What to Wear for Family Portraits and Booking Tips
Two of the biggest questions I get are “What do I wear?” and “How long will the shoot be?”. So, once and for all let’s settle these two questions. With my philosophy about family photos being “let’s make this fun and easy” I’m sure you can guess my answers. I’ll give you a clue: book with flexibility, be yourself, and compliment each other.
Book with Flexibility
When I book a family shoot I book around the youngest child’s schedule. I like to book 2 full hours after nap time. I won’t shoot for 2 hours, but that flexibility is important. Here is why:
Don’t wake up your child early. Maybe today they need an extra 20 minutes for their nap. That happened to Mina’s family in these pictures! It’s fine. We’ve scheduled for that.
No need to rush. If you are worried about time-- your kids will pick up on that. Kids pick up on so much, especially your energy. Let’s keep things calm.
The Unexpected Happens! Traffic, spilling a bottle of red juice on their white shirt, diaper changes. Kids thrive on the unexpected. We plan with wiggle room so that your family can have a great day, no matter what happens.
Be Yourselves
Of course, you want to dress to impress, but are you a lace or flannel-wearing family? Your family portrait should showcase who you are, not just what the grandparents want to see. If you are the type of family to wear lace and your toddler has a bowtie? LET’S GO FOR IT! Are you the type to love flannel? LET’S GO FOR IT! It matters about what makes your family comfortable and represents who you are.
Compliment Each Other’s Outfits
I recommend never perfectly matching. I think about those high school choirs where everyone brings their own black shirt and pants. They never match, because there are different types of black. I always say, rather than all wearing the same shirt, dress in colours to each other. Maybe one person is in a pale blue dress, someone else is in a navy and white striped button-up, and the toddler is in red. These are all different, but they complement each other. To me, those outfits would be very nautical, and I do love the ocean. My main point? Don’t all wear the same outfit. Be individuals, that connect to each other, a family of outfits if you will. Trust me, you’ll like the results.