Can Anyone Help Me with Color Coordination for Family Pictures?

I have a friend that has 10 kids, when they do a family group photo she and her husband wear a solid color and sit/stand in the middle.

Then each of their children's families wear one color. Her oldest's wife and kids would all wear black pants/skirts and red tops. The next one would wear black pants/skirts and dark green tops. Then so forth. Contrasting colors next to each other so they don't blend into each other. The kids don't need to stand in any certain order for this but if they do a line up for a sibling photo you might have them be color coordinated like a rainbow or something, just not stand next to each other in the large group photo.

I hate the white shirt with blue jeans family pics. Really white is a color that just drains the color from everyone's face. How about having everyone wear their favorite color shirt and blue jean?

i like large family pictures where each family group has a certain color, for instance every one that is offspring of grandmas firstborn should wear jeans and green shirts. second born and offspring pink, third orange. and let gramma choose the color she wears and make everyone else different.
this way when your grand kids are looking at th photo they will easily know who belongs to who and who had which kids. i would not do all white,

Older people all in white don't always wear it well as they tend to look pale. Just my two cents worth. It would depend on your Grandma. Mine would not have gone for it - she would have felt washed out.

I'd be more inclined personally to have your grandma centered so she stands out - positioned in a way so the grandkids are around her, for example. I like those.

Google exactly that - white shirts/jeans family photo with Grandma and see what pops up - sometimes you can get a visual and decide if it will work.

Blue tops is a nice alternative for fall - with shades suiting each person's complexion, if that's another positivity. My sister's photographer suggested that (over white) and they turned out great.

I would consider where you are taking the picture before deciding white shirts and blue jeans. You don't want everyone to blend in to the background. as for grandma, I think she will blend with everyone else. Maybe all red or maybe a royal blue or even deep green would stand out more.

Google “family photo outfits”. Personally, I think the jeans with white shirts is a very dated look. I prefer when families color coordinate their outfits rather than match them.

I also prefer natural light photos taken outside vs in a studio but it’s all personal preference.

Have fun! It’s a really nice thing to do.

Yikes - I wouldn't think so. White isn't a generally a flattering color on many people, and especially on folks with white or gray hair - it really washes them out. That being said, having everyone in white shirts may not be the best choice, either. Believe me, not all whites are equal and due to the variations in fabrics and brands, some of the shirts will just look dirty or yellowed. Plus, once again, it is going to wash out all your fair haired, light skinned folks tremendously. For our most recent family photos, we did a color palette that folks could choose from - olive greens, creams (only as an accent - no one could wear an all cream shirt), browns (both dark and light), burgundy, and dark grays, which we paired with khaki slacks for all folks (we didn't care what shade of khaki). If you want grandma to stand out, maybe all black would be a better choice, but honestly, I think that just putting her in the center is the best choice, rather than a visual standout using color OR have her in a dress, with everyone else in pants.

Good luck!

My son is a photographer and he would never recommend everyone in the same color. You can have similar colors in different patterns and shades of the color on shirts but you don't want everyone is white shirts. And your grandmother would just blend in too much if in all white and be total opposite of what you are shooting for.

White shirts with jeans works well because most everyone has those clothes and don't have to spend more money. But if you put a big group in the photo, it's going to be a sea of white, and only the front row people will have their jeans featured. Grandma will be entirely washed out because she'll be in all that white. That would apply to any color scheme.

I think Tadpole is on to something with the colors. It could be done her way, with the first born of each subgroup in one color, 2nd born in another color. It depends on how your family breaks down. Another way to do it would be to put Grandma in one color, each of her children in a different color (Son 1 in blue, Son 2 in red, Daughter 1 in green....) and then have each of those people's spouses and kids use the same color. So Son 1 and his spouse and kids would be in blue, Son 2's immediates would be in red... You can get a deal on tee shirts on line so it wouldn't be so expensive.

We are about to do a family photo at Christmastime, so I'm interested in reading your responses. I would ask your grandmother what color she likes to wear the most...what color does she feel she looks best in. I know I look terrible in white - totally washed out. Some people look awesome in it. Then I'd pose her in the middle. I don't think I'd have everyone wear jeans and white shirts bc to me that is a classic 80s family photo shoot. We did a big family photo once where everyone wore different shades of blue for some article of clothing. It looked cool...everyone was different yet it all looked nice together. Google family photos and see what looks nicest to you...that is what matters.

We took a large family photo years ago but we wore denim pants/shorts/skirts with light blue collar shirts (izod) came out really nice! I agree white is tricky and too light! Good luck!!

I think color coordination in a photo like this rarely looks good - personal preference.

Sounds nice!
Pay attention to the background - you don't want it so close to your chosen colors that your family is camouflaged and they blend in.
Usually with red white and blue a lighter blue background works well.

Additional:
Sorry - I misread.
Why not have your grandmother wear red?
She'll really stand out in a crowd of blue and white!

White would be ok. Or you could do Holiday sweaters or my favorite tie dye!!!!!

White and black are the most difficult colors to photograph. Both colors will both also wash out skin tones. I would use turquoise shirts with the jeans, turquoise is a great color on everyone. Then center grandma in the picture and have her hold a yellow rose in her hands placed on her lap. She will stand out because of the rose.

My large extended family has done jeans and any nice shirt in a solid color, and it looked good.

We also once did tan pants and a button down white shirt that also looked nice, but that was just 4 people, not a big group.