If there's one thing that sends families into a last-minute spiral before a photo session, it's figuring out what to wear. I get it completely. You're already coordinating schedules, wrangling kids, and hoping everyone shows up in a good mood, and then someone asks you to also make sure six people look cohesive without looking like they work at the same restaurant. It feels like a lot. But I promise it doesn't have to be. After years of photographing families across the Columbia River Gorge, I've landed on a pretty simple approach that takes the pressure off and, honestly, produces the most beautiful results. Let me walk you through it.

Start With Mom - Seriously, Start With Mom

Here's my honest take on outfit planning: I always tell the mom to dress herself first.

I know that might sound obvious, but in practice, it almost never happens. As moms, we're so used to thinking about everyone else first that our own outfit becomes an afterthought, something grabbed off the hanger ten minutes before we leave the house. And when that happens, the whole coordination puzzle becomes so much harder.

So here's what I suggest instead: pick your outfit first. Something that makes you feel genuinely comfortable and beautiful. Something you love. Then once you have that, build everyone else's outfits around yours.

It's the easiest way to create a cohesive look for the whole family, and it means you, the person who is almost always behind the camera and rarely in the photos, actually feel like yourself when you finally step in front of it.

Pick a Palette, Not a Uniform

Once mom has her outfit, the next step is identifying one or two colors from it to use as a loose palette for everyone else.

This is where the magic happens - and I have a fall session from last year that I keep coming back to as the perfect example.

The mom chose blue and orange as their palette, which was honestly perfect for fall. The men wore blue plaid shirts with varying shades of orange woven in. The women wore blue or neutral colors, with one burnt orange sweater that just pulled the whole thing together beautifully. The final images were so vibrant against the fall foliage. The color felt intentional and alive - not matching, not matchy-matchy, just cohesive in the best way.

That's exactly what I'm going for. A palette, not a uniform.

A few things that help:

• Choose one or two anchor colors and let everyone interpret them differently
• Mix in neutrals freely. Cream, tan, white, and soft gray all play well with almost anything
• Think about the season and location when you're choosing your colors. The Gorge in fall is warm and golden. Lean into that
• Texture matters just as much as color, especially for the kids (more on that in a second)

Please, Please Don't Dress All the Kids the Same

This is genuinely one of my biggest pet peeves, and I say that with so much love.

I know matching outfits seem cute in theory, and I totally understand the appeal. But when every kid is in the exact same thing, the photos end up looking generic. It flattens the individuality of each child, and honestly, it flattens the images too.

Kids, especially, should be in their own individual outfits. Let them each have their own thing going on within the palette. Add texture: a chunky knit, a denim jacket, a little ruffle, a cozy sweater. Those differences are what make the images interesting. They're what make your kids look like your kids, not a catalog spread.

If all else fails: same palette, different outfits. Every time.

The conventional Wisdom Is Conventional for a Reason

You've probably heard the standard advice before: coordinate but don't match, avoid logos, skip the bold patterns, stay away from neon.

Honestly? I don't disagree with any of it. That advice exists because it works. Logos pull the eye away from faces. Neon colors fight with natural light and create skin casts. Bold, clashing patterns make editing harder and distract from the actual people in the frame.

So yes, follow the classics. But layer them with what I mentioned above: start with mom, build a real palette, and let each person (especially the kids) have their own individual look within it.

That combination is what takes your photos from looking like a nice family photo to looking like your family.

Why This All Actually Matters

Here's the thing I want you to hold onto: your outfit won't make or break your session, but it will shape how you feel during it. And how you feels shows up in every single frame.

When you feel like yourself, comfortable, put-together, not like you grabbed the first clean thing off the floor, you relax. You laugh more easily. You stop tugging at your clothes and start actually being present with your kids. And that presence is exactly what I'm chasing with my camera.

The goal of a family session isn't a perfectly styled photo. It's a real, joyful, honest record of your family right now, in this season, at these ages, with all the beautiful chaos that comes with it. Your outfits are just the frame around that. 

Ready to Book Your Session?

If you're thinking about booking a family session in the Columbia River Gorge, whether that's near The Dalles, Hood River, or somewhere in between, I would love to chat. I walk every family through the outfit planning process before we ever meet at a location, so you're never on your own trying to figure it out.

You can reach out through the contact page at macnabphotography.com and we'll go from there. I can't wait to meet your family: messy hair, big laughs, and all.