What to Wear for Family Photos in Hawaii: A Complete Outfit Guide
You booked the flights, chose the hotel and finally scheduled family photos in Hawaii. Now comes the question almost every family asks:
What should we wear?
The good news is that Hawaii makes dressing for family photos fairly simple. The landscape is already beautiful, so your clothing doesn’t need to compete with it.
Our biggest recommendation is to coordinate rather than match.
Start with a soft color palette
Neutral and earth inspired colors photograph beautifully against Hawaii’s beaches and greenery.
Think:
Cream, ivory and white
Beige and warm tan
Soft blue
Sage and muted green
Dusty pink
Terracotta
Light brown
Muted pastels
You don’t need everyone wearing the same colors. Instead, choose three or four complementary shades and build everyone’s outfits around them.
Choose movement
Hawaii photographs beautifully when clothing has a little movement.
Linen dresses, flowing skirts, relaxed button downs and lightweight fabrics catch the breeze and create a natural feeling in photographs.
For women, a midi or maxi dress is always a beautiful option. For men, linen or cotton shirts paired with neutral shorts or pants work well.
Barefoot is usually best
For beach photography sessions, you generally don’t need shoes at all.
Bare feet feel more natural in the sand and mean you don’t have to worry about coordinating footwear for the entire family.
Avoid distracting patterns
A subtle print can work beautifully, but when several people are wearing different patterns, photographs can quickly become visually busy.
We usually recommend avoiding large logos, neon colors, tiny high contrast patterns and having every family member in a different print.
If one person is wearing a patterned piece, pull colors from that outfit for everyone else.
Dressing young children
Comfort wins.
An uncomfortable toddler in the perfect outfit is still an uncomfortable toddler.
Choose something your child can move, sit, run and play in. Lightweight dresses, linen sets, simple rompers and neutral shorts are all great choices.
We also recommend waiting until you arrive at the location to put very young children into their final outfit when possible.
Should everyone wear white?
You can, but you don't have to.
White and cream look beautiful against the ocean, but photographs often have more depth when you mix different neutral shades and textures rather than dressing everyone identically.
For example, mom might wear an ivory dress, dad a pale blue linen shirt and tan pants, and the children a combination of cream, sage and light blue.
Everyone feels cohesive without looking overly coordinated.
Remember where you are
The best Hawaii family photo outfits still feel appropriate for Hawaii.
Lightweight fabrics, relaxed silhouettes and natural textures usually photograph better than anything overly formal.
Above all, wear something that feels like you.
When you book a session with Captured in Hawaii, we can also help guide you through location and session planning so you aren't figuring everything out on your own.
