The clothing your Family will wear will have an impact on the outcome of the photos so it is worth making sure this is not a rushed decision that you regret once you see the finished product.

Trends come and go. When choosing what you should wear, try for a style that is as timeless as possible. A good trick is to ask yourself, “If someone were to see this outfit in 100 years, would they know the year in which the photo was taken?” If the answer is no, you’re good to go! If the answer is yes, consider the next steps following.

NOTES

Dress the family as if you were dressing one person. The best bit of advice I can offer. Instead of dressing each individual person, coordinate colours within your family. You don’t have to be matched, just complimenting each other. Think of your family as one big piece of artwork, this way no one will clash and no one will stick out. Do you remember when everyone use to wear the exact same white or black t-shirt on the beach? Everyone looked exactly the same making the photo quite uninteresting - thankfully this is the thing of the past now.

Hair and makeup. It is important to have your hair styled and wear a little makeup, enough to feel beautiful. Because being yourself is the most beautiful thing you could wear so I always advise to try and not to over do it. 

Avoid big brands or logos on clothing. We don't want to be distracted by over the top patterns or logos that will very quickly date.

BASIC TIPS:

• Solid colours always photograph well. Patterns are totally okay as well. When choosing patterns, please see if patterns on chosen items do not clash but rather complement eachother.

• Neutrals such as soft pinks, cream, muted blues, soft greens (all pastels) and white all photograph extremely, blending effortlessly with the studio colour scheme elements rather than competing with them

• Wen in doubt select one patterned outfit for a single person in the family and then pull colours from that pattern to dress everyone else in solid colours or complementing patterns to coordinate. If you are a big group this will not always be possible but you guys can co-ordinate together using this advice

• Ladies: if you can, look for soft, natural fabrics that drape and flow. These make for beautiful portraits and give a sense of motion.

FOR DAD

Please just try and avoid black and dark colours (these create too much contrast against baby’s skin) and make person look older. Similarly solid bright colours tend to create colour-caste; for example if you wear a red t-shirt, the whole scene will look red including everyones skin (think of what happens when you put a red scarf over a lamp). Editing for a consistent tone across your gallery is impossible when people wear these colours in my natural light studio. So please, don’t wear solid bright colours like red, orange, green, bright pink, burgundy etc. Choose pastels and naturals instead. You might also want to take off your watch for the time we shoot, they usually compete too much with a brand new baby. Plain white or solid colours work really well on tops like linen blouses, loose shirts or simple t-shirts. Just a plain white or grey T-shirt looks great, but please avoid obvious logos on any of them.

FOR MUM

Please just try and avoid black and dark colours. If you have a dress or a top that you love and would like to wear, I encourage you to bring it, it is your session so you can wear what you like.

I personally love feminine, floaey and whimsy style of tops and dresses on a mum, as it seems to compliment my style and the mood of the images.

I love a bare shoulders as the skin on skin of mum and baby brings out the most incredible images of you bonding. For that, you can wear an off the should dress.

One thing to keep in mind is that I always shoot flattering angles and positions (for Mums AND Dads). In light of you just having had a baby, I will shoot from the chest up mostly. Having had babies myself, I remember the feeling of trying to look my best with a newborn.

Please do not adopt the “all in white t-shirt and blue jeans” wardrobe of the 1990’s era!

To see some ideas of styles see this INSTAGRAM BOARD for more inspiration.

NEWBORN BABY

I supply all blankets and props for the session – bring your baby in simple clothing (simple white long or short-sleeve onesie) and a loose nappy for easy undressing when I start (+ to minimise skin marks). You can take along your own newborn suitable romper and outfit you wish to have memory of, we will have time to dress baby in it.

SIBLINGS

Neutral Colours? Yes, kids can go minimalist as well! Neutral colours suit everyone. Steer clear of big logos or pictures and themes.

Embellish your child’s hair to suit their outfit and accentuate their face with a headband or flowers. Some trends never die! Dress your child up in clothes inspired by vintage fashions for an effortlessly cool look. Consider the laidback vibe by styling your child in relaxed clothing such as a loose-fitting shirt or dress, flares, flower crowns and natural colours. Also flowers - whether it’s in their hair or on their clothes (or both!) floral is an elegant and timeless look that suits everyone. Boys and overalls – they go with everything! And can be styled with cardigans and shirts too for the cohesive look.

Please don’t bring outfit changes for yourself or your children (as in, having different clothing to be photographed in), as the session is mainly focused on the newborn baby and whilst it might not seem like it, its incredibly time consuming to change outfits and my energy is better focussed in keeping your bub settled for the images.

WHERE TO SHOP (just a narrow selection to get you started)

For mum: Auguste The Label, Opia, St Frock (online), Arizona Rose (online), Get frocked (online), Witchery, Seed, Zara

For dad: Zara, Gap, H&M, Target

For kids and baby: Auguste the label, Zara, Seed, Jamie Kay (online), Arabella & Rose (online), Hubble & Duke (online), Fawn & Finch (online)

WHAT NOT TO DO

I’m pretty free range when it comes to what you wear.  We’re all different and have our own unique style so please wear what you like, but if you’d love some wisdom as to what NOT to do, I’ll happily share!

1. Don’t have a drastic change in hair right before your session. No big chops or change of colour

2. Try not to wear glittery or illuminating makeup as it reflects the light of your cheeks and actually makes you look older (aint nobody want that)

3. If you like wearing spray tan, please consider going without it during your newborn session - your skin will look significantly darker than other family members. The skin colour difference between you and your baby will not look good on photographs

4. Don’t wear tight underwear as it shows through your clothes and its impossible to Photoshop

5. Don’t stress if you spend 3 times as much on your outfits as you do on your session. Everyone does it (including me). Keep the tags on and return what you dont use!

6. Don’t wear black, navy or burgundy or other dark colours - generally no dark solid colours please. They will create too much contrast between you and baby. No logos/themes on T-shirts either, just plain and simple to stand the test of time

* ANOTHER FRIENDLY YET IMPORTANT NOTE *The studio room is all about the newborn baby - I take a great care in maintaining fresh and clean environment for you to enjoy the space and for your baby to stay safe. Please bring your socks or feel free to keep bare feet for comfort, as we keep footwear away from the studio.