Before you ever go about choosing what to wear in your portraits, think about where you're planning to display your portraits. Do you want to hang them over the fireplace in the living room? Or maybe in the entry hall? You always want your art and decor to match the room it's in, so why not have your portraits matching the room as well?

If you've decided on a beautiful 30X40 portrait above the fireplace in the living room, and the living room is decorated in sage, gold and maroon, consider using that color scheme in choosing what you wear for your portraits. You certainly wouldn't want to hang portraits of children in neon pinks and greens over the mantle.

If you need a little help in deciding what matches, check out the app called Adobe Color. Open the app and hold it over an area, such as a throw pillow or wall paper. It will make a color palette based on what it sees. You can save that palette and send it to the family, so everyone shows up in a nice set of coordinating colors. The portrait will look amazing on your wall!

Also, when picking coordinating colors and trying to get a family to match, make sure you are very specific in the colors you request they wear, so you don’t have colors/patterns that clash. If you want to use blue, make sure you say sky blue or navy blue or show them the color palette from Adobe Coler, so they get the colors right. Otherwise, you might have some people show up in royal blue and others in navy and it won't look so great. Also, if you're coordinating multiple families in one set of photos, try to keep an even balance of color. Say your colors are tan, white and navy. Make sure there's about 1/3 tan, 1/3 white and 1/3 navy per group. If you don't keep colors even, you may end up with one person in white, two people in tan and eight people in navy. Balance is key! This family nailed it with their outfits, so hopefully their portraits will help inspire you.

Once everyone knows the colors, make sure they know just because they are wearing the same colors, doesn't mean everyone has to wear the exact same shirt. You can add a little variation and let individual personalities show by changing the style of outfit (not color) and accessories. Mix shorts, pants, skirts and dresses with polos, button ups, sweaters and v-neck tees. Don't be afraid to add scarves, hats and jewelry to outfits too.

If you still need ideas, browse search terms like "clothing for portraits" or "what to wear for portraits" on Pinterest. There are tons of great examples. 

Once you have colors chosen, you're halfway to picking the perfect outfit.

When choosing clothing for your portrait session, above all, choose something everyone is comfortable in. You want kids and dads to be comfortable, so they don't mind having portraits made. And you want moms to be happy with how they look, so they'll enjoy seeing the family portraits on the wall for years to come.

Don't go to the closet or to the mall and pick out the cutest outfit you can find. Pick something that accentuates your body and fits you well. In general, avoid anything skin tight. Skinny jeans that fit well are great, but clothes that fit two years ago and don't button now are not what you want to be pictured in. Even skinny people look bad when their clothes are too tight. It goes the same for clothing that is too big. Find clothing that fits.

Ladies specifically, but also men, who may be self-conscious of their bodies, try to wear clothing that accentuates your figure and/or hides what you don‘t like. Black and dark colors are slimming. If you're conscious of your mid-section, try to wear a fabric that will fall well, as opposed to gathering, clinging and hugging in unflattering ways. If you're completely at a loss, have your best friend come over and give you an honest opinion of what makes you look your best.

As for style, try to think about what will make an image look timeless. Solid colors and some patterns are great (with the exception of horizontal stripes). Other than for senior portraits or maybe a child's mini session, I'd avoid wearing anything super trendy, because in a few years, those photos will be very dated looking. Neon colors have seem to come back in the past couple of years. Those will soon go out of style and the photos will as well. Also avoid graphic tees and character clothing. Your kid may love their Batman tennis shoes, but it's going to be super distracting in a photo when everyone else is wearing solid neutral colors and brown/black leather shoes. 

Don't wear sleeveless shirts. Some of the poses I use are unflattering in sleeveless shirts. If you're super self-conscious about your arms, long sleeves are at least 3/4 length sleeves are probably the best choice for you. 

Ladies, please avoid wearing white bras. They show up very well under white shirts, and even though you can’t see them under dark shirts, sometimes the flash or strobe lights make them visible in the portraits anyway.

Iron your clothes. You'd think this one would be something I wouldn't have to add, but I've had people show up in super wrinkly outfits. I can't fix this type of thing. 

If you have your nails painted, please make sure that it’s fresh paint that completely covers the nails and compliments your outfit. Hands may not be extremely noticeable in some portraits, but if the paint is a bright color and chipped, it will show. If this happens and you want it "Photoshopped" to look better, there will be an added cost to the portraits. 

If you have oily skin or tend to sweat a lot, bring a towel or handkerchief to dab sweat off your face. Ladies, keeping pressed powder and a mirror is handy to avoid oily spots on foreheads and noses. Men, if it's a super hot day and you tend to sweat through shirts, bring a spare shirt to change into. 

All of these items are suggestions. The photos will be yours to display as you please, so I want you to enjoy them for years to come. With that said, wear what you like and what fits your style. I just want my clients to be happy with their portraits, and that's why I offer advice up front, based on experience and what portrait clients have seemed to like the best in the past. 

This is a great illustration (from Pinterest, of course) of coordinated outfits for a portrait session.

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