What to wear for family photos you ask? If you’re planning your family photos, chances are you’re probably trying to also plan the perfect outfits to wear. I mean, these photos will be remembered for a lifetime, you have to make sure you and your family look amazing!

Today I’m going to share my top secrets for looking your ABSOLUTE BEST, and also flattering your best features. We’ll also talk a little about how to coordinate outs together well, but only a short bit since I’ll save the color coordinating for another post.

So, on to the secrets!

Pick Your Outfit First

I see this often, Mom buys everyone’s outfits first, then leaves her outfit for last. Then, she’s franticly looking for the perfect outfit for weeks and still can’t find one matches the family well BUT also minimizes her arms. Hey, it’s me. I’m Mom. Yes, I used to make that mistake every time we got our photos taken. This is one of the biggest mistakes I ever made because I had to settle for what I found instead of buying the dress I actually wanted. This made me hate the way I looked in my photos so I rarely posted them. My biggest advice is to pick out YOUR OUTFIT FIRST, then start looking for the kid’s outfits after that. You will always find stuff for the kids, trust me. So PICK YOUR OUTFIT FIRST!

Find Outfits That Hide Insecurities

Speaking of never wanting to post my photos because I hated my arms… My next secret is to be mindful of any insecurities you have. before I continue, every woman is beautiful in my eyes, and you should love yourself no matter how you look. I am not saying I don’t love myself, but I know I am insecure about my arms and belly, so if you can relate in some form, keep reading! My best advice to you is to find an outfit that minimizes the thing you are worried about. For me, this is a flowy dress (hides the belly) with fluffy arms (hides arms). If you want, you can also wear a loose cardigan… but you can never go wrong with a flowy dress!

My favorite place to shop is Baltic Born.

Photo credit: Baltic Born website

Layer Up!

Next time you walk by the mall, take a look around at the mannequins and you’ll notice most of them are wearing several layers at once. Layers on men look great on camera, so even when it’s hot outside, it’s worth an hour or two of discomfort for photos that will last you a lifetime. Adding extra layers will bring added dimension and visual interest to your photos. When it’s cooler out,  you could even add a v-neck sweater with a pop of color from a long-sleeved collared shirt and tie underneath, or bring a leather or denim jacket with you. Don’t be afraid to get a little creative with layers! Layers always look SO GOOD on camera!

Do Not “Match”

Lastly on the list, for the love of all things color, do not, I repeat DO NOT match colors. “but gabby, whatever do you mean?” Well, the camera and the human brain love it when outfits are coordinated in colors, and not matching exactly. For example, we don’t want everyone to wear blue jeans and black shirts. Yikes. Please don’t. We want everyone to have a dominant color.

This is how I do it:

(see photo below for reference) Let’s say I find my dress. it has beautiful pink flowers with a few accent colors of browns and greens. My Dominant color is off-white. I can now get a pink dress for my daughter with tan lace and pink is her dominant color. For my husband, I can make sure he gets a tan (matching the accent color in my dress) or a green. BOOM! outfits are coordinating perfectly, and not matching. Making sense?

That’s it for now! I hope you find these tips helpful in your next search for your family photography outfits! Read more tips on the blog.

By Gabby Canario Photography. Family & Portrait Photographing In Scottsdale AZ and Based In Gilbert.