Let's talk about clothes. I get a lot of questions regarding what to wear for photos, especially family photos, so I've put together this post with some examples.
If you want your photos to look as beautiful as possible, planning what everyone will wear so that it all coordinates is the way to do it. It takes your photos from looking good, to looking really great. Especially if you have a large family, the task can seem daunting, but it's worth it!
As a starting point, pick the neutral colours you want to build on, such as blue (for jeans), khaki, gray, cream, etc. and use that as your starting point.
For example, in the photo below of my in-laws, we started with choosing navy blue, brown, and gray, and seeing what people had in those colours. If you keep your choices to more natural colours, it makes it much easier for everyone to match, because most natural colours look great together.
Another great resource, of course, is Pinterest. Some people might use it to search other family photos and try to copy that, but I would suggest going to a pinboard of colour palettes, such as this one below:
It's full of tons of different colour combinations that look great together, whether you want to go neutral, or add pops of colour, or just go with different shades of the same colour. It's the perfect place to go for inspiration, I recommend it.
Also keep in mind, when you're choosing colours, what season it will be and what it will look like outside. You certainly don't want to clash with orange leaves during the fall.
Here are some examples of summer, when there is most likely a lot of green:
Here are some great autumn examples:
And of course, winter:
If you're trying to figure out what to do for spring, keep in mind that, at least in Calgary, it's going to be mostly brown out, but it still looks great, like in this photo:
Overall, don't stress about everyone being matchy matchy, everyone in the same thing just doesn't look as good. Try to coordinate with different shades and colours so that everyone is slightly different, but looks great together.
Quick last minute pointers that work well:
1. Try layering, it looks great.
2. Stay away from everyone in black and everyone in white if you can help it.
3. Button up shirts look great on guys.
4. A tailored jacket can really add some shape to your figure ladies.
5. Also for the ladies, if your self-conscious about your arms (mine always look a little flabby in a photo) wear three quarter sleeves or a cardigan, etc.
But above all, make sure you're comfortable in what you're wearing! You want to feel good, because then you will look good.
And don't stress about it, the photos are going to look great!