What to wear for a family portrait on the beach??

[goofinoff]

I'm hoping I can get some suggestions here! We are having a family portrait taken on the beach this weekend. My photographer friend who is doing it has advised us NOT to do the typical white shirt and jeans look. Of course, that's what we were planning.
There will be 8 adults and 7 kids ranging from 8-17. Any suggestions?

 

[Buckalew11]

Hmm...why not? I like that look. I know it is "typical" nowadays but it looks nice.

The salon I used to work at had our pics taken in all white and those pics were always very sharp. I guess I'd ask the photography what he/she suggests.

 

[dawson5]

Have you tried googling "family beach portraits?" That is all that comes up. I can see why they suggested that. But, if that is what you want, go for it. It is your picture.

There were some nice ones with white or tan pants and light blue shirts. A few with light green shirts and white, those were nice also.

 

[golfgal]

I saw one done in a shop in NJ once where everyone had the same white shorts (Land's End I am guessing) and Grandma and Grandpa had one color pastel polo shirt and each child and their family had on a different color pastel polo (one family in light blue, one family in pale yellow, etc.). The polo's were all the same (Ralph Lauren in this case) so the uniformity of the shorts and the style of shirt brought everything together. It was a very lovely photo.

 

[dawson5]

*sorry double post. Trying to find the one with green in it.

 

[Robinrs]

I like the white shirt look, too... but these are nice:

 

[Charitycase20]

OK- no white with jeans, how about light blue or green tops with khakis? Or everyone in a pastel shade with jeans or khakis? I like the crispness of the white against the denim, with sand...we had beach pics taken this summer and they turned out fab!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/aleroper/IslandPhotography#

 

[descovy]

We had beach photos done in 2005 and the photographer suggested black shirts... that white can bounce the light really funny.

The photos came out beautiful... solid black shirts and jeans... barefoot. We did some "staged" photos and some candids. The kids waded their toes (age 2, 4, 6) and got sand on themselves... Hair blew in the breeze...

I guess what I'm saying, is pick a color scheme that you like/photog suggests, but unlike a studio portrait, don't fuss too much on hair/makeup

I treasure those photos!

 

[Rora]

I saw one done in a shop in NJ once where everyone had the same white shorts (Land's End I am guessing) and Grandma and Grandpa had one color pastel polo shirt and each child and their family had on a different color pastel polo (one family in light blue, one family in pale yellow, etc.). The polo's were all the same (Ralph Lauren in this case) so the uniformity of the shorts and the style of shirt brought everything together. It was a very lovely photo.

This is a good idea, IMO!

 

[ShesAPirate]

I may be in the minority, but I am not a fan of those family portraits where everyone wears the same thing. It's been done to death. If it was me, I would just want everyone to wear nice looking beach clothes. The girls could wear pretty sun dresses, and the guys could wear nice shorts and polos or t-shirts.

 

[Debbie7452]

I think when you get a large group photographed together you really need to coordinate the color so it doesn't get too busy and chaotic looking. However, if you limited it to a few soft colors or different shades of the same color it could work. I think all the bottoms should be the same color...denim, khaki, or white but you could mix and match the bottom style...shorts, capris, pants or skirts.

I did white shirts and khaki bottoms for a formal portrait for my family of 6 and I loved how it turned out..the clothes fade into the background and it's the people you notice. My DH was really skeptical with my plan, but he came around once he saw the pics.

 

[Tiggeroo]

These are very popular here. I think there is a reason for the popularity of the white with denim or khaki. It looks very good on the beach background. I didn't care for the black. I do like some of the pastels. I normally don't care for the matchy-matchy thing but for these beach photos I think it works best.

 

[mookie]

we just did these and opted for white with khaki. maybe vary the different degrees of the khaki color? ours turned out amazing...we get compliments on them all the time. I thought the black looked too harsh, and light blue blended too much with the ocean.

 

[Sorsha]

My best friend had a picture like this done a couple of years ago - lake, not beach, we are land-locked but similar - and this is what they did.

They took all the smaller kids to Gymboree, and purchased them coordinating outfits in a line everyone liked - Gymbo goes up to size 12. Then, all the adults, and the kids too old for Gymboree clothes, coordinated with those outfits. I believe eveyone wore khaki bottoms (pants, skirts, etc, same color but different styles) and polos or button-down shirts in colors that matched. IIRC the Gymbo line was primarily green and blue plaids, the adults coordinated with shirts of solid green or blue to match.

So, everyone coordinated, and it turned out really lovely, but no one was too identical or "matchy-matchy".

 

[wenrob]

Hmm...why not? I like that look. I know it is "typical" nowadays but it looks nice.

Because the sun is bouncing off the sand and water already making the meter on the camera go nuts, add in white clothing and it's a nightmare. You are forced to choose to expose for skin tones or clothes. It can be done but there's a LOT of work involved on the editing end when it comes to beach pics, adding white shirts (or pants/dresses) makes it even more challenging. That's it pretty much in a nutshell.

When we do family portraits we try to choose a color scheme and use varying degrees of it. I think a sage w/khaki combo would be nice.

 

[luvflorida]

OK- no white with jeans, how about light blue or green tops with khakis? Or everyone in a pastel shade with jeans or khakis? I like the crispness of the white against the denim, with sand...we had beach pics taken this summer and they turned out fab!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/aleroper/IslandPhotography#

Your beach pictures are beautiful! I love all of them!!

Just hearing the word "beach" makes me smile. I love, love the beach, the ocean and everything related to it! I love to see family portraits taken at the shore. I think white shirts look really good, but shades of green or dark blue would look nice, also. I love the idea of mixing khaki pants and shorts with casual tops and everyone barefoot.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I would do khakis with either black or green (a pretty fern green, not hunter or sage). You could always go to Lowes, get a white, light blue, and khaki paint chip and see what other color you like with it.

Orange would be nice, for a change, too, but I know not everyone likes it.

 

[arubio0801]

I like the khaki and white or blue I think it look nice and clean. And your paying for someone to take your photos I think if you want to wear whie then wear it whether or not it makes it harder on then its their job. IMO

 

[Tinkermommy]

What about navy blue?

Navy t-shirts or polos and khaki shorts/pants.

or the girls could have navy blue dresses (not nautical looking too hokey) \

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have seen family portraits where everyone wore black and it looked nice. (didn't come across as funeral like either).

A cape cod type outfit would work..the polo shirts and such.

How colorful you get determines if you plan a color or b/w
photo in the end.

The possibilities are endless.