Combining colors for a family portrait takes a bit of deliberate effort. You want to make sure that everyone coordinates, yet shows their own style. The key to making it look good and on purpose is to use the same colors multiple times within the family outfits.
Using one color and varying the shades is easy. Choosing blues, and having your family wear different shades and styles works. But when you pull in another color, like the red sweater, below, the person in that red sweater suddenly becomes the focus of the portrait. When you have a beautiful close-up of everyone together, this family’s outfits scream “Look at Mom, look at Mom!” Now, if that is what you are going for, great. But, most families want everyone in the portrait to be noticed. This becomes an even bigger problem when we work with smaller groupings within the family.
A better way to combine colors is to have multiple people in the family use those colors. In this example, pinks and browns are repeated throughout the outfits, both separately and together. When doing smaller groupings, such as the kids alone, parents with kids and parents alone, the extra effort in planning the clothing will really pay off.
If you are still in doubt, stick with one color and work with the different shades of that color. If you have any questions, let me know!