I wrote about my tips for how to choose outfits for family photos, but one of the first things I do is browse Pinterest for inspiration. I look for photos where the outfits look interesting, fun, and comfortable. If I have a certain theme or idea for our pictures, I’ll focus on that when I search. For example, when looking for inspiration for our holiday card pictures at the Christmas Tree farm last year, I searched for pictures in the same type of location. This year, I looked for photos that featured pregnant women. I also pulled inspiration from people I know – friends and family whose pictures I love. Here are some of my favorite images I have used for inspiration for our own outfits for family photo shoots.

2Blue Lily

This mix of color and pattern here is great. I love how it feels bright, energetic, and happy, while at the same time being relaxed.

1Inspired By This

I love the pop of red in mom’s pants and the little boy’s layers. The backdrop is just like where we went for our holiday photos last year!

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3Ellie Grover

This is the look I was going for with our outfits for our family pictures at the ranch two years ago. I didn’t go with as many patterns as this family did, but I love how all of these outfits look together.

4Shanda Photography

These outfits are quite bright, but I think it shows how you can mix color and pattern to give your photos a certain energy.

5Nina Cecilia Creative Spark

This is another great example of how to mix patterns and add a pop of color. All of these outfits look comfortable, too!

6Sloan Photographers

Even with the same colors, mixing patterns adds a lot of visual interest to photographs. It doesn’t look matchy-matchy, but all three outfits works well together.

7The Little Umbrella

Aside from the adorable pose, the colors and patterns in this photo are very refreshing. It looks effortless!

8Heather Armstrong Photography

With three kids, it must be even harder to choose outfits for family photos, but this family makes it look easy with their bright color palette and variety of patterns.

9Heather Armstrong Photography

Here is another family with three kids who managed to mix great patterns and colors effortlessly. I also love how un-posed this picture is – it really captures how their life must be!

10Heather Armstrong Photography

This larger family looks great. Even the two plaids that are similar, but not the same, which would normally drive me nuts, look good when mixed with everyone else’s outfits. I think the more people you have, the more variety you can have with color and pattern!