What to wear?
What to wear guidelines were made to make a unique vibe as a family. The thing with matching outfits is that they show zero personality. Each person in the family being photographed is unique and my goal is to showcase that personality. If the LAST thing the son would ever wear is a button-up shirt, don’t make them wear a button-up shirt. They’ll end up feeling uncomfortable the entire session and it’ll show. If the daughter you’re photographing is into fun prints, let her pick a pattern for an outfit. Long gone are the days of plain items for kids– let her be creative and fun in her outfit selection. She’ll feel more confident and you’ll see it in how she photographs.
General Guidelines
I have a few general guidelines I offer to every single client I work with.
No logos that date the clothing. A favorite band t-shirt can be cool, but a giant Adidas logo on your shirt is not.
You wear solid colors and let your kids wear patterns. This makes the shots of everyone together interesting.
If your child is under one year old, keep their outfit minimal. Big bows or overwhelming accessories are just going to distract from the already small child. You don’t want your kid to compete with what they are wearing– let them be the focus.

Complimentary Outfits
When you select complementary outfits, each person can showcase their personality and vibe and as a family, it’ll look amazing together. When thinking of complimenting, it’s more often with color palettes than anything else. A color palette that coordinates means each person’s individual style can be on display while keeping a unified look during family images.
Inspiration
I have Pinterest boards loaded with inspiration for spring/summer and fall/winter sessions. You can go onto these boards and see if you have something in your closet that is similar or even see if you find something a friend might have that they can borrow. I curated these boards so that most things on the board will all work together. I have this to be a better option than boards for each person in the family. With these two general boards, you can see how items work together instead of just seeing random individual outfits for each person. It’s easier to visually understand this way.
Help
I’ll help out if needed. I always tell a client they can put together outfits and send me photos of how everything looks together. I’ll give feedback or maybe I have some things you could wear. I also offer suggestions and remember to make sure my feedback is constructive. Things like “I like that shape of the dress– do you have something similar in a softer color or know someone you can borrow it from?” or “How about asking the kids what they would want to wear then pick things in similar shapes and styles that match your color palette.” There’s always a way to encouraging you through the process.
I hope my what to wear guidelines were helpful for you. Please have a look https://alexlapatik.com/experience-i-tell-stress-free-storie/