10 Styling Tips to Transform Your Photos

High End Styling for Family Sessions // 10 Styling Tips to Transform Your Photos

Styling doesn’t have to be about the latest trends or expensive brands — but it does matter, a lot. The right outfit choices can elevate a photo, flatter your client, and bring your artistic vision to life. 

I’ve spent years helping families choose outfits for their sessions, and I’ve seen firsthand how small styling tweaks make a really big impact. In fact, the right styling can make your photos look significantly more expensive! 

Read on for 10 tips to help you get your clients looking and feeling amazing in front of your camera — and to help you produce elevated images that look intentional, beautiful, and high end!

1. Train your eye with high-end brands.

Even if you or your clients aren’t actually purchasing from expensive brands, take the time to browse. It will teach you to recognize quality fabrics, interesting design, and high end colors and patterns — and you can use that knowledge to source more affordable options that still look elevated.

My favorite spots to shop are all linked below!

2. Look for natural fibers and textured fabrics

Linen, muslin, breezy cotton, textured knits — these fabrics all move beautifully, photograph like a dream, and instantly elevate your photos.

Skip synthetic fabrics like stretchy jersey, polyester, tulle, and chiffon when possible. They tend to feel and look cheaper and lack the type of texture and movement that photographs best.

3. Stick to subtle/small patterns

Large, bold prints can be so distracting in a photo! I recommend softer florals, tone-on-tone stripes, and smaller size prints rather than large ones. I also love gingham and windowpane plaid, which both mix great with florals too!

4. Ladies first

I always style mom before the rest of her family. We are the toughest to shop for and we’re usually the most particular.

Flowy dresses are not mandatory for ladies, but they’re popular for good reason: they are super flattering and photograph beautifully. My goal is for the mothers I photograph to feel relaxed and confident and beautiful, and wearing a long, flowy dress is a surefire way to achieve this — it means no worrying about how exactly legs and hips are positioned, no sucking in, etc. Definitely a win!

5. But don’t forget the men!

Men deserved to be styled well too! A button down, sweater, or even a nice tee can work great, but dad’s super flattering equivalent of mom’s flowy dress is an open button down/lightweight jacket over a tee. Layering like this is super flattering for all body types, and it elevates the styling by adding visual interest.

6. Skip the big box kids’ look

Target and Old Navy and the other large, budget friendly chains are great for everyday kids clothing. As a mom of two boys and two girls, I absolutely understand needing to clothe kids with intentionality and on a budget. You won’t find any heirlooms or expensive items in my kids’ closets!

But for photos, I highly recommend finding other places to shop, and selecting pieces that are elevated beyond the everyday options. They don’t need to be expensive, but they should be something different than the $8 Target tees and shorts. 😉 My favorites are linked below!

7. Remind parents to leave watches at home

A lot of people these days are completely attached to their smart watches and fitness trackers — but these are not a good look for photos. I explain to parents ahead of time that they should plan to leave their watch behind for photos, and also give them tips to fix a tan line if they have one: a little self tanner can be a game changer!

On the other hand, some parents have sentimental or designer watches that are worn with intention. These are great, and can look timeless and well styled. The biggest thing to avoid is any watch with a screen. 

8. Shoes matter too!

Barefoot is beautiful — and easy & free! But if shoes are the best choice, I encourage:

• Women: nude strappy sandals (heeled or flat), western boots, sleek tall boots. Avoid wedges, platforms, or chunky shoes, and make sure that the hem of a dress covers the top of boots (unless it’s a short dress).
• Men: leather boots, loafers, dress shoes, or clean, minimal white sneakers. Avoid athletic shoes.
• Kids: Saltwater sandals, avarcas, white sneakers, Hunter boots, or leather booties. Avoid anything glittery, bright, furry, or plasticy/foamy (like Crocs, Uggs, sparkly ballet flats, flip flops, or waterproof shoes).

9. Keep jewelry minimal

Usually, I recommend that women avoid big earrings, chunky bracelets, or larger/chunky necklaces. Minimal pieces photograph best and don’t distract from mom’s beauty.

10. Fit is important

When buying new clothes for their kids, parents tend to go for a size up so things fit longer. Same here! But when it comes to styling for a session, remind parents that everything should fit true to size and not be something kids need to grow into.

Remember: Break the rules if it feels right!

If a client loves something that breaks a rule? That’s okay! The goal is to make sure that my clients feel amazing and love what they’re wearing, not just to build my own portfolio. 

There are also ways to style clients really beautifully that break all of these rules — fashion is super fun, and definitely not limited to flowy dresses or classic pieces. When my clients have a great sense of style, I love to embrace that! I don’t want to shoot the same thing all the time, and I love helping my clients come up with wardrobe that feels unique to them.

These styling tips are geared toward helping everyone look great without needing them to be fashion-forward on their own: this keeps it easy and always works! It means that even those who feel least confident in choosing clothing have lots of helpful direction, and they love how they look when they follow these guidelines.

And that’s the most important thing to remember: these are tips to guide — not rules to constrain.

What about color?

This is absolutely all about personal preference. Love neutrals? Great! Love color? Great! There’s no right or wrong, and no need to keep every session in the same color scheme. I personally gravitate toward neutrals and earthy/rustic tones, and steer my clients this direction because it helps me photograph them just like the images they see in my portfolio.

Just do what you and your clients love!

My favorite places to shop:

For my higher end items, I personally love Doen, Christy Dawn, Reformation, and TheRealReal (designer consignment!). Both Doen and Christy Dawn currently have great Mother’s Day sales!

For mid range items, I love Nothing Fits But — these dresses are by far the most popular with my clients! They usually have a great discount if you purchase 4 or more dresses.

And for budget friendly pieces that are still absolutely great quality, I highly recommend Few Moda and Quince. Few Moda is a membership site — and a membership quickly pays itself off. They also have some great Reformation dupes! Quince doesn’t have dresses that I recommend, but they have fantastic men’s clothing (and lots of basics I recommend for women for everyday wear, just not so much for sessions). 

For children, I have had fantastic luck at Zara. I love their baby and kids clothing and I also love the way they style it — it’s a great spot to get some styling inspo for the little ones. I also love Nothing Fits But, which is a higher investment but their kids items are gorgeous!

I’ve also managed to source some adorable outfits from Amazon, though it can take a lot of searching to find items that actually work well and don’t just look cheap or fit poorly. I have lots of kids items linked here, and I have a couple recent blog posts as well featuring my favorite Zara and Amazon items for boys and girls.

Remember, styling isn’t about everything matching perfectly — it’s about balance, cohesion, and understanding what photographs well (and what looks more high end, even if it’s actually not). There are so many ways to have fun with wardrobe and keep it unique and interesting while also making it amazing!

High End Styling for Family Sessions // 10 Styling Tips to Transform Your Photos