Access links to the above outfits here… Women’s Dress, Toddler Dress, Baby Boy Outfit, Mens Outfit
We love to take the stress out of planning and preparations for our clients. This includes what to wear for family photos. Below you will find all of our best tips that will have you feeling your BEST in front of the camera. One thing that we tell our clients all of the time, we can photoshop a lot of things… but we can’t photoshop a feeling or emotion. With that, let’s start with Tip #1
#1 Only YOU know what makes you feel your BEST!
I can give advice here, but none of it matters if it doesn’t make you feel comfortable. If you do not love to wear a dress, then wear pants, shorts, whatever it may be… just don’t show up naked, lol! This advice is great for men and kids too. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE do not put your husband in something he hates wearing. Jeans can be hot and uncomfortable for men. If this is the case, khaki pants or even shorts work well on the beach.
#2 Momma’s Go First!
All right my little momma’s out there. Listen up! Now is the time to put yourself first. I know that you put everyone else first all day every day. This is an opportunity to allow yourself to make it all about YOU. This means, going shopping and finding THE outfit that you love. Once you have this, then you can coordinate the rest of the family. Kids look adorable in mostly anything and are a lot easier to dress. Men, as long as you stick to rule #1, you will just need to find a coordinating solid color top. Tip #4 speaks more on the topic of colors.
Access links to the outfits below here… Women’s Dress, Boy’s Outfit, Girl’s Dress, Men’s Outfit
#3 Choose clothing that FITS properly
Do not wait until the last minute to try on the outfits. If the clothing is too big.. guess what? You will look big in the photos. Choosing clothing that fits in the right places will be key. Below are two dresses that are similar. The one on the left is more fitted above the waist giving more definition to the body. The dress on the right is a straight cut and does not give a defined waist. Try to pay attention to little details like this.
You can access links to both dresses here… Cream Dress, White Dress
#4 Solid Colors are the Way to Go
There is no doubt that solids are my go-to for dressing adults. Patterns can make you look bigger than you actually are… and I know you don’t want that. In the event that the beach wind is blowing clothes in an unflattering way, we can easily photoshop the clothing for a better-fitted look. View more about how we edit, HERE. We do also love when dresses have an element of texture. This can be on the material itself like in the photos above, or it can be buttons, a belt, or my personal favorite ruffles. The texture on clothing can give a look more style. If you find that solids are boring, I suggest putting the patterns onto the kids. This can help to break up colors and tie everyone together. The pattern can be a simple stripe or a cute flowery romper.
Access these outfits here: Girl Striped Dress, Girl Flowery Romper, Mom’s Blue Dress
#5 Choosing Your Color
You will see A LOT of blues and whites for family beach photos. This is for a couple of reasons. Number 1 is that blues are super easy to find. This can be helpful when extended relatives such as aunts, uncles, and grandparents join in the photo. Number 2, is that the soft blues do photograph well with the beach colors. Blue is easy-breezy. But don’t be afraid to go outside of the “norm”. Pops of color such as yellow can be STUNNING against the blues of the beach. We have had clients tell us in the past and say things like “we like to wear black. Most of our wardrobes are dark colors and we feel best in black” My response goes back to my rule #1, if you don’t love a common beach color like blue…. then go with what makes you happy!
One of my new favorite colors that we have seen on the beach this past year is a burnt orange or brick red tone. This color gives a new life to beach photos. It looks great in photos and flattering to most skin tones.
The possibilities are endless but don’t need to be overwhelming. If at any point you feel yourself getting frustrated, walk away. Don’t forget that you can also contact us for assistance. My favorite thing to do is Amazon Prime. I can order a bunch of outfits and easily return the ones that don’t work out. I love that I can read reviews and BONUS if another shopper in my size shares a photo. This allows me to see different body types in the dress.
Amazon Shopping Tip! To help sort through the many options I look for the following things before I buy.
- Is it Amazon Prime with Free Returns
- What is the ship date? Yes, I have had some Prime products still take more than a few days.
- Reviews. How many stars, is there a pattern of complaints i.e. cheap fabric
- Check reviews for fitting. Some items run small, big or true to size
- Reviews with Photos. This is a major bonus in my book. Show real people purchased the item
If you prefer to shop local here in Vero Beach…which I do love to! Then check out Seahorse Lane which is located on 14th Ave Downtown. Not far from there is Coast Boutique. If you are over on the beachside, check out Treasure Lane.
I hope that you have found these tips helpful in planning out your family session. THIS link here will take you to our carefully curated finds from Amazon. When you purchase from here, you help support our small business, and cannot express to you how much that means to us. “As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.” Clients who book with us will receive our extended tips and tricks on how to look your best for photos AND keep the family happy. Look good, feel good! Below are a few more color combination examples.
