It's family photo time.

You've scheduled the appointment.

You've given the family the head's up and now you're forced with the biggest challenge of all - figuring out what everyone is going to wear.

If you're like me, this is where the stress begins. I like color - lots of color! Unfortunately, so do our three girls.

Over the years, I'm always impressed by my family clients who have absolutely nailed coordinating outfits for photos.

Looking at some of my favorites, I noticed a few common threads (note the pun).

Here are just a few ideas for outfitting the family for your next photo session.

1. Start with black (or even gray) as a base color. 
Not only is black slimming but with the simple addition of a solid bright scarf here or solid color top there, everyone seems pulled together. It doesn't get any easier than this. They key to making this work is keeping patterns to a minimum, which these guys totally nailed.

2. Pick one outfit and build around it.
This is actually my favorite technique, especially when you have a family member who is ultra picky about what they wear. Let them be the base. I'm sure Morgan (the young girl with the striped sweater) more than likely is not the picky dresser in this photo, but notice how everyone coordinates with her outfit. If they don't pull directly from her orange, yellow or off-white sweater or brown boots, they blend seamlessly by wearing neutrals like soft browns and black. Perfection! Note how all patterns are fairly small.

3. Monochromatic with a twist.
Don't be afraid to go all one color like the Housers, but feel free to add in some brown textures and patterns for fun. This just screams autumn. The subtle patterns, note I said subtle, work together. Larger patterns would fight for attention.

4. Pick three basic colors.
The Adams family has this down pat. Courtney's plaid shirt is the perfect base here - it includes pink, blue and a little white/light gray. The rest of the family just had to follow suit. Easy.

5. The color wheel.
Remember your grade school art class and basic color theory using the color wheel? Complementary colors, colors opposite each other on the color wheel (like orange and blue pictured here), create maximum contrast. Check out the graphic below. Find your favorite color and draw a diagonal line for maximum punch.