email with the Style Guide attachment kicked out to them immediately. Also, encourage your clients to lay out all the outfits together to visualize the coordination. If you’re comfortable with it (I certainly do this), encourage them to text you a picture of the outfits together so that you can affirm or give feedback. They will greatly appreciate you going above and beyond in this way, and it gives you an opportunity to delicately reroute poor choices.
Finally, once all is said and done, reassure your clients that the focus is on connection and emotion, and clothing is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s most important that they feel good (like genuinely GOOD) in their outfit selections.
Remember, we want your clients to feel confident and to look their best, and we want you to create images that reflect your brand for your portfolio and social media profiles. That’s what we call a WIN-WIN. So, though it may feel stressful, don’t fret. Good planning as well as open and thorough communication are key for solid outfit choices. You can do this!
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