What To Wear For Your Family Photoshoot

Apr 24

family photographer vancouver wall art studio

Vancouver Child & Family Photographer

Jenn Fontaine Photography specializes in timeless child and family portraits, servicing the Vancouver, Greater Vancouver and surrounding areas. We know a lot of families want to find the perfect photographer to make family photoshoots easy and enjoyable. At Jenn Fontaine Photography we make sure every detail is taken care of from wardrobe planning, to hair & makeup, all the way down to posing. Our professional team will help make this a fun and effortless experience for the entire family. You deserve to have beautiful portraits that capture your family’s legacy. Here are some tips when thinking about what to wear for your upcoming family photoshoot!

Plan ahead…

Think about your backdrop
This is super important! You’ll want to wear outfits that match your location. For example what you would wear to a beach photoshoot will not be what you wear to a formal in-studio portrait session. If you’re doing an on-location photoshoot, visit the location. Get inspiration and think about what will compliment the space and not look out of place.
Look at your home decor
You may wonder why you should look at your home decor when thinking about family outfits, but this is another crucial step. You’ll be displaying these family portraits for years to come on your walls and you want them to match. Is your home filled with minimal, modern decor? Does your home have a boho style or more traditional? Besides the style, what colour palette do you have throughout your home? This may change depending on the room, so it’s important to plan out where you want to display your wall art. If you’re a client, during consultations I go through each room that has potential for wall art and snap photos of your walls. At your ordering appointment I will show you how your portraits will look like in your own home and what sizes and product types will compliment your space. Learn more about your experience here.
Think classic and timeless
Clothing trends come and go, fairly quickly. You want to choose an outfit that will compliment your body and your home, but doesn’t take the focus away from what is important, which is your family and the love you all share. Think classic and you’ll have a portrait that stands the test of time!

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Time to style! Start with 1 person and work your way through the family…

Limit patterns
There’s nothing wrong with a little pattern. If you love patterns, choose 1 family member to wear the pattern, and then pull different colours from it to dress everyone else in. Again, we want these outfits to compliment you, but not be the first thing someone notices when they look at your photos.
Coordinate your outfits, don’t match
Matchy-matchy can rarely be pulled off without looking cheesy or tacky. Everyone doesn’t need to be wearing the exact same colour or the exact same dress, or shirts. We want to bring out each family members individual style while coordinating with everyone else. Choose 2-3 colours that go well together and incorporate that into everyone’s outfits. Use different textures and layers to bring some style into the photos.
Ditch the baggy clothes
I love me some loose, flowy dresses or a baggy t-shirt. It’s what’s popular right now… but it looks terrible in photos (sorry, not sorry). When choosing your outfits find form fitting clothing that flatters your body and curves. This also goes for men. Find jeans, shorts or dress pants that sit on the hip right and aren’t too loose. Find a dress shirt, t-shirt or jacket that fits well and doesn’t look a size or 2 too big.
Say no to characters, logos, athletic shoes
This is pretty straight forward. Just say no.
Say yes to layers, textures, accessories
This is a great way to bring out your families personality and style. Fitted jackets, cardigans, scarves, hats, jewellery, your child’s favourite stuffy. These are items that make you feel like you! We may not incorporate all your accessories in every photo, but it gives us lots of options and extra poses to play with.
Let the kids have input
It’s no secret that kids are the a major stressor for parents when thinking about family photos. We wonder if they will behave and smile, or if they will cry and not want to listen. The easiest way to get your kids excited for photos is to have them involved from the very beginning. Choose multiple clothing options that will work for each child and get them to pick their own outfit. This will take away any tears or arguments on the day of your session. Ask them if they want to bring any accesories with them. Heck, they can bring whatever they like, you don’t need to choose those photos, but it will get them excited and having fun, which is our main goal.
If you’re stuck, ask for help!
If you’re purchasing new outfits lots of clothing stores offer free stylists that can help piece together clothing options. Even if they don’t have stylists, a retail worker will have a better idea of what’s in stock, in the style you’re looking for and what other pieces of clothing they have available that will coordinate nicely. When you book Jenn Fontaine Photography you get a style and wardrobe consultation prior to your photoshoot. This is when we get together 2 weeks before the photoshoot and design your session and figure out what you want to wear or what you need to go out and buy. You’re not in this alone, I’m here with you every step of the way to give you feedback and offer ideas. You will leave your consultation fully prepared to rock your photoshoot!