White can be beautifully fresh. Light colors, pastels, and muted colors are always a great choice. White shirts and blouses go great with denim of all shades as well as khakis. Light colors are not distracting, and keep you and your family as the focus point of the images.
Be careful with bright colors. While bright colors can be exciting and fun, they are often very distracting and can cause the light to reflect odd colors back on your face. It is best to avoid the bright colors and go with light or dark colors instead.
Avoid busy prints, patterns, and logos. In the same vein as the bright colors, this is something you want to void. Again, they can be distracting and may not look great with the colors of other people in the photographs.
It is true–black is slimming. If you are worried about the old adage that the camera adds pounds, then this may be the option for you. Black is nearly always slimming and flattering. And or course, black goes with nearly everything and will almost never clash with the environment.
When in doubt, wear neutrals. Neutral colors (such as khaki, taupe, white, black, grey, brown, etc.) are always a great choice. It makes it easy to match other people in the photographs and will look great with any background.
Coordinate group/family outfits. When trying to put together outfits for family photos, the key is to coordinate the outfits, not necessarily to match them. Again, avoid loud or busy prints/patterns. The first step when setting up family outfits is to decide whether you want warm tones (brown, yellow, taupe) or cool tones (blue, grey, black). This will be the main–and most important–idea linking all the outfits together. Don’t forget about the shoes! Nothing ruins an image quite like ratty shoes.
Ask for input! I am always happy to look at some of the choice you have to help you choose outfits!
Pfahler Photography 