As a Sarasota family photographer, I do ALOT of beach sessions. I thought it would be helpful to share my tips on what to wear for your families beach session! I will take you a bit behind the scenes in how I help you style your families outfits. Thankfully, I offer a client closet so some of the items listed below you can find in my client closet for your session! If you are not local I hope this helps you plan your families beach photo session outfits!
Check out the link on the bottom of this post for 5 tips for a great beach session from my sweet friend Samantha.
COLOR
I always recommend choosing a color scheme for your photos. Below you can see three different color schemes I have chosen as examples, pink, blue, and green. You will notice that everyone is not wearing that color. You do not want everyone in the exact same color. You want everyone’s outfits to coordinate not be the exact same. I recommend choosing one item that is irreplaceable, usually moms dress. By irreplaceable, I mean you will work around this one item. You will coordinate the rest of the families outfits to your chosen irreplaceable item. In both the pink and blue collection I choose moms dress first to work around.
Now that you have a color and an irreplaceable item you can move on to choosing a pattern item.
PATTERNS
I like to keep patterns to a minimum. I recommend choosing one outfit to have a pattern that coordinates with your chosen color scheme. I loved the little crochet jumpsuit in the third collection, so that was my irreplaceable item I choose. I found a little boys shirt that had the same green color in it and had a pattern, perfect! I found a floral dress with a similar green in it for mom. Although, I am technically breaking my one pattern rule I feel like the little boys shirt is a subtle enough pattern that the floral dress would work!
By leaving patterns at a minimum, this allows for the full focus to be on your sweet family! If you are looking to add more variety to your families outfits, I recommend playing with textures!
TEXTURES
Texture is super important to consider when choosing outfits for your family beach photos. You want to ensure you are comfortable and the textures are fitting for a beach location. I like to mix textures! This allows for a variety in your outfits besides the color. I love linen and cotton for beach sessions! You will notice each collection of family outfits below all have a linen piece in them. Linen blend pants are fairly easy to find and I always have them in the client closet! Adding textures also helps add contrast and balance to your outfits.
Outfits will make or break your photos! You want pieces that are flattering and comfortable but also keep the focus on your sweet family! I hope these tips have helped you in choosing your families outfits. I have attached links to each item in the three collection below.
Collection one: The pop of pink

Collection two: The blues

Collection three: The seagrass collection

Links to outfits:
Collection one: Pops of pink
- Moms dress – Free people extratropical
- Dads shirt – Zara linen blend shirt
- Dads pants – Khaki cotton pants
- Boys shirt – Striped linen shirt
- Boys shorts – Denim shorts
- Little girls dress – Noralee Lucy dress
Collection two: The blues
- Moms dress – Nothing fits but Minji dress
- Dads shirt – Old navy striped shirt
- Dads shorts – Linen khaki shorts
- Boys shirt – Textured polo
- Boys shorts – Textured shorts
- Little girls dress – Noralee Emma dress
Collection three: The seagrass collection
- Moms dress – Floral smocked dress
- Dads shirt – White Henley
- Dads pants – Khaki pants
- Boys shirt – Stripped green shirt
- Boys pants – Linen blend pants
- Girls jumpsuit – Crochet knit jumpsuit
I am booking on a limited basis! Make sure to contact me if you’re interested in a family session from a Sarasota family photographer. I’d love to work with you! I also service St. Petersburg and Tampa. Check out my portfolio to take a look at my other work, and follow me on Instagram for updates and session sneak peaks!
Don’t forget to check out Oregon Coast Family Photos for 5 tips for a great beach session!
I love the visual layout of the outfits! I never know what to wear for my family photos. This will help tremendously!