what should we wear & bring to our family portraits session

We get this question all the time! Here are some great examples to start heading in the right direction! These are just places to start, make each example your own!

What should I Bring To Our Family Session?

  • Snacks & drinks for your kiddos! (seriously though)

  • Baby Wipes

  • Umbrella (just in case)

  • Blanket to lay on

  • Hair ties

  • Backup Outfits for kiddos

  • Any props you want to use (small chair, favorite stuffed animal or toy etc)

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Boho Option

Boho & Rustic is in and it looks FABULOUS on camera. Especially when paired with a natural background like a park or in this case, a creek stomping session that turned into a downpour session.

Clothing should reflect you as a family and what you wear on a daily basis.

Say Yes To:

Pick a color palette to work with. Blue, khaki, green etc are all great places to start. Mix in a few patterned dresses or shirts if you like, but keep the design/pattern small. Too bold and it takes over. Mix up the bottoms of your family to create a uniform look without copying each other.

Say No To:

White and “matching” looks. No need for everyone to be wearing the same color (or exact same for that matter) top. Same thing with bottoms, don’t have everyone wear the same thing. It just looks staged and unnatural.


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Larger Group Options

We have a lot of requests for very large family groups, especially around the holiday season. Shooting large groups and making it look cohesive can be a challenge.

What we recommend is to give each sub-family a color to build off of. They may use this as a solid for some, a pattern for others, but it helps “define” the family subsets in a larger group, while keeping the overall look the same.

Picking a tone of colors here is very important. Don’t (ever) use NEON or white as your base. It’s too bright and too much going on.

Say Yes To:

Bold, neutral colors as your base. Keep all parties in jeans OR khakis. Don’t mix bottoms in large groups, you are already mixing tops and adding bottoms further distracts.

Say No To:

White/Neon/Mixed bottoms. Please don’t have everyone in the same shirt.

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Every Day Family Wear

The idea here is that you want your family to have a cohesive look. You should look like you are heading to a park to play and enjoy that first nice day of the year. You don’t have to break the bank on your look. Old Navy and Gap/Gap Kids have great options for the whole family. Be you as a family.

Say Yes To:

Common color theme & tone. Don’t mix too many colors in, but here is a great opportunity to mix in patterns. You don’t dress alike on a daily basis, so don’t do it for your session.

Say No To:

Bright colors mixed with neutral or muted colors.

More Examples:

Kara always has her family looking on point. Click HERE to check out highlights of her 5+ years of sessions with us!

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Formal Wear

The idea here is that you want your family to have a cohesive and polished look. You should look like you are heading to a night on the town. You don’t have to break the bank on your look. Old Navy and Gap/Gap Kids have great options for the whole family as well as Express & Eddie Bauer. Be you as a family, but ramped up.

Say Yes To:

Common color theme & tone. Don’t mix too many colors in, but here is a great opportunity to mix in patterns. You don’t dress alike on a daily basis, so don’t do it for your session.

Say No To:

Bright colors mixed with neutral or muted colors.

5626 West Stream Drive | Indianapolis, IN | 46055 | 317.941.6088