What to wear for a family portrait session is obviously an important topic.  What do you recommend?  Do we need to match?  Can we wear jeans?  These are the questions we get from our clients all the time for family portrait sessions, and they are very important questions!

What to wear….

Whenever we meet with a family (or the family member in charge) to discuss the game plan for their upcoming session we usually spend a decent amount of time discussing clothing.  Many people have anxiety over this, and while it’s certainly important to look your best when you invest the time and money to get professional portraits, there is no need to stress!  Here are 5 fun and practical tips and ideas that may help…

1. Consider Casual.  If you are comfortable you will feel comfortable and therefore you will look comfortable.  There is nothing wrong with jeans and t-shirts, polos, or simple blouses.  A family that appears to be relaxed and naturally enjoying being together makes for really nice portraits.  Keep in mind that formal portraits can be beautiful as well, just know that it’s not a rule that professional portraits = formal portraits.  Sometimes the decor of the room or rooms you plan to decorate can help you with this as well.
2. Coordinate Loosely.  You don’t have to match exactly.  You can put the boys in a blue and the girls in a pink just as an example, with everyone wearing similar style shirts.  Everyone can wear different style shirts of the same color as well – white shirts are fine.  Coordinate by color or style – just look like you are in the same group and belong together.
3. Avoid crazy patterns.  No Hawaiian shirts for example.  Just use common sense – you want the focus of the photos to be on the people and not on a pattern or a slogan like “I’m With Stupid” on a shirt.
4. Try a theme.  We had a family do a Detroit sports theme with different jerseys of the 4 major pro teams – the Tigers, Lions, Pistons, and Red Wings.  It was really fun!  You can do it with your favorite college / alma mater too.  We had a family where the dad and son had maize and blue Michigan sweatshirts and the mom and daughter had pink ones on and it was really cute.  I used to think it was silly when I would see a U of M sweatshirt in pink in a store, but from a fashion standpoint it worked for the shoot!  Anything that your family shares together can serve as inspiration.
5. Be true to yourself and your family.  Certainly you can look to professional photographers for advice because they have plenty of experience with this, and they can make suggestions that work with different backdrops and settings.  Always ask to see examples!  Also remember however that you are the customer and you know your family best.  Be careful of a photographer who won’t listen to you and insists on doing it his or her way.  This is your session after all…

Always remember to have fun and savor the moment.  You deserve credit for wanting to celebrate your family with a professional portrait session and you should enjoy it!  Feel free to add to the discussion – what have been some of your favorite choices for wardrobe?  What say you on the subject of what to wear?

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Frameable Faces Photography
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Frameable Faces Photography is a small biz retail mom & pop shop of Doug&Ally Cohen located in the Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield, Michigan, United States Of America!
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Ally & Doug can be reached at the studio at tel:248-790-7317 or emailed at mailto:info@frameablefaces.com
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