What to Wear for Holiday Family Photos
What to Wear for Holiday Family Photos | A topic that brings up a lot of room for discussion these days. For families, couples, and friends alike, it's the time of year when we need to start thinking about outfit coordination, or not. Do we need to match? What colors will work best? Dress up or dress down? Figuring out what to wear for holiday family photos is no easy feat. It's hard enough for some of us to dress ourselves each morning so it poses an even equal challenge to get the whole family to match, am I right? Here are some tips for anyone who's considering getting dressed up (or down) for upcoming holiday family photos.
Cohesive Family Uniqueness | Tiny Prints
1 | Color Cohesion doesn't have to be perfectly matchy-matchy | Remember those old 80's photos when our moms made us wear coordinated outfits? Everyone in jeans and white tee shirts....those were the days. While the perfectly matching outfit idea came from a good place, it just wasn't and isn't realistic. Other than school uniforms, or sport teams, and maybe trying to match outfits with my best friend in middle school, matching perfectly isn't ideal. Everyone is unique and holiday family photos are a time to let that shine!
Think about what you're going to wear like choosing a paint color from a paint deck (that large deck of paint swatches in every single color...). Each color swatch has complimentary colors. If you stick to complimentary colors, you'll indefinitely have color cohesion for those holiday family photos.
A Family in Neutrals (with a slightly subtle print) | Tiny Prints
2 | Pick a Color Palate & Location that Fits Your Family's Energy | If your family is energetic & adventurous, or laid-back & down-to-earth, then choose a color palate, and/or location that represents that! If you spend a lot of time outdoors, take a picture with the kiddos running around in their natural "kid zone" rather than out by the ocean, if you never go there! Maybe right outside your home or your neighborhood park is cozy and comfy for you. For the holiday family photos, choose a color palate that represents that.
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Color Palates To Try
Outdoors in Nature? Think neutrals, blues, greens
A Fall Setting? Think camels, burnt oranges, with a balance of patterns & neutrals (maybe a slight pop of deep yellow)
Classic coat + tie, white button down | Tiny Prints
3 | Be aware of trends, but don't smother yourself in them | Tulle is fabulous and so are knee-high boots but maybe you want a more timeless look. Think about clothing pieces that have stood the test of trend time, such as a a classic pair of heels, animal print flats, coat + tie.
4 | Yes to Balanced Patterns and Accessories | Patterns can be incorporated into the images in a playful, stylish, and classic way for those holiday family photos. Plaids? Yes! Stripes? Absolutely! Mix these in with solids and you've got a beautiful palate.
Professional Photographer Tip --- I cannot stress enough the impact of accessories. They really make the wardrobe look "finished". - Katie Beverly. | Katie Beverly Photography
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What to Wear for the Holiday Family Photos | Creating Timeless Fashion
A good mix of patterns and textures
Stripes
Plaids
Neutrals, Camel Colors
Cardigans, Knit Sweaters
muted versions of your favorite colors
burnt oranges, mustards for a pop of color
Dark Wash Jeans
3/4 & long sleeves
accessories!
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What to Shy Away From
Plain black
Plain white
Sleeveless
Super saturated colors, such as neons
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Here are Some Helpful Tips from Professional Photographers for Taking Holiday Family Photos
Tip #1 | Love this tip from Jasmine of Let's Frolic Together Photography![Avoid] wearing brand new clothes! It’s ridiculous to think you will be comfortable in something you’ve never worn before. Most people who buy something new right before the shoot end up feeling hyper concerned about how the thing looks. Better to wear something you’ve already felt good in before, something you’ve seen photos of yourself in. Being comfortable is paramount to getting the best photographs, because when someone is at ease they look their best. If you want to wear something new, buy it early and then wear it in a bit: get used to how it moves, how it feels, and how it makes you feel. Tip #2 | Fabulous advice from Katie of Katie Beverly Photography!I love when the girls style themselves first, then the guys of the family can be styled second. This gives the girls a little more liberty to really find something they love, accessories and all, and then the guys can easily be incorporated for a cohesive look. Tip #3 | Love the uniqueness of Kirenia of Color Something Photography's advice for families! ...everyone has their own style and I am a firm believer of letting the person choose their wardrobe based on who they are and not what they want to be. I always tell the grown ups to wear muted versions of the colors they like, such as mustard, burnt orange, navy blue, grays, burgundy, etc. Tip #4 | Great color advice from Kevin of XOXO Wedding StudioBlack can be underexposed easily leaving your black jeans to look like a void in space time or a white shirt to be over exposed to appear like your final agility transformation has come to pass. Lighting conditions can make or break wearing these colors, if your not sure about the lighting, avoid black and white.
Thank you for all your helpful photographic tips!
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I hope this helps you tackle the What to Wear...dilemma. If you are interested in style ideas, I'd love to put together a Holiday Family Photos Style Lookbook for you.