Having your family portrait taken is a big deal! But don’t wake up the morning of your portrait, throw on the first thing you see, get a quick up-do, and expect your family to look like it walked out of a fashion magazine.

Of course, you and your family are what’s going to make your portrait look great. But over time we’ve learned that a little coordination and color style can help unify a portrait to produce a gorgeous image. Don’t worry, I’m not talking about the kind of crazy color coordination that make you the best sports team ever. I’m talking about outfits that harmonize and compliment one another!

One way to create a pleasing color palette is to pick one bright core color (like blue) and one neutral core color (like grey). Then accent with tints and shades of that color (light blue, dark grey-slate, etc.). Then feel free to mix in little extra color as an accent (like teal blue-green).

See an example of how to design with this palette in the style sheet below!

Let’s look at another example, like the family portrait below.

The core color is purple with a neutral of brown. Accents are created with tints and shades of lavender and blue, while the neutrals are sand, olive, and stone hues. These nicely match the beach landscape (which is an important element to consider when choosing a color style).

Keep watching the blog for more family portrait style sheets (like the gray+blue example above), and see more variations on how color can make your family portrait pop!

In the meantime, leave us a comment below: What palate would you use for your next family portraits?

For more tips on how to get amazing family portraits, check out these links:

• Family Portrait Style Pinterest Page
• Taming the Terrors: Ten Tips for Preparing Your Kids to be Photographed