The Best Colors to Wear for Family Lifestyle Photos
Choosing the right clothes to wear is vital if your goal is to create beautiful lifestyle family photographs that can withstand the test of time.
However, this can be challenging and pretty stressful. I literally feel their pain when clients ask me what are the best colors to wear for family pictures.
Not only do they have to find the perfect family of outfits, but they also have to select the best colors to wear for their family lifestyle photography at home and outside.
So, if you find yourself in a similar situation, I have prepared a handful of suggestions below to help you narrow down your wardrobe choices for your next lifestyle photography shots.
Let’s get right into it.
Why is it important to find the best colors to wear for a lifestyle family photography shoot?
Inasmuch as the Internet is capable of keeping long-term copies of memories you’d rather soon forget—remember those bad family portraits in Google’s archives?—the landscape today has also changed.
Before, families used to match the colors of their outfits when posing for family portraits.
Today, however, the practice is to coordinate colors to show off the individual personality of each family member.
While no single rule exists to determine the best colors to wear for lifestyle family photography portraits, the key is to have the members of your family wear clothes featuring the same color scheme.
How to find the best colors to wear for family pictures?
In my experience, the best colors to wear in your family photos are those that complement your family’s personality, your surroundings, and the display area where you’re going to place the photographs.
Colors that are too bold can be visually distracting and take away the attention from your family.
In comparison, you might be pleased once you see the impact that the burnt orange color can give to your lifestyle photography sessions in the fall.
Make sure that you plan properly ahead of time to coordinate your color scheme and achieve beautiful family photos that are worth recollecting.
For a more distinct example, here are a few color combinations and situations that you might want to look into.
Colors to wear for indoor family photoshoots
Apart from the distracting gleam of neon, you can choose any complementing colors you like.
You don’t have to worry so much about your upcoming family lifestyle photography at home or any other indoor family photography session. There are only a few factors that you need to consider when doing indoor family photography.
For one, your lighting problems are pretty much in the bag. You could easily adjust your light intensity and position your light sources at the right angles. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about how dark your picture will be just because nighttime has fallen.
Another advantage is that you can choose your theme and color indoors without worrying about how it would go with the trees or the weather outside. If you want, you can even use your own backdrop to control your surroundings.
On the other hand, if you’re doing family lifestyle photography at home, an indoor photoshoot can vividly show the changes that have occurred inside your home. The pastel yellow theme of your photo back then can complement your white walls now.
Take note, though, that you still have to check whether your chosen colors would go well with your photoshoot area.
A brown dress code might look faulty when taken inside your woody brown-themed study.
Colors to wear for outdoor family photoshoots
Play around with neutral colors as much as you want since they are your safest option. Neutral colors easily complement the various complexities of an outside photoshoot.
One good thing about having family shoots outdoors is that you don’t have to worry about the color blinding your audience. It also becomes easier to draw attention to your family instead of having the color fight for attention.
Nonetheless, I suggest that you still take into account the outdoor space where you are taking snaps.
Different colors complement a beach, a park, and a forest, for instance, and not considering them may ruin the family portrait you have in mind.
Colors that complement with the season
Neutral colors, such as navy, cream, and tan, look good in any season. They complement well with the pastel flowers of spring, the green grass and leaves of summer, the bright yellow and orange of fall, and even with the snowy white of winter.
However, if you want to play with non-neutral colors, you can also do so. In fact, here is a list of the colors that are ideal for different seasons.
Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
● Aqua ● Baby blue ● Blush pink ● Pale peach ● Mint green ● Cream ● Yellow ● Soft yellow ● Gray ● Light gray ● Spring green ● Lavender ● Other pastel colors | ● Warm pink ● Warm yellow ● White ● Bold red ● Bold pink ● Bright orange ● Sky blue ● Aqua ● Mint ● Turquoise ● Rose gold ● Royal blue | ● Rusty orange ● Mustard yellow ● Dark purple ● Gold ● Cream ● Other shades of brown and green | ● White ● Cream ● Warm red ● Black ● Ruby red ● Blue ● Medium gray ● Dark gray ● Any other jewelry-related colors, such as emerald green |
What color should you not wear on picture day?
Avoid wearing neon in your lifestyle family photography session.
The color may be cute and show character, but it is exceptionally distracting. Neon colors usually overpower your frame and can leave unwanted color casts on the subjects’ skin.
Hence, if you don’t want your child to look like they have jaundice in their snaps, don’t have them wear neon.
All in all
Choosing the best colors to wear for a lifestyle photography session with your family is not easy.
Hopefully, the tips above have given you an idea about how to achieve the family photos you want. Take note that they can apply, too, in high school senior photography.
Get in touch with me at 636.795.ARTS today if you’re searching for a professional who can do photography for high school seniors.
Don’t forget to have fun and enjoy your session!
About Us
Based in Missouri, Bright Focus Photography is a name of excellence in providing excellent photography services. Our exuberant services, dipped with a punch of humor, will be everything you need for your big day. By adding a hint of honesty, kindness, hard work, and fairness to our work, we stand out among many others for the effort we put into our work.