It can be overwhelming to decide what your family members will wear in photos. I want to lay out a few guidelines that help me keep things streamlined for family photos each year.
Start with one color
As an easy go-to, I always start with a base of navy blue pieces. After talking to dozens of photographers over the years, the majority have shared that navy blue looks the best in photos. Gotta go with the pros.
Start to layer in accent colors
After you have decided on your navy blue base it is time to start layering in accent colors. Depending on the time of year you may want to go with pastels or bold colors. It is up to you!
Don’t forget the neutrals
You can’t go wrong with neutrals and navy blue as your family photo colors. This year I chose a pretty neutral palette and found a warm, fuzzy, gray coat that I loved. We wanted Lila to be the star of the show in a mustard yellow pea coat! Neutrals can bring warmth to your photos.
Consider the venue
Consider the venue when you are putting together everyone’s outfits. We have taken our family photos in fall foliage, at home, at a pretty park, and this year we went with a Christmas tree farm. The Christmas tree farm felt festive and was perfect for our holiday card.
When in doubt, ask your photographer
If you just cannot decide what to wear in family photos – ask your photographer for suggestions! They have seen many family portraits and will have a great idea of what looks best.
Think outside the box
Ali Anderson Photography took our photos, she is really wonderful, ESPECIALLY with toddlers which is not an easy task! We took our Christmas card photos at a tree farm in Alpine, Utah. If you look up “tree farm photos” you will be barraged with red and green plaid. Now I am not hating on red/green plaid because it is timeless and festive. However, we did something a little more unexpected and I love how it turned out.
For Lila’s look:
We wanted Lila to be the focus of our pictures this year (proud first-time parents what can I say?) I stumbled upon a mustard yellow pea coat at Target! I immediately loved the color and knew it would pop in the photos. Plus, the cape is removable so we opted to take it off since it looked a little bulky on her. This coat is similar and a gorgeous color, but you can’t beat the $26 price tag on this one. Her shoes are Freshly Picked and she wears this mary jane style. They really are the only shoes that do not slip off her feet and they are SO cute!
For Parker’s look:
We kept it pretty simple. He loves a good half-zip sweater so we found one in classic navy, our base color, that he loved. This one is similar. We felt like a coat on him would like too heavy and bulky for the photos. As for his pants, we went with the classic khaki chino. These are similar, and if your guy likes to golf they can also wear them on the golf course. His shoes are a great staple to have in your closet. You can find them here.
For my look:
I found the coziest hybrid jacket/sweater, but it is now sold out. However, I did find this one with the same sort of look. I wore my favorite jeans from Banana Republic. These ones are similar. I topped it with the striped top because I felt like it helped to tie Parker and Lila’s looks all together. The top I have is sold out but this is a similar one with collar detail! For footwear, I went with my everydayblack booties from Nordstrom and they are my winter staple! I honestly wear mine every day in the cooler weather because they can be dressed up or dressed down.
Tried and True Family Picture Rules
Do you guys have any rules you follow when it comes to family photos? Our photographer Ali went above and beyond to keep Lila smiling in the cold weather. We brought Lila’s favorite toy, a little stuffed animal cat, and as long as Ali was holding it by the camera Lila kept smiling!
Don’t be too matchy-matchy
Try not to fall into the trap of being too matchy-matchy when it comes to family pictures or you could end up looking like those all denim nightmares from the eighties! As long as the outfits complement one another, you are good to go!
Check out our other photography tips
First up, our most popular blog post of all time: Couple Photos Do’s and Don’ts. Britt and Sam show couple poses to try and the poses to avoid! This is perfect if you have engagement or wedding photos in your future.
Next up, Family Photo Do’s and Don’ts. We had so much fun doing this photoshoot where we show poses that work and poses that should be avoided at all costs. Skim through if you need some ideas for your family photos!
And last of all, our Photography Tips From the Pros. Jessica Janae is a bombshell and taught us some tried and true poses and tricks to do in front of the camera. Hint hint, don’t do the head tilt!
Hopefully, these tips can help you achieve the family pictures that you are dreaming of! If nothing else, have fun! It shows through the photos if you are really enjoying yourself. Best of luck!
