What to Wear for Family Photos, by Season

If you’re the one deciding what to wear for family photos, start with a color palette before anyone opens a closet: a few neutrals plus one accent color, shared across the whole family so everyone coordinates and nobody matches. Then dress the kids in clothes they can run in.

A family is harder to dress than one person because five or six outfits have to sit together in one frame, and somebody in that frame is two. My family session also includes one outfit, so whatever you choose is the look for the whole hour. One decision, made once, and nobody changes in the car.

I’m a Harford County photographer based in Bel Air, and I photograph families all over the county and down into Baltimore, outdoors or on my own backdrops.

Build one palette for the whole family

Neutrals + 1 accent is the palette I’d hand any family, because it works with clothes you already own. Cream, white, gray, navy, black, camel and denim make the base, and one pop of color on one or two people gives the eye a place to land.

The family by the creek shows how little it takes. Denim, cream, navy and gray do most of the work, the blue plaid ties the denim together, and one orange cardigan picks up the trees behind them.

Deciding what to wear for your family gets easier when you start with one outfit you love (a dress, a patterned shirt, the sweater you’d wear every week if you could) and pull the accent from it. Dress everyone else in neutrals that sit next to it. Then lay all the outfits on the bed and take a phone photo. Anything that jumps out of that photo will jump out of mine too.

Neutrals can carry a big group on their own. Six people in black, white, stripes, gray and denim read calm, and the little girl in light pink becomes the accent.

Coordinating outfits, and when matching works

Focus on coordinating, not matching. Coordinating outfits share colors and change everything else: a knit on one person, a dress on another, a collar, a jacket. Put six people in the same white shirt and jeans and they turn into a single block of white with faces on top.

The mother and daughter on the steps do it with two people: an emerald sweater dress and tall green boots next to a mint knit and cream tights. Same color family, two shades, two textures.

Matching works when the matching is the point. A holiday pajama set is a theme, and a theme should look like one, so if you’re wearing the same print, go all the way, down to the smallest pair of feet.

Dress the kids to move

For kids, my DO list is short: outfits with movement, and comfortable = confident. Think a dress that twirls, a soft knit, pants they can sit in the grass in. With kids, comfort runs the whole hour, and you don’t want a collar that itches at minute five setting the mood at minute ten.

Make sure their shoes are broken in and easy to run in, and skip light-up sneakers and character shirts, so faces are the first thing anyone sees.

Then plan the photo shoot around them. Schedule around your kids’ best mood window, whether that’s after a nap or first thing in the morning. Feed everyone beforehand (yes, snacks count). And let kids be kids. Some of the best moments are candid, and a toddler running away from the group is still a picture of your family.

Parents tend to dress the kids beautifully and grab whatever’s clean, so wear something you can sit on the ground and lift a little one in. Trust me: I’ve got the patience and the prompts. Still comparing photographers? Ask each one how they handle a meltdown. It’s one of the questions to ask before you book anyone.

Dressing for my backdrops

If your family photo session is on one of my backdrops, the backdrop joins your palette. I have four: beige fits up to 8 people, pink up to 4, and black and red up to 2 each. So a family of five to eight goes on the beige.

Don’t wear the backdrop color, since beige on beige erases people and so does black on black. On the beige, add depth with navy, rust, olive or black. On the pink, keep it simple with neutrals and let the pink be the accent.

A themed holiday set rewards contrast. In the red and black holiday photo, the reds tie the family to the gift boxes, and the white collars and tulle keep anyone from disappearing into the black drapes.

The session includes one backdrop, theme or location. A second backdrop is a $50 add-on, and the rest of the add-ons sit on my Baltimore photography prices page.

Maternity clients can rent a gown from my collection in red, royal blue or light blue (M/L) or pink (L/XL), and a gown that strong becomes the accent, so everyone else goes neutral. For the bump itself, start with these maternity poses.

What to wear for family photos in every season

The season changes the light, the ground under everyone’s feet and how long a three-year-old will put up with a sweater.

Season	Palette idea	Fabric tip
Fall	Cream, denim, navy + rust or mustard	Knits, cardigans, a vest, boots
Winter and holidays	Cream, camel, black + emerald, burgundy or red	Velvet, wool, a coat in the palette
Spring	White, cream, light denim + blush or sage	Cotton, light knits, one floral
Summer	White, sand, light blue + coral	Linen, loose cotton, sandals they can walk in

Fall family photos

Fall hands you the accent, since the trees are already orange, gold and red. Earth tones look great against them, with cream, denim and navy as the neutrals. Keep the orange to one person, because you don’t want the family blending into the leaves. Layer with cardigans, vests and boots, and dress for the weather, since an October evening turns cold fast.

Winter family photos

Winter can carry richer color. Jewel tones like emerald, burgundy and deep red sit well with cream, camel and black, and velvet and chunky knits photograph warm. If the coats stay on outside, the coats are the outfit, so make sure they sit in the palette too.

Family Christmas photos

For family Christmas photos, pick one direction and go all the way. The family in red and black went formal, and the family in green pajamas went cozy in one woodland print.

Spring family photos

Spring wants a lighter palette: white, cream and light denim with a soft accent like blush, sage or butter yellow. Let one person wear the florals and pull everyone else’s colors from them. Bright kelly green fights fresh grass, and the ground is often wet, so make sure the shoes can handle a little mud.

Summer family photos

Summer is mostly about fabric. Linen, cotton and loose dresses keep everyone cool, and white, sand, light blue and coral glow in warm evening light. Skip neon colors, which glow louder on camera than anyone’s face. And if the little ones are in white, save the popsicles for after.

Fabrics, patterns and what to skip

For families, neon and cartoon characters join big logos and graphics on my DON’T list. Anything printed on a shirt grabs attention first, and in a family photo that’s attention taken from five or six faces.

Patterns work well in small doses. One patterned piece, usually on one person, gives the palette a starting point, like the blue plaid in the creek photo. Two or three loud patterns side by side start competing.

Texture keeps a quiet palette from going flat: cable knits, corduroy, linen, lace, a little velvet in winter. Then check the fit on everyone, kids included. Pants that ride up and sleeves past the fingertips show up in photos, so wear clothes that fit right now and feel good to move in.

Questions from the family organizer

What are the best colors for family photos? Cream, gray, navy and denim, plus one accent color that suits the season, are the best colors for family photos, with rust or mustard in fall and blush or sage in spring.

What clothes look good in family pictures? Knits, denim, linen, collared shirts and flowy dresses look good in family pictures, because they add texture and movement without pulling attention off faces. Pick a fit that lets everyone sit and pick up a kid without tugging.

Should everyone match in family photos? Families look best in photos when everyone coordinates colors and wears different pieces, because identical outfits blur people into one block. A holiday pajama set is the exception, since there the matching is the whole idea.

What should kids wear for family photos? Kids should wear soft, comfortable clothes in the family palette that let them run, sit in the grass and climb into a lap, with shoes already broken in and no character shirts or light-up sneakers.

Should we bring a second outfit to a family photo session? A Create With Amy family session includes one outfit, so plan one look per person and put your energy into getting that one right. A spare of the same top covers a toddler’s spills without changing what they’re wearing.

Getting everyone out the door on picture day

• Steam everyone’s outfits the night before and hang them together, one hanger per person, shoes lined up underneath.
• Pack the diaper bag with snacks, water, wipes, hair ties and a brush for flyaways.
• Start getting ready earlier than feels necessary. Six people take longer to get out the door than one.
• Tell the kids the plan. Photos, a park or the backyard, and something fun after.

When the outfits are laid out and the family chat has signed off, send me your date and headcount and tell me where you’d love to shoot.