A photographer’s guide - what to wear for a family photoshoot

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"What should we wear?" is probably the question I get asked most. And I completely get it. You've booked the session, you're looking forward to it, and then suddenly you're standing in front of your wardrobe wondering if everything you own is wrong. Especially when you've got a partner to coordinate with and children to factor in.

I promise it doesn't need to be that stressful. A few small choices really can make a difference, not just to how the photos look, but to how the whole session feels. But most of the time, the answer is simpler than you'd expect. Here's what I've picked up from over a decade of photographing families across Bristol, Bath, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire - the things I find myself saying again and again when clients ask.

It's not just about how you look

This is something I wish more people knew before their session. What you wear doesn't just affect the photos, it affects the experience. And I don't mean in a "you must get this right" kind of way. I mean that when you feel comfortable and feel like yourself, it comes through in the photos. I've seen it so many times. A parent who doesn't feel quite right in their outfit holds themselves differently. They're a little stiffer, a little less relaxed. But when someone turns up in something they feel good in, you can see it straight away - they're more at ease, more natural with their children, and that's when the really lovely moments happen.

Certain colours and fabrics also photograph differently from how they look to your eye, which catches people off guard. Your eyes are incredibly clever at adjusting to light and colour. A camera is much more literal. So sometimes an outfit that looks great in the mirror does something unexpected in a photograph.

None of this needs to be stressful though. It just means a couple of easy choices can quietly make things work a lot better.

White is fine, but off-white is better

I never tell people they can't wear white, because that's not true. But I do gently steer people towards cream or off-white, and here's why.

When I'm shooting a family and one person is in bright white while everyone else is in softer tones, the camera has a hard time. It either exposes for the white and everyone else goes a bit dark, or it exposes for the faces and the white clothing just burns out into a flat, bright shape with no detail. I can work around it, but it limits what I can do and where I can place you.

I've also noticed over the years how white fabric bounces light around almost like a little mirror. On a sunny day, if you're standing on grass, that bounced light picks up green from the ground and reflects it onto skin - usually under the chin and around the jawline. It gives a slightly odd, greenish tint to faces. It's subtle, but it's there, and it takes time in editing to sort out.

Cream, ivory, or off-white are so much kinder. They have enough warmth to hold their detail in the image and they don't bounce light around the same way. If you love wearing light colours, it's a really easy swap that makes my job a lot easier and your photos a lot better.

The same thing happens at the other end

All-black is worth thinking about too, for the opposite reason. Where white loses detail because it's too bright, black can lose it because it's too dark. I've photographed some gorgeous textured knits and beautifully cut jackets that just disappeared into a flat dark shape in the final images, especially in shade or on a cloudy day. It's frustrating because I can see how lovely the outfit is in person, but the camera just can't pick up the detail.

I'm not saying avoid dark colours. I love dark colours in family photos. Charcoal, navy, deep olive, dark denim - these all look rich and grounded, and they keep enough tonal variation that you can still see the shape and texture of what you're wearing. If someone in your family really wants to wear black, breaking it up with a lighter layer or a scarf helps a lot.

Bright colours and what they do to skin

This one always gets a reaction when I mention it. Very bright colours, neon shades especially, actually reflect onto nearby skin. I've seen it so many times with children in particular. A little one in a neon pink top ends up with a visible pink wash across their chin and neck. Bright red does a similar thing. You don't notice it with your eyes because your brain corrects for it automatically, but the camera records it exactly as it is, and it can be really tricky to fix afterwards.

I know - that's probably your toddler's entire wardrobe! And I love colour in family photos, so please don't think I'm saying everyone needs to wear beige. Softer versions of those same colours work beautifully. Sage green instead of lime. Dusty rose instead of hot pink. Teal instead of electric blue. You still get the personality and the interest, just without the colour bouncing onto faces. And I find these kinds of tones photograph really well in natural light, they hold their detail whether it's bright sunshine or a cloudy afternoon.

A quick word about patterns

People sometimes worry that they can't wear any patterns at all, and I sometimes get asked "does that mean I can't wear any of my shirts?!" It's not that straightforward - it depends on the pattern.

Very fine, tightly repeating patterns - thin stripes or small checks can sometimes do something strange in photos. The pattern clashes with the camera sensor and you get these wavy, shimmering lines across the fabric, almost like a digital glitch. I've had it happen with men's shirts more than anything. The annoying thing is it doesn't always show up, and you often can't see it on the camera's preview screen. It only becomes obvious later at full size.

Bigger patterns are usually absolutely fine though. A wide stripe or a floral are large enough that the camera handles them without any problems. My general rule is: if you can see the pattern clearly from across the room, you're fine. If you'd need to be close up to make out the individual lines, it might cause issues.

I'd also say one pattern per family group works well. If one person is wearing a lovely floral dress, keeping everyone else in something simpler stops the image feeling too busy. It gives the eye somewhere to rest.

How to coordinate without looking like a matching set

You've probably seen the classic family photo - everyone in white shirts and blue jeans. There's nothing wrong with it exactly, but it does look a bit dated and it flattens everyone's individuality. You all end up looking the same rather than looking like yourselves.

I know some people find this bit overwhelming. There are entire Pinterest boards dedicated to family outfit coordination and it can start to feel like a project. But honestly, it's much simpler than it looks.

Pick three or four colours that sit nicely together, and have everyone wear something different within those. Start with one person's outfit (usually one parent's), often whatever feels like the strongest piece, and build around it. Say it's a navy dress. From there, you might have cream, soft tan and a gentle blue across the rest of the family. Not everyone needs to wear every colour. One person in navy, one in cream, a child in soft blue, another in tan. The outfits are all different, but when you stand together, it just works.

Keep everything in the same warmth. Warm tones together - browns, cream, mustard, olive. Or cool tones together - navy, grey, soft blue, white. When people mix warm and cool randomly, it can look a bit off in photographs even when it seems perfectly fine to the eye. I think the camera just amplifies those little clashes.

A note on styled outfits

You might have seen family photos where everyone is dressed in a very particular, curated way - flowing linen dresses, braces, vintage-style bonnets, that kind of thing. It can look absolutely beautiful, and I understand the appeal. Those kinds of fabrics and textures photograph wonderfully.

But personally, when I look at family photographs, the ones that stay with me are the ones where I can see who that family actually is. The clothes, the body language, the way they are with each other - it all feels real. If your family wears linen and earth tones on a Sunday morning, brilliant. But if that's a world away from your actual life, it can create a kind of disconnect in the images, however lovely the individual photos might be.

My approach has always been to help families look like a slightly polished version of themselves - not a completely different version. That's what tends to age well, too. When you look back in ten years, you want to recognise your family, not wonder who dressed you.

Think about where you'll be

Something I always think about when I'm planning a session is how the clothing will sit against the surroundings. It makes a big difference.

Autumn is probably my favourite example of this. When you're surrounded by golden and brown leaves, earthy tones just feel right - warm browns, deep greens, mustard, or burgundy. You look like you belong in the image rather than standing out against it. I love how those sessions come together.

Spring and summer, when everything's green and bright, I find lighter, softer colours work nicely - creams, soft blues, gentle florals, or light denim. They complement the freshness of the setting without competing with it.

Winter and overcast days can actually handle richer, deeper colours really well - navy, charcoal, burgundy, or forest green. The softer background means those darker tones don't feel heavy. There's a natural contrast that I think looks really beautiful.

If your session is at home, it's worth having a quick think about the rooms you'll be in. A family all in white against white walls and a pale sofa won't have much definition. A bit of contrast between what you're wearing and your home helps everyone stand out.

What the children wear

I've left this until now, but honestly, it might be the most important section here. What children wear affects how they behave during the session, and how they behave affects the photographs far, far more than the exact colour of their jumper.

I know a lot of parents feel pressure to have their children looking perfect for photos. I completely understand that - you're investing in these images and you want them to be lovely. But I've seen it happen so many times. A toddler arrives in a stiff, brand new outfit and they spend the whole session pulling at it, squirming, and fussing! Unfamiliar shoes make little ones clingy and reluctant to run around. Tags, tight waistbands and scratchy fabrics are tiny things to us, but they're huge to a small child who's already in a new place with someone they don't know pointing a camera at them.

The sessions I love most are when children are laughing, exploring, and being completely themselves. Those are almost always the ones where they're wearing something soft and comfortable that they know. Clothes they can run in, sit on the ground in, climb in. You can see it in their faces, the way they move, and the way they interact with you. That freedom shows up in every single photo.

They can still look lovely, of course they can. A nice outfit in soft cotton that happens to work with what everyone else is wearing will always, always photograph better than a formal outfit they're actively fighting against. And if they have a favourite they want to wear, or they want to choose between two options you've picked out - let them. A little bit of ownership goes such a long way with a three-year-old.

Texture is your friend

I notice certain photos feel warmer than others. You know when you look at a family photo and it just has a lovely, natural warmth to it? A lot of that comes from texture. Fabrics with a bit of visible character - a knitted jumper, linen, denim, corduroy, or cotton with some weight to it all catch natural light beautifully. You get these lovely subtle variations across the surface of the clothing that give depth and warmth to the image.

Smooth, flat synthetic fabrics do the opposite. They reflect light very evenly and can look a bit flat and one-dimensional. It's not dramatic, but when I look at a set of family photos, I can always tell the difference. You don't need to overthink this. If you pick something up from your wardrobe and it feels interesting to the touch - a bit of a weave, some softness, something with a bit of character - it'll probably photograph well.

Small things worth checking

I always mention jewellery - keep it simple if you can. Large reflective pieces catch light in unpredictable ways and can create bright spots that draw the eye away from faces. Delicate jewellery or none at all tends to look best.

Bare feet often look beautiful, especially in outdoor summer sessions or at-home shoots. If shoes are going to be in the frame, keep them neutral and in keeping with the overall feel.

Take off your Apple Watch, or anything that belongs to your work day rather than your family portrait. I notice these things in photos and they can be surprisingly distracting. And glasses - absolutely fine. They're part of who you are. If you wear them every day, wear them for your session.

Before your session - a simple check

I know the morning of a session can feel a bit hectic, especially with little ones, so doing a couple of things the day before takes the pressure off.

Lay everyone's outfits out together and take a quick photo on your phone. You'll see straight away if something jars or if one outfit is pulling all the attention. It's much easier to swap something at that point than when you're trying to get out the door.

Give things a quick iron if they need it. Creases show up more than you'd think in natural light and can make lovely clothes look a bit thrown together.

Dress your children last. The less time between getting dressed and leaving the house, the less opportunity for spills, grass stains, or that particular toddler talent for finding the one patch of mud within thirty seconds.

And honestly, you don't need to buy anything new. The best family photos I've ever taken are of people who look and feel like themselves. Something you already own and feel good in will almost always photograph better than something brand new you're still getting used to.

The quick version

If you've skimmed down to this bit (no judgement!), the main thing to know is that comfort and confidence photograph better than any specific outfit. But if you want the practical bits in one place:

• Cream and off-white are easier than bright white

• Charcoal and navy are easier than black

• Bright neon colours can reflect onto skin

• Softer, toned-down shades give you the colour without the problems

• Fine stripes and small checks can cause issues. Bigger, bolder patterns are usually fine.

• Pick three or four colours that work together and let everyone wear something different within those.

• Keep warm tones with warm tones, cool with cool.

• Think about what your children will actually be happy wearing, not just what looks nice on a hanger.

• Texture in fabrics - knits, linen, denim, corduroy - adds warmth and depth to photos.

• Lay everything out together the night before and take a quick phone photo to check.

• Wear what feels like you. That's what looks best.

If you're planning a family session and want to chat through outfits, I'm always happy to help. Get in touch and we can work out what'll suit your family, your location and the look you're going for.