Tips on what to wear for an outdoor family photo session in Ottawa

Considering what to wear for an outdoor family photography session in Ottawa can be a stressful thing for some but it really doesn’t have to be! Here are some tips on how to make this part of the planning fun and stress-free.

1. Allow plenty of time to plan for this occasion. The more time you have, the less stressed you’ll feel.
2. Take some time to go through your Photographer’s website and Pinterest to get some ideas. This will give you lots of inspiration and samples of colours, textures, etc that could work for you. It will also help you decide the styles that you like and the styles that you don’t like to make it easier for you.
3. Consider the season you’ll be doing your family photos in. The time of year you take your family photos definitely affects what you wear, especially when living in a city with all four seasons such as Ottawa. For example: in Spring, skirts, dresses, bright colours are all great choices. For Fall, you’ll be looking at deeper tones as well as more texture; adding vests, scarves, etc to your look.
4. Choose colours that go well together but that are not matching. Long are the days where everyone wore a black shirt and jeans for their family photo shoot. By choosing a colour scheme that you like and adding hues that go well with one another you will achieve a more natural look. A good rule of thumb is to choose two main colours and add softer tones to compliment your colour choice.
5. Keep the location of your Ottawa photo session in mind. Are you going to be surrounded by green trees (if so, avoid wearing green)? Will you be surrounded by pink blossoms (softer tones such as white and blue might look beautiful here), will there be fall leaves all over the ground? Choose a colour scheme that will go well with your background and not compete with it. If you’re unsure of your location, contact your Photographer so she can give you some feedback.
6. Avoid large patterns or logos. Your 2 year-old might want to wear his favourite t-shirt that has a large dinosaur on it while your 18 year-old might want to wear his favourite sweater with a huge logo written across it. In both situations, those could be quite distracting and take the attention away from your faces.
7. Make sure you’re all comfortable with the outfits you choose for your photography session. If your toddler is unhappy, you’ll all be unhappy… 😉
8. Consider your home decor. Since you might want to print some of these photos and display them throughout your home, make sure that you select clothes that you think would look good with the colour and decor of your home.
9. Accessories, accessories, accessories… a vest, a scarf, a hat… those are all cute pieces that can be easily included in your family photography session. Want a different look for a couple of photos? Just remove that scarf/vest/hat. They’re fun and easy to bring along so why not try?
10. Lay each family member’s outfit together to see what they look like as a group. This will give you a great final look to see if they’re working well together or if something needs to be changed before the photo session.
11. Timeless portrait. If you’re short in time or if coordinating colours is not your thing, opt for soft, neutral tones. Staying classic will ensure that you have timeless photos, regardless of what is in style or not.
12. Enjoy the process! This should be fun and the most important thing is that everyone is comfortable with what they’re wearing so that they can enjoy their time during the photo shoot. Ottawa is a beautiful place with wonderful scenery and a great Photographer will guide you with any help that you might need with the process. 🙂