The number one question we get before a family session is not about posing or location. It is: "What do we wear?"
We are Lens of Fariha, an affordable Queens-based NYC photographer duo. After years of family sessions across the city, here is the wardrobe guidance we send every client — the same advice a stylist would charge for.
Rule 1: Coordinate, Never Match
Matching outfits — everyone in white shirts and jeans — looks dated and flattens the photo. Instead, pick a palette of three or four colors and let each person wear a different piece of it. The family reads as a unit without looking like a uniform.
Rule 2: Start With One Person
Dress your hardest-to-style person first (often a teenager or a parent in a patterned piece). Build everyone else's outfit around that one. Working outward from a single anchor is faster than trying to assemble five outfits at once.
Rule 3: Choose a Palette That Fits the Season
- Spring/summer: soft neutrals, sage, dusty blue, cream, warm tan.
- Fall: rust, mustard, deep green, burgundy, camel.
- Winter: charcoal, navy, oatmeal, deep jewel tones.
Match the palette to where we are shooting too — earthy tones in a park, cooler tones against city stone and glass.
Rule 4: Add Texture, Skip Loud Logos
Knit, linen, corduroy, denim, and layers photograph beautifully because they catch light. Big logos, neon, and tight repeating patterns (thin stripes, small checks) distract or create a shimmering "moiré" effect on camera. One subtle pattern per group is plenty.
Rule 5: Dress for the Weather and the Walk
An NYC session means walking between spots. Cold, miserable kids show in every frame. Bring layers, comfortable shoes for transit, and do the cute-but-impractical pieces only for the final few minutes.
Rule 6: The Kids Get a Vote
A child who hates their outfit will fight you the entire session, and the camera catches it. Give younger kids two pre-approved options and let them choose — the small sense of control buys you an hour of cooperation.
Rule 7: Iron the Night Before, Lay Everything Out
Wrinkles are the one thing we cannot fully fix in editing. Lay every outfit out the night before, photograph the flat-lay on your phone, and send it to us — we will flag anything that will not work before the day, not on it.
Book a Family Session
Ready for relaxed, well-styled family photos with an affordable Queens-based NYC duo? Email [email protected] — we send a full styling guide and a transparent quote with every booking.
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This is Lens of Fariha. Two lenses, one story.