Wednesday's Wardrobe | Utah family photographer

"Do you have any suggestions for what we should wear for our pictures?"

This is a question that nearly every client asks me when scheduling their portrait session.

Believe me, having just gone through family pictures with my own family, I know the stress of trying to figure out what we would wear. I knew that I wanted lots of color, and I found these super cute plaid shorts for my oldest son, so I based all of our outfits around those shorts.

I also wanted to use as much from our own closets or thrift stores that I could, so I started with a plan and then was open to changes depending on what I could find.

So here is what I started out with......


I ended up hating how I looked in a jean jacket, so I nixed that idea. I was able to find quite a bit of what I had been looking for for the kids in their own closets, so I mostly just had to make a few color changes. But because my son's shorts have so many colors, this wasn't too big of an issue.

So here's what we ended up with......


In most cases, I tell my clients 4 main things to remember when picking their outfits:

1) Stay away from logos and lots of patterns. There are, of course, exceptions to this rule, such as limiting the pattern to one family member and then coordinate everyone else based on that --- An example of this is what I did with my son's shorts. This is definitely one of my favorite coordinating techniques.

2) Try to add some interest to your outfits with textures, layers and accessories --- Some examples of this would be adding a jacket, a ruffled skirt, chunky bracelets, leggings or a fun hat.

3) Avoid wearing lots of white, if possible --- White is not always flattering on everyone and also has a tendency to take on the colors of your surroundings.

4) Wear clothing and colors that you will be comfortable in --- This is the most important of all. If you or your children are uncomfortable and fidgeting with their clothing, it will show in your pictures.

So I thought I would try to put together some ideas that might help you pick your outfits for your portraits. Another photographer and I are working together to post some cute clothing options and I will (hopefully!) post a new idea each Wednesday.

Remember that I am not telling you to go out and buy all new clothes, unless you really want to, and in that case I'm certainly not going to stop you! But these posts will give you suggestions on color combinations, adding layers and textures, and ideas for using your existing pieces.

So today's collection is for a family of 6: Mom, Dad, 2 girls and 2 boys. Here is one time where patterns work together, and compliment each other nicely. Mom could also add fun earrings or even a scarf for some great texture. These pieces were found at Gymboree, Old Navy and The Gap.