Isn’t it thrilling? You’re going to Costa Rica on vacation!

Even better, you’ve decided to hire yours truly to take photos of your family while visiting this stunningly beautiful place. (GREAT choice, by the way!)

There’s only one thing left to think about — what to wear for family photos on the beach in Costa Rica!

Feeling stumped? No worries, I’m here to help you out!

Quick Tips

We’ll dig more into the specifics of what to wear to a beach photoshoot in a minute. First, let’s drop a few general photoshoot outfit tips that you will find useful.

1. Choose comfortable clothing that makes you feel beautiful

2. Flowy dresses are lovely on the beach, especially if there is a touch of wind

3. Dark colors are slimming

4. Stripes (especially thin ones) can show up weird in photos

5. Super bright colors and busy patterns can be distracting

6. Avoid logos or branded clothing (Disney t-shirts are cute but the point is to capture your family’s personalities)

7. Stick to simple jewelry and accessories: the goal is to flatter your face, not distract from it

8. Wear clothes that fit (squeezing into tight clothing for a shoot doesn’t work as well as you might think)

Now that we’ve got the basic tips out of the way, let’s discuss how to plan your family photoshoot outfits.

Look how her dress flows in the wind!

Coordinate, Don’t Match

Back in the day, families would sometimes wear the exact same clothing for their family portraits. I remember that we did when I was growing up. My mom once made matching dresses for her, my sister, and me with a shirt for my dad to match.

If you want to do that, I’m not knocking it. I’ll still take your picture and you will all look great. However, if you would like to stay more trendy, coordinating colors — not matching outfits — is the key.

How to Coordinate Outfits for a Photoshoot

The best method for coordinating outfits is to pick 2-3 colors as your color scheme. Then have everyone wear outfits that include those colors.

If you have no idea how to choose a color scheme, start with the basic color scheme guidelines for home decorating. The same principles apply.

If you don’t want to get too far into the weeds, stick with the easy way to choose colors. Pick a neutral color — white, beige, gray, or even blue jeans. This will be the base color of the ensemble. Then choose a secondary color. Earthy tones are beautiful colors for beach shoots, and pastels like light blue or soft pink are also great.

A third color can be your interesting splash. Maybe a pop of coral, burnt orange, burgundy or something else along those lines. Keep this color to a minimum, it should serve as an accent color.

A Note About Patterns

Some photographers will say not to wear patterns for a photoshoot because it distracts from the face too much. I don’t necessarily agree. I think that as long as what you wear is in line with your personality, it will add to the image.

But what if everybody is wearing a bunch of different patterns? From an aesthetics perspective, that’s really busy and is very distracting in the final image.

If you want to incorporate a pattern, I recommend choosing one outfit with a pattern. Perhaps mom wears a flowy, floral patterned dress, or have the baby wear a cheerful outfit that helps draw attention to their little presence. Then, choose 2-3 colors from the patterned piece for everyone else to coordinate with.

Examples of What to Wear for Family Pictures on the Beach

Still feeling confused? I’ve had lots of families that did a fabulous job picking the clothing for their shoots. Let’s take a look at what they’ve done to give you outfit ideas for a beach photoshoot!

Blue and White

When you’re trying to figure out how to dress for a beach photoshoot, you can’t go wrong with blue and white. It’s a fresh, classic look that works for most everyone and is perfect on the beach.

I’d recommend staying away from everybody wearing white t-shirts and blue jeans because that’s a little too matchy. But something like what this family did is perfect. They’re not even wearing the same shade of blue, but it still works great!

This color scheme is not too difficult since most people probably have something blue or white in their closet anyway.

Burnt Orange and Blue

I’m going to admit that if I were picking what to wear for family photos on the beach, orange would not be my first thought. However, I love what this family did with it!

They also broke two of the guidelines I mentioned earlier, but they still look great. This is why it’s a good idea to take guidelines into consideration, but don’t be afraid to stray from them if it works.

So, pop quiz. Can you tell me which two guidelines they’ve broken?

That’s right! Matching clothing and wearing patterns.

However, the boys look super cute in their matching shirts. And because mom and dad choose coordinating colors instead of the same outfit, the whole effect is not too matchy-matchy. Plus, the pattern they are wearing isn’t so loud that it is crazy distracting.

Blue and Gray

Blue and gray is another classic combination that works well for most people. Again, it’s an easy color scheme to follow and most people will already have something in their closet that works.

Don’t worry about the colors getting lost. I’ve had people ask me if they should avoid wearing blue on the beach because of the big blue ocean and the blue sky, etc. I’ve photographed lots of people wearing many different shades of blue on the beach and they’ve all looked amazing!

Soft Green and White

This fresh combination is lovely on the beach in Manuel Antonio. It matches with the greens and whites in the background, yet the subjects aren’t lost in their surroundings.  This is a great color choice to wear for family photos on the beach.

It’s a breathtaking combination that works for nearly everyone!

Burgundy and Other Bold Colors

Burgundy or other bold colors can also be stunning on the beach. Look at how this lady’s dress makes her pop against the blues and greens on the beach.

Colors on the opposite side of the color wheel from blues and greens will give you this bold effect. Namely, yellows, oranges, and reds. In other words, whatever color you might think of when you think of tropical flowers!

If in doubt, just take your cues from nature and you’ll look fantastic!

Pastels

This family broke one of my guidelines too because they didn’t settle on just 2 or 3 colors. We’ve got white, light pink, soft green, blue, and cream going on here.

But it’s still lovely.

Because they chose soft pastel colors for their beach photoshoot outfits, they are not competing with one another. There are no patterns that stand out or distract and the overall effect is stunning.

Pink and Blue

Pink is another beautiful color for the beach. It works well with both the green of the trees and the blue of the ocean.

Mom and daughters in this family went for all pink, which is a little matchy, of course. But it totally works with Dad and the boys breaking it up with their blue shirts and khaki shorts.

Remember, some rules are more like guidelines. They can be helpful when planning, but don’t feel boxed into a corner by them.

This shoot happened on a stormy evening and the cloud cover made it quite dark, even though the sun hadn’t gone down yet. It gave the beach a dreamy look which couldn’t have worked better with their soft pink dresses than if they had planned it that way!

Look Amazing for Your Family Photoshoot in Costa Rica

Feeling inspired? I hope so!

My hope with this article is to give you some direction on what to wear for family photos on the beach in Costa Rica. Though there are a few guidelines that can help direct your quest, there are no hard and fast rules about how to dress for a photoshoot.

The main thing is to choose clothing that makes you feel comfortable and beautiful. Stay away from loud prints or colors that will be distracting in the image and coordinate colors with the rest of your family.

In the end, you’ll look great and we’ll have fun, I promise!

Haven’t booked your shoot yet? Contact me so we can get your date on the calendar!