To not wear plain pastels

[Moonpye]

For a family photo shoot. This is not our usual cup of tea at all, it was a gift so we're going along with it and hoping to frame some for Christmas presents. When I booked, the photographer suggested we all wear plain complimentary pastels. We don't own such items! So AIBU if we just turn up in our favourite normal clothes? Which will be fairly bright and colourful mismatched patterns. I get that it might make the job harder for the photographer but it seems pointless to have a load of photos where we don't look ourselves?

I think the photographer has a point. The photos will look really busy if you are all wearing bright colours and patterns which will draw attention away from your faces.

It’s the photographer’s job to work with you as you are. I don’t own any plain pastels. Pastels are the most depressing colour set on the planet, and make people look like Neapolitan ice-cream, imo.

Surely we’ve moved on from those very posy 90s family photo shoots with everyone romping adorably, barefoot in jeans and white shirts? Or their close kin, the pregnancy photoshoot with the woman wearing a white bandeau top on a beach with a lot of soft-focus and awestruck expressions on the face of the father to be and any existing offspring.

I'd 100% go in what you feel comfortable in and what represents you and your family. Otherwise every time you look at the picture, you'll think WTF.

Also pastels don't suit everybody!

It’s fine to avoid pastels but you should bring some neutral options as well as the mismatched bright colours so the photog has more to work with

It sounds like this photographer has a particular aesthetic (if you look at their other work you may spot a theme). If you don't share their taste, it is fine to go for another look!

I look washed out in pastels. Like, actually unwell.

I’d question his photography skills. Does he never photograph flowers/hot air balloons/parties?

Definitely wear whatever you are comfortable in.

The colour coordinated photo shoots look so dated.

I would say not to wear plainer clothes tho and not jeans, the jeans that are fashionable now will look dated five years from now.

I’d wear plain neutral coloured clothes personally, bright patterned clothes are gonna look too busy and likely to date easier than neutral colours, but obviously your choice.
I presume the photographer made a suggestion, it wasn’t an order, so upto you anyway.

I think you miss the point. It’s about wearing plain and complimentary. It could be a white shirt and jeans. Think about that Harry and Megan family photo where they are all wearing jeans and she’s holding up baby lili in white. If you wear clashing prints and shirts the photo will just look shite and won’t be worth the money - you may just as well as taken a naff selfie.

The white shirt and jeans pictures are cringe though.

Very Friday Night Dinner.

Surely it should be up to you what you and your family wear for the photo shoot?

I agree with the pp who questions how good a photographer this is who can only take photos of people wearing bland clothing and colours. Every family photo they take must end up looking the same as all the others. Surely the photo should be about the individuality of the subjects?

Yes! This could be your family.

Agree the jeans and white shirt things are of their time. But I can see where the photographer is coming from, if everyone is wearing bright colours and patterns then that's all you're going to see, the focus should be on the faces not the outfits.

Decide what you are going to wear, eg favourite multi-coloured patterned dress, then get everyone else to wear plain colours that pick out the colours of the dress. Who is everyone else? I'm assuming they'll do what you tell them to!

Thanks for all the responses! It was definitely a suggestion rather than an order and of course we can wear what we like but I do want some good pictures out of it and can see that too much crazy pattern will be busy/distracting. But i do really want it to look like us as well and also don't want to have to buy new clothes that never get worn again.

I've no desire to look like Harry and Meghan tbh. Hoping a professional photographer can do better than a naff selfie regardless of clothing!

5yo and baby will happily wear what I suggest. Husband and 4yo will be much harder to persuade! So I should probably start with them and work around their choices.

I'm not at all worried about it looking dated in time. I'm sure that will happen whatever we wear!

@TheYearOfSmallThings 😂i can but dream

This is giving me Venture photo shoots from the 90s vibes. So naff. Do people actually do matchy photo shoots nowadays? And pastels? Are you Care Bears? 😂

YANBU. Surely you want and expect the photograph to adequately represent you and your family?

The photographer is there for you, not you for the photographer. You're not modelling.

Our photographer switched some of our photos to black and white which worked really well. The plain clothes definitely made them look more timeless

Those colours make me look like I've been sick

No thanks

Honestly almost everything will look dated after a couple of years. So wear what you like. That will be more important than if you’re all color coordinated.

Oh look there’s Jane in her favorite color… she always wore turquoise
Haha.. John had that weird man bun at the time
oh god what did they make us wear (says the kids in 20 years)

One of the best family photos I have we all look right out of the late 80’s early 90s. My sister has a dopey smile as she had dental work that day and was still numb, my hair was huge, my parents were sniping at each other right before the picture was taken, and it was great… it is probably the most real family portrait ever!

They are your photos so do whatever you want

We were gifted a photoshoot, and all of us carefully dressed in neutral trousers (jeans and chinos) with tops in different shades of the same colour. Looked good in real life, but was a nightmare for the photographer. The difference in brightness between our tops caused her massive problems.

I agree re not having lots of strong patterns, though I think similar brightness probably matters more than similar colours.

Exactly. Pastels don’t suit me at all! Fine if you were an all blonde blue eyed family, but that’s not many families!

I have olive skin and it just looks like the clothes are wearing me if I wear pastels

I suggest nobody wears a pattern, but you all wear bright colours. You will make up a pattern together but it won't be too busy.