One of the most common questions we get asked at My Little Tribe is what to wear for family photos.

You’ll already know the location of your shoot and you’ll have a rough idea of the weather (we say rough, because of course in Melbourne you just never know for sure).

And we get that deciding what to wear can be somewhat stressful. Of course you’ll want everyone looking nice. But do you need to be coordinated? Should you buy new clothes? Use our tips to help you pick out the perfect outfits for your family photos.

Go With Neutral Colours

Because this is a family photo shoot, you want to make sure that you and your kids are the focal points. Really bright outfits, obvious brand names or super-matching outfits (think the white t-shirt/blue jeans combo favoured in the ‘90s) tend to draw attention away from the people in the photo. Neutral clothing will allow you and your family to shine.

Now don’t think you have to match your clothing with the precision of a designer (unless that’s your thing). But having some sort of colour palette will help you as you start to choose what everyone will wear.

One option is to choose dark colours – say dark blue, maroon, dark green and dark purple. Or have everyone in light colours such as pastels, cream and white.

Consider The Location

Of course the location of your family photo shoot will help guide your choice.

A beach location in summer suggests light, cotton clothing. But it doesn’t always have to be warm to go to the beach. A winter beach shoot lends itself to layered clothing with plenty of texture.

If your photo shoot is at the park then it’s all about play. So think clothes that allow your kids (and you) to run about and roll around.

Choose Comfortable Clothing

Men usually look best in pants or jeans, rather than shorts. While for women we suggest choosing a skirt or dress that sits at or below the knees, or pants. You’ll be so much more comfortable sitting on the ground or rolling around with the kids without worry about your clothes.

Kiddies have a bit more freedom when it comes to what to wear. Most of our shoots are held outside and we do encourage kids to run around, muck on the ground and basically do those things they’d do in normal play.

Let Kids Wear What They Love

You might have picked out the perfect jumper for Little Miss to wear. But if she’s constantly fussing in it because it ‘itches’ then it won’t make for a great photo.

The photo shoot isn’t so much about what your family is wearing, and is more about how you are together. So instead of trying to cajole little ones (and big kids too) into wearing what you’ve chosen, allow them to get involved in picking their outfit.



Perhaps you allow your girls to each pick out a favourite hair clip, and let your boys wear their beloved dinosaur socks.

After all, as they grow their choices will change and it’s nice to be able to remember the things they loved at a certain moment in time.