5 Tips and Tricks for Family Photo Outfits

My sweater is from Target but can’t find it online so I linked to a few other similar ones. Olivia’s dress is no longer available in the lavender but there are a bunch of other colors.

For someone who blogs and is always taking a ton of pictures, I’m actually really bad at taking milestone photos. When I was pregnant, I always forgot to take bump pictures. Throughout Olivia’s first year, I was really bad at keeping up with her month to month photos. And I didn’t take any good one year pictures of her. So I decided to have professional photos done for Olivia’s 18 months because I can pretend that’s a milestone, right?

So we had our photos taken recently and I am OBSESSED! Like, LOVE every single picture! If you’re local, I HIGHLY recommend Photography By Lindsay. She is so personable, talented, and Olivia, who is usually very shy around strangers, warmed up to her instantly! Lindsay is currently booking Holiday Mini Sessions on Saturday, December 3rd + Sunday, December 4th at Riverview Farmstead Preserve in Naperville. Email her at lindsay@chicagolandphotographybylindsay.com and see the flyer below for more info!

I also thought I’d share my tips and tricks for family photo outfits and getting your toddler to cooperate! 😉

5 Tips and Tricks for Family Photo Outfits

1. Don’t all wear the exact same color. Please, please, please don’t do this. I know it’s easy, but it’s soooo boring! Choose a basic color scheme that will work for everyone. I find it’s easiest to choose a basic/neutral color and add a punch of color somewhere. Color schemes that work:
   1. Variations of blue, navy and gray (with maybe a punch of orange) work for just about everyone.
   2. Black, white, gray, and a punch of red
   3. Gray, white, eggplant, and lavender (like us!)
   4. Brown, white, beige, and blue
2. Start by choosing one person’s outfit first and work around that. I typically start by choosing the outfit for the person that is the hardest to dress, which is usually me, but in this case it was Olivia. Olivia is kind of in between sizes right now so there were a lot less options for her. I loved the way the purple dress fit her and the color, so I used her outfit as the anchor and chose Eric’s and my outfit around hers.
3. Don’t go pattern crazy! Patterns are great in moderation. Having the whole family wearing plaid would be too much. A good mixture of patterns punctuated by solid colors gives everyone’s outfits some dimension.
4. Think about your background. Where are you going to be taking the pictures? Is there lots of greenery? Then maybe wearing green isn’t the best option. Is it a big white background? Then stay away from white. You want your outfit to compliment the background, not clash or blend in.
5. Do NOT wait until the last minute to choose outfits. I would plan your outfits at least a week in advance. I can’t tell you how many times an outfit looks AMAZING in my head and then I put it on and I look like Chewbacca. You also want to make sure the clothes still fit your kids and that the mustard stain on your husbands shirt came out. And try all the outfits on together and take a look in the mirror to make sure you like how it all goes.

Other Tips:

• Bring snacks/entertainment/bribes. I am not above bribing my kid with chocolate #judgeme How else do you think Olivia looks so cute in these pictures? In between every shot, there was a little bite of a Hershey’s bar waiting for her.
• Checking the weather/farmer’s almanac. This one is a no brainer. You don’t want to take pictures in the pouring rain. But if you’re looking for when the leaves will be changing color, you might want to check the farmers almanac to see when the leaves change in your region.
• Make sure the photo session isn’t during nap time. The best way to make sure you have terrible pictures is to have a cranky/tired/hungry toddler. Plan accordingly!

Share your family photo tips and tricks in the comments below!

XO,
L