Getting yourself dressed for photos is manageable. Getting yourself, a toddler, a six-year-old, and a partner who just wants to wear whatever into something cohesive? That’s a whole different task.
This post walks through the styling guidelines I use with my own clients, plus my current spring picks through KD Curated, the styling side of my business where I share outfit ideas for photo sessions and everyday wear. If you want to see new pieces as I add them throughout the season, follow along on Instagram at @kd_curated. And if you’re already thinking about booking, family portrait sessions in Farmington, CT are open for spring.
Studio vs. Outdoors: The Setting Should Inform Your Outfits
Where you’re shooting changes what works, and it’s worth sorting out before you start adding things to your cart.
Outdoor spring sessions have a lot going on visually. Greenery, natural light, texture in the background. That means they can handle more from the outfits: prints, pops of color, a little pattern mixing. The environment does some of the visual balancing for you.
Studio sessions are different. The backdrop is usually neutral and clean, which means the outfits carry more of the visual weight. Pieces that would look great in a field can feel heavy or overpowering against a simple background. In the studio, softer and more understated almost always wins. Fewer patterns, quieter colors, fabrics that photograph beautifully without competing for attention.
Start with a Color Palette, Not a Matching Set
Coordinating works better than matching. You want the family to look like they belong together, not like they are all clones of one another.
For spring, the palette that tends to photograph well is on the softer side: cream, warm white, sage, dusty blue, blush, soft terracotta, olive, mushroom. These colors sit well together and hold up in both natural light and studio settings. Neons, bright primary colors, and anything overly matchy are worth skipping.
Heavy all-over prints are also generally a pass, unless they’re small-scale. A subtle floral or thin stripe can work. A bold, large-scale print tends to pull the eye away from faces, which is not the goal here.
A Few Rules That Apply to Every Outfit
Regardless of style, a few things consistently make outfits work better on camera.
Texture over pattern. A chunky knit, a linen blend, a textured cotton — these add visual interest without the distraction of a busy print. Especially useful for kids, where you might not want to fight about what they’re wearing AND whether it photographs well.
Fabric matters. Flowy, natural fabrics like linen and cotton move well and look soft in photos. Stiff, shiny, or synthetic fabrics can look flat or catch light in unflattering ways. If you’re unsure, linen is almost always the right call for spring.
Layer for the weather. Connecticut spring is optimistic at best. Bring a light jacket or cardigan. It also gives you something to work with compositionally.
Keep accessories simple. One piece, not everything. A delicate necklace, a hat, a simple earring. Accessories should finish the look, not compete with it.
What I’m Loving for Moms This Spring
This season I’m gravitating toward slightly structured silhouettes with soft floral prints. Nothing too bold, nothing that requires holding your breath for two hours.
For the Kids
Comfortable kids cooperate on camera. That’s not a suggestion, it’s just physics. Whatever you put them in, make sure they can move, sit, run, and potentially lie in the grass without it becoming an issue.
For spring, soft pants or a linen-blend short works well for boys. A simple dress or a skirt set for girls. Keep it neutral or pulled from the same palette as mom’s outfit. Logos and graphic tees are worth skipping unless the session is intentionally casual.
For the Dads
When it comes to what to wear for a photo shoot, dads generally want a clear and easy answer. Here it is.
A neutral chino or slim jean, a quality linen or chambray button-down in a color pulled from whatever mom is wearing, and clean footwear. White or tan sneakers, simple leather shoes, or clean loafers all work. That’s the formula.
What to skip: graphic tees, athletic wear, anything with a large logo, and the khaki-and-white-polo combination that somehow keeps showing up. Also avoid wearing the exact same color as the kids. It collapses and reads as one visual block rather than a family.
Putting It All Together
Start with mom’s outfit and build everyone else outward from there. Pull one color from her look for the kids, something complementary for dad, and let the rest vary within the palette.
Before you leave the house, do a quick check in the mirror as a group. You’re looking for cohesion, not uniformity. If you’re not sure whether it’s working, lay the outfits flat and photograph them together. Things that clash are often more obvious in a photo than they are in person.
If you’re more of a visual person and need to see a whole look pulled together before it clicks, I have two resources for that: My Shop the Look page on ShopMy has shoppable outfit inspiration organized by session type, and this Pinterest board is where I pin full looks for photo shoots. Both are worth a scroll if you need a starting point.
Styling guidance is included with every session. If you’re booking a family photo session or a maternity or newborn session in Connecticut and want a second set of eyes before your appointment, just ask. That’s part of what I do.
Frequently Asked Questions About What to Wear for Spring Family Photos
No, and honestly the matching look tends to date a photo faster than almost anything else. Coordinating is the move. That means everyone’s wearing colors and tones that belong in the same palette, not the same outfit in different sizes. The goal is for the family to look like they belong together, not like they planned this down to the last detail (even if you did). For visual examples of coordinated family looks, my What to Wear for Your Photo Shoot Pinterest board is a good starting point.
The short answer? No. It really depends on the photographer you’re working with and the overall aesthetic you’re going for, but if you’re working with me, black doesn’t fit my editing style or the look I’m building, so I recommend steering clear of it. Outdoor spring sessions are particularly unforgiving. Black tends to feel heavy against soft greens and spring light. In the studio it’s a bit more forgiving, but it still pulls the image in a direction that doesn’t match my aesthetic. If you love black, keep it to a small accent (a piece of jewelry, a hair accessory) rather than making it the anchor of the whole look.
A neutral chino or slim jean, a linen or chambray button-down in a color pulled from whatever mom is wearing, and clean simple footwear. White or tan sneakers, leather shoes, or loafers all work. That’s genuinely the whole formula. Skip the graphic tee, the athletic wear, and the khaki-and-white-polo combination. If you want actual product picks, I share dad-friendly options on KD Curated on Instagram and through the Shop the Look page on ShopMy storefront.
Both can work, but scale matters. I’m loving soft floral prints this spring. They feel fresh and seasonal without being overpowering. A small, subtle floral reads as texture in a photo. A large, bold floral tends to pull focus away from faces, which is not what you want. The same rule applies to patterns generally: smaller and lower-contrast is safer than big and graphic. A good approach is to have one person in a pattern (usually mom) with everyone else in solids that pull from the colors in the print. That gives the image visual interest without making the outfit the main subject.
Start with one anchor outfit, usually mom’s, and build everyone else outward from there. Pull one or two colors from that look for the kids, find something complementary for dad, and let the shades and silhouettes vary naturally. You’re looking for cohesion, not uniformity. If you want to see what that actually looks like before your session, my What to Wear Pinterest board has full family looks pulled together, and the Shop the Look page on ShopMy has shoppable options organized by session type.
A few places. The Shop the Look page on ShopMy has shoppable spring picks organized by session type, and my What to Wear for Your Photo Shoot Pinterest board is where I pin full coordinated family looks so you can see how everything comes together. For ongoing picks throughout the season, follow KD Curated on Instagram. And if you’re booking a spring family session or a maternity or newborn session in Connecticut and want a second set of eyes on your specific outfits before you come in, that’s included. Just ask.
Kelli Dease is a Farmington, Connecticut newborn and family photographer specializing in timeless, light-filled maternity and newborn portraits, baby and children’s photography, and family portraits. She offers a relaxed, full-service experience for growing families, creating in-studio and outdoor portraits with a focus on simplicity and ease. Clients receive access to a curated studio wardrobe, thoughtful guidance throughout the planning and session process, and digital images, with the option to add fine art prints and albums. Please contact Kelli Dease Photography today to find out about session availability.
Kelli Dease Photography serves families throughout Farmington, Avon, Simsbury, Canton, West Hartford, Burlington, Granby, and the surrounding Farmington Valley, Hartford County, and central Connecticut areas.
To see more of Kelli’s photos, please follow her on Instagram.
