What to Wear to your Family Session • Seattle Family Photographer

I remember the last time I booked a session and was so excited, until it was time to get ready (then the session was great and I loved my photos). I overthought my family wardrobe so much and nobody even ended up wearing the clothes I picked out! So, I have some tips that will hopefully help!

But first I want to share that I love in home sessions because a lot of this doesn’t matter if you’re home. You can show me your closet, set the heat, it won’t rain on us, people can go off into their own spaces for a break. That being said, here are things to consider, especially if we’re meeting up somewhere.

Wear what makes you and your people happy. I want the photos we make to be an authentic representation of your family now. I highly recommend wearing something you already own or really want to own that makes you feel so incredibly you. My (then 2 year old) son wore his teenage mutant ninja turtle sweater for school photo day last year and I love that we’ll have a memory of the sweater that he almost never took off.

Make sure you’re dressed for the weather! Our beautiful PNW provides a perfect backdrop for outdoor images, but an adorable dress on a sad cold kid who ends up with the random jacket that was in the car is no longer a very adorable dress.

Consider your colors. I love color and welcome it! Primary colors are so lovely! But there are two things to consider: your background- if your photos will be in green grass, don’t wear green and avoid neon colors- they reflect on skin and can make you or your people look green or hot pink.

Don’t match too much. Unless you want to go for the ironic 90’s family photo with matching aloha shirts, I don’t recommend matching outfits. Having variety will add interest and depth in your images. There’s no need to avoid prints or patterns but you could consider how it all interacts together. In the image above, the yellow works because there’s still some variety. If you do want to coordinate a wardrobe for your session, I recommend starting with your own outfit then choosing everyone else’s based on your look.

Remember the details. Logos (like swooshes and branding symbols) are a distraction. I often ask people to take off their watches and put their phones in my bag. Wear shoes that are comfortable unless you’re doing photos inside, then barefoot is best!

Don’t worry too much, this isn’t a fashion photoshoot, it’s all about you and your connection with your people. I welcome you to disregard this whole post for your photoshoot and just show up. It’s most important that you and your family are happy and on time. Once you and I meet up at the session, the hardest part of getting ready is done!