What to wear for your family photos on Oahu, Hawaii

I love the neutral white with the pops of color in their florals!

Can I be honest? Choosing what to wear might be the most daunting part of family photos, but it does not have to be. So, let’s chat about it. One of my top priorities at Megan Johnson Photography is to give my clients a stress-free experience on Oahu. I want my clients to feel supported in the process, so that they are able to truly enjoy making memories with their loved ones. One of the major ways that I support my clients is by sharing my Outfit Guide with them when they book. My Outfit Guide includes color palettes that photograph well, examples, and do’s and don’ts. In today’s blog post, I am going to be sharing 3 of my top tips from my guide. I really hope these are helpful and would love to hear what you think in the comments below!

Tip # 1: Choose mom’s outfit first!

If we are being real, Moms normally have the strongest preferences around what to wear and are the one’s doing all of the coordination. The day family photos comes around is not necessarily a relaxing day for Mom. She is getting everyone ready and prepared for the photos. So, we want Mom to be comfortable and confident in her outfit. The LAST thing we want, is Mom changing 3 times before photos trying to figure out what to wear. Instead, Mom can take some time ahead of the shoot to find the specific dress/ outfit she feels the best in. Then, it is pretty easy to pull outfits for the kiddos and Dad that coordinate. For example, this sweet family started with Mom’s brown, floral dress, and then the boys wore neutrals that compliment her dress or are in her dress.

The warmth from the tans and browns are so gorgeous!

Tip # 2 : Coordinate, but you do not have to match exactly.

You do not have to all wear the same pattern and same brand of clothing. If you do start with choosing Mom’s outfit first, you can pull from colors in her outfit and have everyone else wear some of those colors., like you saw above. You can also choose a theme of sorts, like you see below. This gorgeous family chose a light denim to be the base of all of their outfits and then decided to build around that with neutrals.

I love this vibe SO much!

Tip # 3: Wear something you can walk, sit, dance, and crouch in.

This is probably the most important tip. You want to be COMFORTABLE. Not just physially, but mentally. You want to wear something that you are not mentally worrying about the entire session. For me, that is a long flowy dress because I know that if I crouch, I have coverage. If I sit, it will not be too tight. If I wake up and am not feeling super confident the day of the shoot, I am wearing something that makes me feel good in all angles. You also want to be able to play with your kiddos, dance with your partner, and just be yourself during your photos.

SO MUCH FUN!

Bonus Tip: Add Texture

What do I mean by this? Even if you choose to wear neutral colors, which are beautiful for photos, choose clothing items with different textures. Maybe a linen shirt for dad, a knit dress for mom, a skirt with ruffles for your little girl, and denim overalls for your little boy.

Another one of my favorite ways to add texture, is with florals! Lei are such a fun way to add color and unique texture to your images. Two of my favorite small business to work with for leis are Chaleia’s Lei Shop and Kahihae Floral.

Completely obsesssssedddd!

One of my favorite things to do for my clients is help them choose their outfits and find the perfect pieces. It is so important to me that when you are in front of my camera, you feel good. One of the major parts of that is what you choose to wear. I am here to help every step of the way. These tips are just the tip of the iceberg (no pun intended haha) when it comes to planning outfits for family photos. If you choose to book your photos with me, you will receive my Outfit Guide, which goes into more depth with all of these tips and has examples all throughout. Furthermore, I am on all call throughout the whole process to help with any and all outfit decisions, concerns, or worries.

Thanks for being here! If you are looking for family photos on Oahu and think I might be a good fit for you, I would love to chat! You can email me or click the button below. I would be honored to capture your memories so that you can relive them later.

Aloha always, 

Megan