One of the most common questions I get before a family session is:

"What should we wear?"

And honestly? I get it.

In fact, as I'm writing this, our own family photos are this week and I've been asking myself the exact same question.

As a photographer, I probably should have this figured out by now, right?

Not exactly.

I found shirts for my husband and two older boys at Walmart. Then I stopped by Goodwill and found a couple options for my youngest son. Once everyone tried things on, we narrowed down what worked.

And then there was me.

I usually tell moms to start with their outfit first, but this time I didn't.

Honestly, sometimes that advice can feel like a lot of pressure.

Instead, I found everyone else's outfits first. Once I knew what colors and styles we were working with, I felt like I had more direction. I tried on four dresses at one store, two more at another, and none of them felt quite right. Then I came home, looked through my closet, and found a dress I already owned that will work just fine. I even have a couple Amazon options arriving just in case.

The biggest difference?

I'm not stressed.

And that's probably my biggest tip when it comes to choosing outfits for family photos.

Don't overcomplicate it.