To help you and your family have the best portrait experience and know what to wear for family photos, we want to share some helpful styling tips for him! From choosing what shirt(s) to wear to adding layers and accessories, these tips will help him feel comfortable and confident during your session while making your family’s photos look more editorial!
Choosing Colors and Patterns for Family Photos
When choosing colors for your family’s outfits, we recommend selecting light, neutral colors because they photograph softer, complement skin tones, and look more high-end. Bright, bold, or neon colors create unflattering skin tones and take the focus away from where it should be: you and your family! Also, small, complex patterns (like a tiny pinstripe, plaid, or checked design) can be distracting and create unusual colors in your images, so try to stay away from busy prints, avoid logos, and opt for solids instead. To learn more about what colors to wear and how to coordinate your family’s outfits for family pictures, you can read our blog post, “Gorgeous Color Palettes for Fall Family Photos.”
For his outfit(s), we recommend selecting a different “weight” for his bottoms and top(s). For example, he could wear jeans (darker) and a cream sweater (lighter) or camel pants (darker) with a beige polo (lighter). This choice will add visual interest and contrast to your family photos, elevating your family’s images!
Coordinating His Outfit(s) with Your Family’s Outfits
Most moms choose their outfits first and then build the rest of their family’s outfits based on that. When styling his outfit(s), we suggest choosing colors that complement your outfit(s) while incorporating a masculine style. Then, you can tie in some of the coordinating colors in his outfit(s) with your accessories, mixing all the colors together!
For example, you could wear a vanilla blush dress with a white sweater, a beige basket of white flowers, a soft gold necklace, and tan ballet flats (making vanilla blush your dominant color). Then, your spouse could wear a white solid, collared shirt with a vanilla blush tie, a beige sweater, tan corduroys, and tan leather dress shoes (making tan his dominant color). Your daughter could then wear a white, beige, and vanilla blush dress with beige ballet flats (making white her dominant color). Your son could then wear a white solid, collared shirt, a beige suit vest, beige dress pants, a tan bow tie, and tan leather dress shoes (making beige his dominant color). That way, your husband and son could incorporate a touch of vanilla blush or coordinating colors in their outfits while having a masculine look, tying all the family’s outfits together!
Feel free to check out some of our other blog posts to learn how to prepare your family for family photos and styling tips for her.
Comfortable and Confident
We want you and your family to cherish this special time together and love your images, so when deciding what to wear for family photos, we recommend that he wears top(s), bottoms, accessories, and shoes that he feels comfortable and confident in! Please ensure that all his clothes fit snuggly (but not too tight), are the correct length, and his shoes are comfortable.
Men’s Tops
In the same way, a dress is the most flattering silhouette for the female body; a blazer, sports coat, or jacket has the same effect on men. He can’t go wrong with a dress shirt, slacks, and a blazer. We’d suggest avoiding a T-shirt or tank top and opting for a long-sleeved, collared shirt, button-down, polo, or Henley shirt. He can roll his sleeves up for a slightly more casual style, giving him two looks with one shirt!
Some of our favorite places to shop for men’s clothing are Van Heusen and Kohl’s.
Men’s Bottoms
If the weather permits, we recommend that he wears longer pants for your family photos, such as long:
- dress pants
- slacks
- khakis
- jeans
They’ll give your family’s images a more editorial look!
Men’s Suits for Family Photos
When selecting his suit, the fit matters most, not the price. Men need to have a jacket that fits snugly (but not too tight) and pants that are the correct length and don’t have too many breaks. Like high heels make women look taller than they are, bunched-up fabric on top of a man’s shoes makes him look shorter. Also, please avoid suits with small, complex patterns and opt for solid, light, and neutral colors.
Layered Looks
Layers on men will add dimension and visual interest to your family’s images, so we highly recommend that he wears them if the temperature permits! He could wear a V-neck sweater with a pop of color from a long-sleeved, collared shirt and tie, or he could bring a leather or denim jacket. Don’t be afraid to get creative with layers!
For example, if the temperature permits, he could layer a solid, collared shirt with a tie and suit vest or sweater. If it’s warmer outside, he could layer a long or short-sleeved polo, button-down, collared shirt, or Henley shirt with a pop of color from a coordinating, solid-colored T-shirt underneath or pair it with a tie.
His Shoes & Accessories for Family Photos
Unlike athletic shoes or sandals, closed-toed, leather dress shoes or boots will elevate your family’s pictures while keeping his feet warm during colder weather!
Regardless of the season, accessories always create a polished touch in your family photos! He could wear:
- a tie or bow tie
- suspenders
- cuff links
Optional Outfit Change Tip (for 75-Minute Family Portrait Experiences)
If your family has a 75-Minute Family Portrait Experience, you can include an optional outfit change in your session, adding more variety to your family photos! If you decide to incorporate an outfit change, we suggest he arrives in a formal outfit and packs a casual one for later in your session. It’ll help your family photo session end on a more comfortable, relaxing note! Also, we recommend coordinating the outfit he wears to your family’s session with the outfit change he brings so all the images in your gallery and blog post (if you choose to have a blog post) will pair well together and look cohesive!
For example, if he wears a pale-yellow solid, collared shirt with a beige sweater, a wafer tie, and wafer khakis to your session, he could pack a more casual white solid, collared shirt with a pale-yellow tie and tan corduroys. That way, the two outfits would coordinate while capturing elegant and slightly casual portraits all in one session!
For a more casual portrait experience, if he wears a slightly casual white solid, collared shirt with a pale-yellow tie and tan corduroys to your session, he could bring a wafer solid, collared shirt with a white T-shirt and jeans. That way, the two outfits would coordinate and complement one another, making your family photos look editorial with a casual style! To capture a formal and casual look, if he wears a pale-yellow solid, collared shirt with a wafer tie, a beige sweater, and wafer khakis to your session, he could bring a wafer solid, collared shirt with a white T-shirt and jeans for an outfit change.
One Final Note
Sweet Friend, the God of the universe has made you and your family so special, priceless, and unique! He loves you all so much, and you’re all so valuable to Him that He made you in His own image 🙂 Never forget how treasured you are!
We know we just gave you several styling tips for him for what to wear for family photos; feel free to email us at Jenn@JenniferHallPhotographyLLC.com if you have any questions. Love you lots!
