Styling a whole family for a photoshoot is not easy. Here's a little guidance...

Disclaimer: All of the "don't" photos are from my own family, I would never shame a client like that!

Family of five posing together on a sandy beach at sunset.

Colors: Shoot for Mostly Neutrals

Sticking to neutrals like creams, pastels, blue jeans, and khakis make it easier to dress everyone in coordinating outfits without anything clashing.
Whatever color is on your clothes will reflect on to skin. Stick with colors that are already found in skin tones (even if it doesn't match your particular skin tone). For example, if you're going to wear reds or oranges, choose earthier options like rust or wine. If you like pink, choose blush pink over hot pink. For greens, choose sage green over lime green.
Even though it's not really a "skin tone," light blue is a popular choice for a reason - when it reflects on your skin it looks like the sky so it looks clean and natural.

A joyful moment at the beach with a small child in a sun hat and colorful outfit.

A tender outdoor portrait of carefree joy on a rocky beach.

Minimize Dark Colors, Especially Black (yep, I said it.)

Although black tends to be a very flattering and slimming color in person, it can actually have the opposite effect on camera because it doesn't show the shadows and highlights that give you shape. The "flattening out" effect is exactly why they say the camera "adds 10 pounds."
In the "light and bright" editing style that I typically use, blacks and other dark colors like navy blue tend to show lint, spit up/booger stains, and pet fur more than lighter colors.
In addition to editing style, getting a "light and bright" image has a lot to do with keeping as many things in the photo as possible...light. I can avoid blacks and dark tones in the background of the photo, but if you're wearing black, it makes that look much harder to achieve.

A baby wearing a green plaid dress and burgundy bow sits on a fluffy white rug.

A smiling baby in a soft pink ribbed outfit sits on a white bed.

Embrace Texture and Layers

Textured clothing (like lace, ruffles, and knits) are not something to be afraid of!

First, they help to absorb and diffuse light which flatters your skin.
Second, they add depth and interest to photographs, which makes them nicer to look at!
They are also typically much more forgiving in terms of staying wrinkle-free and they hide stains and lint from the camera better than shiny and perfectly smooth fabrics.
Knits are an obvious choice for cold weather.
Lace, tulle, linen, and ruffles are great for warmer weather.
Layers (jackets, cardigans, button-ups over T-shirts, etc.) can add visual interest and also tend to be much more flattering by giving you a 3D shape in a 2D image.

Small child in orange sweater crawling on wooden deck during autumn.

A picturesque scene of a baby in pink dress having a picnic on a checkered blanket.

Minimize Bold Patterns, Words, Brands, and Cartoons

The main focus of your family photoshoot should be your beautiful faces! Logos are designed to grab your attention, and they will draw that attention away from your family if they sneak their way into the frame. The little Polo player on your shirt pocket is probably not going to cause a big issue, but you probably don't want the phrase "Monster Truck Rally!" (an actual shirt my son had...) or a big Nike Swish on your toddler's shirt to be the focal point of your timeless family portraits.

Of course, exceptions can be made if these things are helping to tell the story of your family. For example, when we insisted on getting all of my babies photographed with a New England Patriots blanket that probably made our photographers cringe...those photos have their place, too, as long as it's intentional. Another common example is the "Big Brother" or "Big Sister" shirt that is helping tell the story of the image.

Happy baby in gray onesie with blue trim smiling brightly.

Carving a pumpkin together in the kitchen while wearing Patriots football gear.

Baby wearing blue hat lounging on patterned throw pillows.

Two sisters embrace on the beach during golden hour sunrise.

Toddler in ONE shirt stands by white table with cupcake and blue garland decor.

Be careful with stripes...

Even though a subtle stripe pattern isn't necessarily loud, and it's a super popular choice for Dad, there is something called "moire" that can happen to stripes when they're photographed that can make it look really strange:

Two gray and white striped short-sleeve button-up shirts displayed side by side.

Coordinating Doesn't Mean Matching Exactly

Unless you are going for a very specific look (like matching Christmas PJs), matching your whole family exactly, top to bottom, can give your photos a dated "80s" feel and create images that are just not that appealing to the eye.
If everyone is wearing jeans and a white T-shirt, and you are all standing next to each other, there will be this line where the blue meets the white all across the center of the image that will distract from what we should be looking at: your faces.
The other problem here is that it's very tough to get outfits that are truly exact matches in everyone's size, and the subtle differences in fit, hue, etc. end up becoming a distraction in the image.
In our jeans + white example, if that's the look you're going for, you'd be much better off with Dad in jeans and a T-shirt, mom in a chambray dress, big sis in a white skirt with a denim jacket...you get the idea.

One exception: Young kids matching exactly can be super cute!

Family holiday portrait with matching red and green striped pajamas and decorative wreath.

Family of three poses together on outdoor path during fall season.

Family of four sitting together on couch in bright room with wall decor.

Three children laying on a white bed with greenery garland decor above.

Minimize Distractions

Overall, accessories should be fine and can add interest to your photos if they make sense with your outfit. Many accessories have important meaning attached and can be showcased in a close up "detail" shot! Some accessories, however, don't bring much to the shoot:

Smart watches and other watches that light up (turn them off if you can, otherwise consider taking them off entirely)
Please take off your sunglasses. So much of your emotional state, connection to your family, and who you are in a photograph is in your eyes, so don't hide them! You should never be facing toward the sun in a photograph anyway, so squinty eyes shouldn't be an issue in the photos.
If you wear regular glasses and can get by without them during the shoot, it's also a good idea to go without them to avoid glare that blocks our view of your eyes.
Hats with brims cast distracting shadows on your face and make it difficult to find appropriate lighting. If you really want to wear a hat, consider something without a brim or at least turning the hat backwards.
Don't forget to take hair ties off your wrists.
Finally, empty your pockets before the shoot! You don't need the outline of your cell-phone or your baby's pacifier showing through your pocket in every shot.

Stay Comfortable

The main focus of your family photos should be your smiling faces and the connections among you. Wear that beautiful strapless dress if it makes you feel good, but if you'll be worrying about constantly hiking it back up to avoid a wardrobe malfunction, just pick something else! The more comfortable and relaxed everyone is, the more natural and real your expressions and smiles will be.

Consider the weather. You may have picked out a dream outfit for your 1-year-old but if it doesn't have sleeves and it's 40 degrees out, you will have lots of photos of her in a beautiful dress...scream-crying.
Kids' shoes can be a huge point of contention. By all means, put the nice (usually uncomfortable) shoes on them to start, but if they are going in the direction of full tantrum it's better to change them into more comfortable, less cute shoes (or go barefoot) than get no smiles at all.

One Last Thing: Remember Bloomers, Leggings, or Pants for the Little Ladies!

It's hard enough to get kids smiling at a camera. You probably don't want Peppa Pig underwear on display when your three year old finally decides to cooperate with pictures by doing big twirls with her dress or tackle-hugging her little brother. Bloomers under dresses will allow you to chill instead of spending your whole session pulling your little girls' dresses down or telling them to stop doing cartwheels.