Family Picture Time: How to Look Your Best Without Losing the Fun

Family picture day sounds like such a lovely idea.

Everyone will be dressed beautifully. The children will smile. Nobody will spill anything on themselves on the way there. Nobody will suddenly decide they hate the outfit they loved yesterday. Everyone will look directly at the camera at exactly the same time.

Right?

Anyone who has ever tried to take a family photograph knows better.

And maybe that's part of what makes family pictures so special. We're trying to capture real people at a particular moment in their lives. The missing tooth. The curls that won't cooperate. The little boy who can't stand still. The shy smile. The big personality. The way your children look right now, because somehow they never stay that way for very long.

What everyone wears certainly matters, but creating a beautiful family photograph doesn't require perfectly styled children or an elaborate wardrobe. A little planning, some thoughtful coordination, and clothing that allows everyone to feel comfortable can go a long way.

Most importantly, don't style away the people you're trying to remember.

Start With Where You're Taking the Pictures

Before deciding what everyone should wear, think about where the photographs will be taken and the feeling you want them to have.

An outdoor family session might call for relaxed clothing, natural shades, comfortable shoes, and easy layers. A studio portrait might lend itself to something more classic or dressed up. Beach pictures will have an entirely different feeling from photographs taken among colorful fall leaves or around the holidays.

The season can help guide your choices, too. Warm earth tones and cozy textures can be beautiful in the fall. Soft pastels and lightweight fabrics work well during spring and summer. Richer colors can create a classic holiday look.

You want the clothing to complement the setting, not compete with it.

Comfort Comes First, Especially With Children

You can put a child in the most beautiful outfit imaginable, but if it's itchy, stiff, tight, hot, or uncomfortable, you're probably going to see that discomfort in the pictures.

Choose soft, well-fitting clothes that allow children to move. They should be able to sit, walk, run, play, and be themselves without someone constantly adjusting a collar, pulling down a shirt, or telling them not to move.

The same goes for shoes.

And don't forget the weather. Cardigans, sweaters, jackets, and other simple layers can add visual interest while also keeping everyone comfortable if the temperature changes.

A comfortable child is much more likely to give you the expression you're hoping to capture than a perfectly dressed child who can't wait to take everything off.

Coordinate. Don't Clone.

There was a time when family pictures seemed to require everyone to show up in exactly the same outfit.

Thankfully, we've moved on. 😂

Instead of matching everyone perfectly, choose a color palette that works together. Cream, muted blue, dusty pink, soft green, denim, and earthy or neutral shades can create a cohesive look without making everyone appear to be wearing a family uniform.

For example, one child might wear a soft blue dress while another wears cream with a blue accent. A parent might bring in another shade from the same palette.

The colors relate to one another without everyone looking identical.

Be Careful With Patterns, Logos and Words

Patterns can add personality to a photograph, but too many competing patterns can become distracting.

If one person is wearing a floral dress or another patterned piece, consider keeping everyone else's clothing a little simpler. You can pull colors from the patterned piece to help choose the rest of the family's outfits.

Large logos, oversized graphics, and prominent words can also draw attention away from the most important things in the photograph: your faces and your connection with one another.

Instead, consider creating visual interest through texture, layers, subtle patterns, and classic details.

Give Accessories a Supporting Role

Accessories can be wonderful in photographs when they complement rather than dominate the picture.

For children, a bow, headband, decorative hair clip, hat, or other small detail can bring an outfit together and add personality. A bow that picks up a shade from a dress, sweater, or print can create a polished look without requiring everything to match perfectly.

For families who prefer a classic children's style, the WeeOnes x Feltman Brothers Hairbows & HairBands collection offers traditional bows and headbands designed to complement children's clothing.

But here's the rule that matters most: if your child hates wearing it, skip it.

The world's most beautiful hair bow isn't going to improve a photograph of a miserable child trying to rip it off.

Let Siblings Look Like Individuals

Coordinating siblings doesn't mean making them look exactly alike.

Choose a common color palette, and then let each child's clothing reflect a little of who they are. One child might wear a dress, another trousers and a sweater, and another a romper or skirt.

As long as the colors and overall style complement one another, the photograph will still feel connected.

This also gives you more variety when the photographer takes individual pictures of each child.

After all, siblings are members of the same family. They aren't the same person.

Their pictures don't need to pretend otherwise.

Don't Forget the Shoes

Shoes might seem like a tiny detail until you see the full-length family photograph and realize they're very much in it.

Choose shoes that make sense with the clothing and the location, but keep comfort in mind. If you're taking outdoor pictures and have to walk any distance, bring practical shoes and change when you reach the location.

And if small children are involved, having a backup pair isn't a terrible idea.

Actually, when small children are involved, having a backup anything isn't a terrible idea.

Don't Style Away Their Personality

This may be the most important advice of all.

The photographs are about your child, not the outfit.

If your child has a favorite color, sweater, dress, bow, or other item that makes them happy and confident, consider finding a way to include it.

There's no need to make children look like miniature adults or perfectly styled models.

Years from now, you probably won't look at these photographs and wish the sweater had been a slightly different shade of blue.

You'll look at your child's expression.

You'll remember that missing tooth. The way they smiled. How little they were. The curls. The freckles. The personality. The way one child could never sit still and another always wanted to be right next to you.

Clothing should help create the photograph.

It shouldn't become the photograph.

Pack a Little Family Picture Survival Kit

A little preparation can save a lot of aggravation. Bring a backup outfit for young children, weather-appropriate layers, comfortable shoes if you'll be walking, a comb or brush, wipes, tissues, water, and a few non-messy snacks.

If you're using bows, clips, or other small accessories, bring an extra.

Because spills happen. Mud happens. Hair happens. Children happen.

That's family life.

Let Kids Be Kids

The best family photographs aren't necessarily the ones where everything is perfect.

They're the ones that somehow preserve a little piece of who your family was at that moment in time.

So choose clothes that fit comfortably. Coordinate rather than match. Pay attention to color and setting. Bring the backup outfit. Think about the little details.

And then let some of the perfection go.

Let them laugh.

Let them move.

Let the curls get a little messy.

Let their personalities show.

Because someday the clothes will be outgrown, the shoes will be too small, and that favorite bow may be tucked away in a box.

But you'll still have the photograph.

And you'll be very glad it looks like them.

About the Author

Sarah Fischer is the Design Director of Feltman Brothers, a children's clothing company founded in 1916 and known for classic, heirloom-style clothing and accessories for babies and young children.