5 Clothing Tips for Outdoor Family Photos - so you don’t look like a family from the 90’s!

Outdoor family photos can be a fun and memorable experience for families with young children. However, the idea of coordinating outfits and making sure everyone looks good can be overwhelming for some families and can make you dread the rest of the photoshoot. But fear not! I don’t want this to deter you from booking a photoshoot. Your photographer can help you choose the best outfits for you and your family, depending on location and time of year. I’m here to help so you don’t end up looking like a family from the 90’s! Styles have evolved from when you were younger and now it’s definitely worth showing your personality in your family portraits with fun outfits for the whole family!

In this blog, I’ll cover five of the best clothing ideas and tips for outdoor family photos with young kids. I'll also include tips on colours, layers, and coordinating outfits without matching identically to make your family stand out. Additionally, we'll suggest the best colors for Spring, Summer, and Fall, as well as different locations such as by the lake, in a forest, and in a field.

Tip #1: Keep it simple

When it comes to outdoor family photos, it's important to keep the focus on the family and not the clothing. That’s why any photographer you hire will tell you to stay away from wearing clothing with big logos/words on it or characters (Disney, faces of rock band members, etc). When you shift, which you are bound to do when you are having fun in your family photoshoot, the words/logos can become totally different words, and characters can just look like blobs. We want the focus to be on you and your family’s special connection so we don’t need Princess Elsa’s face distracting you from your daughters face! Instead choose simple pieces that let you and your family shine!

Dressing in neutral colors for your family photos

Choosing neutral colours is a great idea if your family loves the minimalist look for your home (think farmhouse, boho, or classic traditional decorating styles). Neutral colours like beige, white, and gray are timeless and won't clash with the natural colours of the outdoor setting or with your home decor when you place your favourite photos from your family photoshoot on your wall.

Neutral colors also create a cohesive look without being too matchy-matchy. You can also add a pop of colour through accessories like scarves or shoes. A great example of a neutral colour palette would be pairing beige pants with a white top and adding a scarf or cardigan with a pop of colour like a pale pink or blue.

Dressing in brighter colours for your family photos

If you are anything like me, you love bold and vibrant colours but coordinating a family with bold colours can be hard. Keeping it simple with vibrant colours with or without patterns can be a simple but effective way of showing your individual personalities without your outfits being too busy. We want the focus to be on you!

Professional Photographer Tip - Say No to Neon!

Avoid wearing neon colours in your family photos. While they are super fun to look at and wear on a regular day, they tend to be super hard to print at consumer printers and the ink tends to smear unto other parts of the photo. A professional lab will be able to handle this much better…… BUT the second reason to avoid neon colours is because they almost always reflect onto your skin! Your chin or cheeks will often have a neon coloured glow on them that is almost impossible to edit out so to make your photographer’s life easier and to help with printing, I highly recommend you stay clear of using neon colours!

Tip #2: Layers are key

Outdoor photoshoots can be unpredictable in terms of weather, especially during the Spring and Fall. Layering can help prepare for sudden changes in temperature and also add texture and depth to your photos.

Changing up what you look like at different spots

For children, layering can be as simple as pairing a dress with a denim jacket or a sweater. For adults, you can layer a button-up shirt with a sweater or cardigan. Wearing a hat or scarf can add character too! This will not only make your photos more visually interesting but also add depth and dimension to your clothing at different spots at the location you choose.

This family chose beautiful bold colours that worked out perfectly on this overcast and cloudy day!

Tip #3: Coordinate outfits without being too matchy-matchy

While it's tempting to dress your entire family in matching outfits, it's not always the most visually appealing choice. Instead, opt for coordinating outfits that complement each other without being identical. That’s why I always recommend to my clients that they choose more than one colour to wear.

Choose 2-4 colours for the family to coordinate around

This may mean choosing one person who has a pattern on their shirt or dress and then pulling colours from that pattern into other family member’s outfits. For example, pulling the colours from the one pattern blue, green and red dress can look like your daughter wearing a green dress with a blue cardigan and your husband wearing blue pants with a red shirt and your son wearing jeans and a green shirt with a fun blue hat.

The family below chose red, pink, burgundy, white and blue (jumping off of one of the daughters pretty flower shirts) and I love how everything comes together so nicely without matching too much. Plus they are at one of my favourite outside locations for family photos in Kingston, Ontario where the golden sunset light is the best!

Choosing varying shades of one colour works too!

One way to do this is to choose a colour and have everyone wear a different shade of that color. For example, if you choose blue as your colour palette, one family member could wear a light blue dress, while another wears a navy blue blazer and one more wears denim overalls. This creates a cohesive look without being too matchy-matchy.

Professional Photographer Tip - The 90’s called, they want your jeans with white shirts back!

I know it can be easy to just throw white shirts and jeans on everyone but I promise you’ll love your family photos so much more if you show everyone’s personality through their clothes with some colour! Even if you choose neutral shades, like beiges, browns and creams, making everyone have something different on with different textures will create gorgeous portraits you’ll be proud to put on your wall! So avoid the jeans with white/black shirts at all costs no matter how easy it is!!

Tip #4: Choose the right colors and styles for each season

The right colours and styles can vary depending on the season. Choosing colours that match with the season will add variety to your wall galleries back home!

Pastel or Neutral colour clothing for Spring

For Spring, pastel colours like pink, lavender, and light blue work well. These colours are soft and complement the bright greens of new foliage.

Bright colour clothing for Summer

Summer is a time for bright colours like red, orange, blue and yellow. These colours pop against the lush greenery and can make your photos feel warm and inviting. For styles, flowy dresses and shorts with light fabrics are perfect for the warm weather.

Here’s an example of a family who chose blue and yellow as their main colour choices and the fun poses the daughters wanted to try!

Dark colour clothing for Fall

Fall is a time for warm, rich colors like burgundy, yellow mustard, and forest green. These colours work well in outdoor settings with falling leaves and changing foliage. For styles, think cozy sweaters, plaid shirts, and boots.

Professional Photographer Tip - Start with Mom’s outfit! {Happy Mom = Happy Life}

Because it can often be hardest for Moms to find an outfit they feel beautiful in, it’s best to start with Mom’s outfit choice and coordinate the rest of the family’s outfits around hers (even if Mom is in a solid colour and the pattern outfit is on one of the kids that pulls that colour in).

Tip #5: Location matters

Choosing the right location for your outdoor family photos can greatly affect the outcome of your photos and the styles you choose to wear to compliment the area.

Family Photos by the lake:

If you're taking photos by the lake, consider wearing blues and greens to complement the natural colours of the water. Flowy dresses and light fabrics work well here, as they create movement in the breeze. Whether you choose lighter or darker shades, you’ll look gorgeous!

Family Photos in a forest:

For forest photos, choose warm, earthy colors like brown, mustard yellow, burnt orange, burgundy, dark blue and green or jewel tones like purples, teals and reds. These colors work well in the dappled sunlight and against the natural textures of the forest. Consider wearing boots and jeans for a rustic feel. If it’s Autumn and the colours are changing you can add those beautiful Fall colours with dark purples, burgundy and red!

Family Photos in a field:

Fields lend themselves to romantic feeling photos so I recommend sticking with lighter colours like shades of blues and pinks or neutrals that are softer. Tall grasses make wonderful pictures for the whole family but especially for parents together (be sure to get one of the two of you together - it may have been a long time since you had a couple portrait taken and your relationship deserves the recognition on your wall at home!). Windy days are the best in a field too so you can get that wind swept hair look.

Professional Photographer Tip - Look for the beautiful Golden Light!

Also be mindful of the time of day you get your family photos taken. I highly recommend starting your session 1-2 hours before sunset as this will give you the best light of the day! You definitely don’t want raccoon eyes that happen when the sun is directly above you in mid day and you’ll be able to see much better without squinting if you pick a time later in the day.

Here’s my own family photos wear we chose yellow and blue for our colour palette and made sure to choose a time near sunset so we could enjoy gorgeous golden light! You can see here that I did mix and match patterns which a lot of photographer’s will steer you away from but the bold of my son’s sweater paired with the smaller prints on my daughters dress and my kimono don’t overpower the picture and because it’s all part of the same colour family it doesn’t distract you from our connection together.

In conclusion, there are lots of things to consider when choosing your family’s clothing for your photos outdoors but it doesn’t have to be confusing at all! Think about the time of year, think about choosing just a few colours for everyone to base colours around and choosing the shades of colours that work best for you family’s personality whether that’s neutral or brighter bold colours!

I hope this information was helpful to you and your family! And if you still need help and have chosen a photographer that helps with family styling, just ask! Most photographer’s have an eye for what photographs well!

Are you looking for a photographer to take family photos in the Kingston, Ontario area? I do that! I would be happy to speak with you about a family session! Get in touch with me today to start planning your fun family photos and we’ll chat about clothing options, locations and dates that work best for you!

P.S. Finding an outfit for mom can be the hardest! I have outfits available for Mom to wear to your family photos! Get in touch to find out more!

Here’s me and my family going with a blue and green colour palette for our clothing choices in this beautiful sunset field location. Can you tell that we are a bit silly? We love to laugh and have fun and love our personality showing in our photos together!