What to Wear for a Family Photoshoot: A Natural Guide for Families
Not sure what to wear for a family photoshoot? A simple guide to colours, textures, comfort and choosing outfits that feel natural and like your family.
What to Wear for a Family Photoshoot.
One of the first questions I get from families before a photoshoot is usually some version of:
“What are we supposed to wear?”
Once you decide to have your family photographed, suddenly the clothes you've been putting on without thinking about them every morning become something you're thinking very carefully about.
Do we need to match? Should everything be neutral? What colours photograph well? Can the children wear patterns? Does everyone need to buy something new?
My answer is usually much simpler than people expect: wear things that feel like you.
I want your photographs to look like your family, not like four people who were styled for a catalogue.
Here are a few things I recommend thinking about when choosing what to wear for a family photoshoot.
What should you wear for a family photoshoot?
Start with comfort. That might sound obvious, but it makes a huge difference in photographs.
If your toddler hates the dress you've chosen, your husband never wears linen trousers, or you spend the whole session worrying about whether your top is sitting correctly, it's going to affect how you feel.
Instead, think about the clothes you already reach for when you feel good. Maybe that's a simple dress. Maybe it's jeans and a shirt. Maybe your children practically live in soft cotton shorts and T-shirts. You don't need to turn your family into something you're not for a photoshoot.
The photographs are much more interesting when you still recognise yourselves in them.
You don't need matching outfits.
Please don't feel that everyone needs to wear the same colour. Matching family outfits can sometimes make a photograph feel quite formal, and that's not necessarily what we're going for, instead, think about coordinating.
You might choose a few colours that sit comfortably together and then let everyone interpret them differently.
For example, one person might wear cream, another soft blue, another denim and another a muted green. There is no formula you have to follow. The idea is simply to make sure that the clothes belong together without looking like a uniform.
Start with one outfit.
If you're completely stuck, choose one person's outfit first. It could be your favourite dress or something your child already has that you love. Then build the rest of the family's clothing around it. This is often much easier than trying to choose four outfits at the same time.
Let your children's personalities show.
I think this is particularly important with children. If your daughter is obsessed with wearing one particular colour, let her wear it.
If your son refuses anything other than his favourite shorts, perhaps that's what he should wear.
A family photograph is not just about making everyone look aesthetically pleasing. It's also about remembering who you were.
The little preferences that seem insignificant now can become the things you are happiest to see in a photograph years later. I would much rather photograph a child happily wearing their favourite clothes than a beautifully styled child who is uncomfortable and miserable.
Choose colours that work together.
You don't need to stick to beige, white and cream. Soft neutrals can be beautiful, but colour can be beautiful too.
When choosing outfits, look for colours that feel connected rather than identical.
Some combinations I love include:
cream, denim and soft blue
earthy greens and warm neutrals
muted pinks with cream and brown
warm whites with terracotta or rust
denim with soft greens and natural tones
These are only ideas, not rules. You can absolutely have brighter colours if that feels more like your family. In fact, I encourage you to play with colour!
The main thing I would avoid is having every person wear a completely different, very strong colour with nothing connecting the outfits.
Think about texture, not just colour.
Texture can make photographs feel much more interesting. Linen, cotton, denim, knits, soft dresses and natural fabrics can all add something visually without being distracting.
This is particularly lovely in close photographs of parents holding babies or children.
A knitted cardigan, a linen shirt, a worn pair of jeans or a soft cotton dress can tell you something about the person wearing it. You don't need elaborate styling. Sometimes the simplest clothes photograph beautifully.
What to wear for a family photoshoot in Dubai.
Living in Dubai obviously adds one practical consideration: the heat.
If we're photographing your family outdoors, choose clothing that allows everyone to be comfortable. Loose, breathable clothing can be a good option, particularly for younger children.
Think about how much movement there will be too. If your children are going to run, climb, sit on the ground or be carried, their clothes need to allow them to do that.
A beautiful outfit that limits movement isn't particularly useful for a session where your children are being themselves.
And if you're planning an outdoor family photoshoot in the warmer months, don't underestimate how much more comfortable everyone will be in lightweight clothing.
Dress for movement.
This is especially important for children.
During my sessions, I don't expect children to stand still for two hours. They might run, crawl, jump, climb onto Mum, be carried by Dad, sit on the floor or lie down. So think about the whole session rather than just how an outfit looks when everyone is standing.
Can your child move in it? Can they sit comfortably? Can they be picked up? Can you comfortably hold your baby?
Those questions matter much more to me than whether an outfit looks perfectly styled.
What about shoes?
Shoes are easy to overlook. If we're outdoors, choose shoes that your family can comfortably walk and move around in.
If we're at home, you don't necessarily need to worry about shoes at all. And if your child prefers to go barefoot, that's completely fine with me. In fact, some of my favourite photographs of young children are the ones where they're simply barefoot at home.
Should you avoid patterns and logos?
Not necessarily.
I wouldn't say that every family needs to avoid patterns. Small, subtle patterns can work beautifully. What I would be more cautious about are very large logos, extremely bold graphics or several competing patterns across the whole family.
Again, this isn't a hard rule. If a particular T-shirt is part of your child's personality and they love it, I wouldn't automatically take it away.
There is a difference between choosing clothes thoughtfully and removing everything that makes your family look like yourselves.
What to wear for an at-home family photoshoot.
If we're photographing your family at home, I would approach clothing slightly differently. You don't need to dress as though you're going somewhere formal. In fact, I often like home sessions to feel like home.
Soft clothes, pyjamas, barefoot children, a favourite cardigan, an oversized shirt, the clothes you would normally wear on a slow morning.
If we're photographing breakfast, playing in the bedroom or reading together on the sofa, the clothing should make sense within that environment. You don't need to create a version of your home that doesn't exist.
A few things I would leave at home.
You don't need to buy an entirely new wardrobe for your family photoshoot. I would avoid choosing clothes purely because you think they are what a family photographer is "supposed" to recommend.
And I wouldn't bring several outfit changes unless there is a particular reason for them. Too many choices can make the session feel more like a production than a family afternoon. One outfit that everyone feels good in is usually more than enough.
The most important thing: feel comfortable.
If there is one thing I want you to remember when deciding what to wear for a family photoshoot, it's this: you don't have to look like another family. You don't need matching outfits. You don't need a neutral wardrobe.You don't need to buy something new, and your children don't need to look perfectly styled.
Choose clothes that allow you to move, hold each other, sit down, play and be yourselves. Because those are the things I want to photograph: the way your daughter reaches for you, the way your baby falls asleep on your chest, the way siblings disappear into their own little world when they play. The way your family actually looks and feels together. That's much more interesting to me than whether everyone matched.
Planning a family photoshoot in Dubai?
If you're looking for a family photographer in Dubai and want photographs that feel natural, personal and connected to your everyday life, you can find out more about my family photography sessions here.
You don't need to arrive knowing how to pose or exactly what to wear. We'll start with your family as you are.
