Lodi, CA, is a beautiful area to capture your family portraits this year. Between its quaint downtown area and numerous parks and hiking trails, there’s a perfect location for every family. So, you’re dreaming of family portraits to display on the walls, but what should your family wear? This is a question I hear from almost all of my clients. I’m here to help!

Wardrobe guidance and support are included with every family portrait session experience, but I want to share some outfit ideas for you here. All these tips will help everyone feel comfortable and confident on the day of the session.

What to Wear for Your Family Photos

Start With Mom – I highly recommend starting with mom’s outfit. Why? Once we have mom set, it’s much easier to plan everyone else’s wardrobe. Mom, if you can’t find anything in your closet, this may be a good reason to treat yourself or see if your photographer has a wardrobe available.

Coordinate Colors – Go with neutral colors that blend well together. Coordinate, but don’t necessarily match. Sometimes matching is very cute, such as two daughters wearing the same dress. However, if every family member wears the exact same color or shirt, it creates a distraction. You want your faces to be the first thing you notice in a portrait, not what people are wearing.

Avoid Loud Patterns – Wearing patterns can be distracting in photos, and we don’t want any distraction from your beautiful faces. Some softer patterns are okay, but I usually recommend avoiding them for your family portrait.

Thoughtful Accessories – Thoughtful, simple accessories tend to look better in photos. Avoid trendy accessories as those will look dated in just a year or so. Again, we want to avoid creating any distractions from your family, so minimal jewelry is best!

Comfort is Key – I always tend to lean towards comfort while still having style. The more comfortable and confident everyone is, the more beautiful the photos will be. For example, if your daughter wears a dress to the session and never usually wears dresses, she’ll likely not be a happy camper. Work together to find an outfit that coordinates but still shows her personality. Plus you have access to the RVP Studio Wardrobe that has dress options for mom and little girls, so you can always borrow a dress from our studio wardrobe as well.

Make Sure Everything Fits – This is my most important tip! Always have everyone try on their outfits at least a week in advance. This way, you can find anything that needs fixing with plenty of time to spare. This is just one of the ways that you’ll feel more ready for your family photo session.

Lodi Family Photographer

As a Certified Professional Photographer, you can trust that you’re in the best hands to capture your family portraits. The Rachael Venema Photography Experience eliminates all the stress from a family portrait session. I guide my clients through the entire process and take all the frustration out of the experience. If you’re interested in scheduling your family portrait session, please send me a message here.

Are you not quite ready to schedule but want to say in touch, please join my email community here. I pop in your inbox monthly or so to share any ideas, updates, and encouragement.