It’s family photo time again and I imagine you are in panic mode trying to figure out clothes to wear, a color scheme, and praying that your kids will cooperate!  Trust me, I TOTALLY understand!  I have three little ones myself.  Coordinating clothes for five people can be daunting!  And the worry of your children cooperating is stressful.  Who doesn’t want that perfect family photo?

Here are five tips to help you out this year:

1.  Speaking to the moms out there, if you are having trouble deciding on your attire, I would suggest putting your
outfit together first!–trust me, if MOM looks good, most of the photos look good.  =) After you look amazing, finding clothing for the rest of
the family to coordinate with you is the goal–and it’s much easier once
you have something to work off of!

2.  If you care about color trends, it’s easy to find the latest popular colors simply by searching something like: “color trends fall 2013.”  Here are a couple links to that exact search I just did here and here.  See, that wasn’t so painful!  And if you want to know how to put some of the colors together, look at the color trends for decorating!  They are fabulous at bringing colors together.  Check out this link!

3.  Speaking of decorating, I like to think of coordinating my family’s clothing like decorating a room.  I need some solids, layers, textures and few patterns.  Some photographers would argue that patterns are too distractive.  I think differently.  Take a look at the photos and decide if you like some pattern involvement!  I think all of these elements add interest to your photos!  This
time of year is PERFECT for layering!  Cardigans, jackets,
blazers, vests, boots, scarves, hats, accessories–just to name a few!  

4.  As far as children go, sometimes bringing along Grandma or somebody that your children love and trust can be very helpful.  I would check with your photographer first though.  Some prefer that you didn’t bring a helper.  I personally love when Grandma is there–as long as she isn’t trying to take over the session and give me orders.  Ha ha that has actually never happened to me, but I can only imagine how awful that would be! 😉

5.  And lastly, don’t be afraid to wear a little more makeup than you usually do.  Makeup can enhance your features, give you some needed color, and help your skin look a little better.  Don’t forget the lips!  Show off the feature that is highlighted in family photos–your smile! 

I hope these tips will lead you to your best family photo session ever!