Okay, I know — it sounds a little funny coming from a documentary and lifestyle photographer. If it were true true documentary, I wouldn’t be giving you any guidance at all on what to wear for family photos!
But here’s the thing: these photos are going to end up on your walls. In frames, in albums, somewhere you’ll actually see them every day. So while I’m never going to pose you or tell you how to stand, a little thought behind what you wear goes a long way toward photos that feel like you — not just technically nice photos.
Here’s everything I tell my families before a session.
1. Wear what you already own
Start with your own wardrobe, not a new one. Something you already own is something you’re familiar and comfortable in — and that comfort shows up in the photos. Save your money; you don’t need a new outfit for this.
2. Comfort above everything
When it comes to what to wear for family photos, this is the big one. You need to be able to move freely, and you need to actually feel good in what you’re wearing. As a mum myself, I know exactly how much your body changes through pregnancy and beyond — the last thing I want is for you to feel self-conscious during the session and then not love your photos because of it. Choose the outfit that makes you feel good, not the one you think you’re supposed to wear.
3. Just be yourselves
There’s no single right answer for what to wear to family photos. I don’t want you dressing like someone you’re not, or how you think a “photoshoot family” is meant to look. I want your personality to shine through. If bright colours are your thing, wear bright colours — especially if your home is bright and colourful and that’s where these photos are going to live. If I’m turning up on a lazy Sunday morning and you’re still in your pyjamas, stay in your pyjamas. If activewear is what your family actually wears, wear that.
Start with mum’s outfit and build everyone else around it. And if the kids are dead set on the sparkly dress or the Spider-Man suit for the whole session and you’re not keen on that, save it for the last few minutes instead. We’ll have fun with it then.
4. Choose your colours
Think about tones that speak to you. If you want things to feel cohesive, choose colours that complement each other rather than match — think muted, earthy tones, especially if we’re shooting at home and it needs to work with your furniture. If you’re more the eclectic type, that’s just as good — go for it.
Outdoors, you can either pop with brightness against the landscape, or lean muted to blend into it. I personally love a bold primary colour moment too. The trick either way: pick two or three colours and repeat them at different tones, light to dark, across everyone’s outfits.
The only real no-go is fluoro (at least not for every photo anyway). It reflects light straight back up onto your face and leaves you matching your shirt.
And please, whatever you do — no matchy-matchy outfits.
5. Mix up patterns and textures
Same idea as colour. A small floral, a check, or spots can sit nicely alongside a block colour — just don’t put everyone in a different loud pattern at once, or it starts to compete with itself. If bold prints are your style, own it.
Texture does the same job as pattern and is an easy way to add a bit more depth: denim next to linen, a chunky knit next to something tightly woven.
6. Accessories (and footwear)
Personally, I keep it simple for my own photos — a plain necklace, simple earrings, my wedding ring. But if big bold earrings are you, wear them. That’s personality too.
A few practical things to know:
- Watches can catch reflections
- Phones in pockets show up as a box-shaped bulge (a common one for the dads!)
- Glasses are fine, and sunglasses too mixed into some shots, but I know how to shoot around them so we don’t lose your eyes entirely
- Wide-brim hats look beautiful outdoors from a distance, but up close they can throw a harsh shadow across your face
Footwear should just match wherever we are — barefoot or socks at home, barefoot or sandals at the beach, gumboots or warm boots up in the hills, sneakers if we’re heading down to the shops. Let the location decide.
Gumboots may have been the better choice… but it made for a cute photo!
7. Dress for the weather, always
This one matters more than anything else on this list. I will never take a newborn outside in the cold for a photoshoot — that’s why newborn sessions happen at home. And even with older kids, cold weather shows up fast: runny noses, that blue tinge, no matter how much they insist they’re fine. Weather-appropriate always beats aesthetic.
Beyond that, let your location inspire your palette — golden tones for the beach, muted greens and florals for the bush, your own furnishings if we’re at home. If you’re ever unsure, layers are your best friend.
8. Props — the everyday kind
I don’t bring props to sessions. Instead, bring the things you’d naturally have with you: a blanket if we’re outdoors, a ball to kick around, whatever you’d genuinely be doing together on an ordinary day. At home, it’s the same idea — the things you actually use in everyday life, whatever’s already part of your routine there. Those become the props (we just don’t call them that).
What I love
I’m there to capture the story of your everyday life so there are certain things that, when they show up naturally in a session, genuinely get me excited. Things like:
- Kids choosing their own clothes and feeling good in them
- A bit of mess — messy hair, food on a face, scattered toys. It’s all part of the story
- Sentimental pieces that mean something — a favourite toy someone won’t put down, a blanket grandma made before she passed
- Pets. They’re family too, and always welcome where the location allows
A couple of things to avoid
- Cleavage or bra straps showing — there’s a lot of movement and play in a session, so a higher neckline (a crewneck works nicely) saves you having to think about it
- Fake tan — your natural skin will photograph beautifully as it is
- Pockets stuffed with stuff — if you need to bring things along, pop them in a nice-looking bag instead. It can sit in the shot if it needs to; lumpy pockets can’t
- Resting face — I never expect anyone to smile the whole session, and I capture the full range of real life, including the moment a partner’s annoyed you or a kid’s mid-meltdown. But if you notice your neutral face tends to look a bit cranky, think of something that makes you happy while we’re shooting — it really does come through
The short version
Wear what already feels like you, dress for comfort and for the weather, and don’t overthink the rest. When you boil it down, what to wear for family photos was never really about the outfits anyway – it’s about the little everyday things happening around it, the ones you’ll actually want to remember.
If you’re ready to book your own photography session with me, please reach out via my contact form. I can’t wait to learn more about you and your amazing family.
