A special thanks to PS From Aero for outfitting our kids for this post.
Trying to get your kids to smile for the camera is only the start of your problems when it comes to getting your kids photos made, what about the outfits?? I don’t know if you are like me but I am so weird about wanting the kids to coordinate when we do photos! Take it, we only do an actual photo shoot once a year or so…
So… let’s talk finding great outfits for photos. Here are 5 tips to hopefully get your mind churning while you shop.
1. Don’t wait until the last minute!
I feel you! I can be a procrastinator but here is the thing. I have 4 kids – 3 boys and 1 girl. Trying to find the outfit takes TIME. Don’t rush it and don’t be last minute on this detail. Plus it will make picture day a lot less stressful is everything is already in order.
2. Shop Online
Remember tip 1? Before you freak out on “BUT WILL IT FIT!?” Let me explain why I say shop online. Typically shopping online gives you more options. You can do a visual of what coordinates with what and SIZES.
For instance, for our Christmas photos, I wanted our boys to all wear the same jeans – but not the same shirts. My boys are 4, 5 and 10 slim. Finding those in-store is a maybe, but online I know I could at least find a color that had all available sizes.
Here are the jeans we ended up with. I love the dark jeans from PS from Aero and love that they had the adjustable waist. The boys will wear these for at least the next year (and our poor youngest, for the next 4 years.)
Also! Let’s say you already have one outfit and you want to match another – shopping online is great, you can have the piece in front of you to find out what would work best. We had already bought my daughter a new black dress that I heard repeatedly that she wants to wear in photos.
3. Don’t Just Buy for Photos!
Okay, so maybe if you have the financial means to – Go FOR IT! When we just had 1 or 2 kids, we could swing it – but 4 kids, clothes just for photos isn’t going to happen. Buy clothes that you know that they will wear again and work with what you have!
One thing I love about the jeans we received from PS from AERO, is that I know they will last. The boys have several pairs of PS from Aero jeans from the last few years that aren’t torn apart, ready for recycle – their clothes are well made and survive my boys (which says A LOT!)
4. Say NO to TOTAL Matchy Matchy!
I have vivid memories a decade ago trying to arrange a photo shoot for my husband’s family. There were around 12 of us, with several being kids and not knowing what to do – I just told everyone to show up in white shirts and jeans *NO!!!!!* This is like a HUGE photo sin. WHY? Because well, not everyone (MEEEE and my pale white husband and kid) does not look good in white. Plus all of that white on white and jean on jean makes for a big cluster of a mess. Let’s just say that.
With the kids in this year’s photo – I wanted to do grey and black. The boys in various combos of grey and my daughter in black. This is what we ended up with.While I LOVE color, I knew we were trying to do something in front of the tree do to it being a VERY ugly cloudy wet week.
Overall, while I wish the kids would of cooperated better (can all the parents just do a universal LOL or SALTS) – the picture captures each personality and at the end of the day that’s just what I wanted (and coordinating but not too matchy matchy outfits and to just get something of them together!)
5. Don’t Stress It!
One of my friend’s husband decided to SURPRISE her with family photos for her birthday. Sweet, right? Except well he told her the day of the photo shoot. Husband’s first – the thought is AWESOME but warn your wives. Second – don’t stress it. At the end of the day you are just trying to capture a moment. Here is a moment captured that well, captures the moment for sure!
Don’t do too many mixed patterns. Stick to colors that coordinate. And for the love of Jesus and all photos taken in the early 2000’s, don’t go too matchy matchy!!
I hope these tips helped when trying to find photos for your next photo shoot. Good luck!!
Here are the links to what clothes from PS from Aero the boys wore:
Striped Thermal Tee
Long Sleeve Activate Thermal Tee
Woodlawn Long Sleeve Check Woven Shirt
Dark Bootcut Jeans
Here are some of my other finds! I adore these…
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop T-Shirt
Blue Plaid Shirt