Unless you are a fashion designer, a stylist or just a heck of a natural snappy dresser, one of the first questions you might be asking yourself after you’ve booked your in-home baby or family photography session is “what should I wear?”.

We’ve got a few ideas for you to consider when choosing your outfits for you and the kids to get the best results from your photography session.

Don’t try too hard

First and foremost, family photography should be about capturing a moment in time and the personalities/interactions between you.

If you are a casual, relaxed family, then that is really how you should be in your photos, we believe.

You will feel much more relaxed during the shoot and identify with the people you see in your images much more over the years. These portraits are of YOU as a family and should be your chance to mark your moment in time.

Shirts, Shorts and T-Shirts

T-shirts are okay, as long as they are plain, without large logos or prints. Keep colours simple and subtle.

For a beautiful and soft feel; for a ‘Hamptons style decor’ for example; choose charcoal grey or navy rather than black. Cream or ivory rather than white. For modern homes with black and glass you might want more contrast and punch. More on colours below.

Pants and shoes don’t usually appear prominently in family photos, but also shouldn’t be an afterthought.

A nice set of jeans or casual pants are great as long as the are a different colour to the top. Double-denim won’t work, unless it’s a ‘quirk’ or feature like ‘Dad is a bass player in a Status Quo Tribute band’, for example (really happened).

Generally, in family photography we want to present our ‘best selves’ so a smart/casual outfit that you might wear to a dinner party with friends, say, a summer dress or a shirt and pants, or a nice, plain fitted T-shirt.

There is no right or wrong (within reason!).

Avoid strong patterns

As a rule in family and baby photography, we try to avoid strong patterns such as stripes and checks.

It can look messy or haphazard, unless it is done with purpose. Even worse, if you have one person in the family who is wearing vertical stripes and the other is wearing horizontal and another wearing check-patterns… you get the idea!

What we are looking for is something that will stand the test of time and not take too much attention from the people interacting - it’s the expressions of the kids and the moment we want to focus on.

Use a neutral palette

When we make your images we are setting the bar high - we intend to create something that you love so much that you want to put it large on your wall, as a feature piece.

Whether that is what you do with it or not is beside the point; it is the intention that keeps the quality up.

With this in mind, it is important to think about what you would actually like to see on your wall . Would you put bright yellow in the lounge? Does your decor contain hints of blue? Over the decades, interior design has changed a lot but there has always been a need for neutral palettes as they create a base from which you can work from.

What is a neutral palette? In a nutshell, a neutral palette usually contains black, white and shades of grey. It is not unusual to see shades of brown in there to give a warm feeling to the palette, although the intention is to create a feeling of calm and neutrality.

The most beautiful family and baby photos we’ve created have been ones that are simple, with the colours adding to the moments, not taking over the image.

Favour soft colours

If you want to have colour in your images then we might suggest using softer colours where possible.

Very strong colours such as red can take over an image and distract from the overall image itself. Saying that, if you wish to draw attention to a certain area, lips or maybe a prop, red is an excellent way to highlight this. Used sparingly, the colour red can be very powerful in any photo.

Why does red stand out so much? Well, somewhere along the way during our evolution we developed the ability to perceive red pigments more vividly than others due to a mutation in a photoreceptor gene. This allowed us to pick out ripe fruits amongst green foliage and dangerous, bright coloured snakes, for example.

Have you noticed why STOP signs and traffic lights contain red? It is used by famous brands also to grab our attention from far away - McD, for example…

Another thing to consider is the effect that black and white have on your look.

Black is the absence of colour and can be used to portray elegance. Using black in your palette can darken or shade it. Black clothing can feel very heavy in some images and when everybody is wearing it, it can looking blocky and hard to find definition between people. Maybe consider a navy or very dark grey - or if you must wear black, have other members of the family in navy or dark grey.

White is the presence of all colour and often is used to portray purity. Using white in your palette can brighten the whole look by tinting the palette. Pure white can look clinical and stark, so maybe consider a softer white, perhaps ivory or cream.

In between this we have grey - a neutral which is sometimes used to portray formality. Adding a grey to the look can sometimes tie a palette together. A softer transition between the colours will have a smoother effect on the eye than purely black vs white.

Consider colour theory

We’re not suggesting that you take an advanced degree in colour theory in order to decide your outfit for your newborn shoot, but a little knowledge can go a long way.

Take for example colour temperature. Are your images warm or cool? Do you prefer harmony and balance in your images, or bold, contrasting images that POP and demand attention. We’re just scratching the surface here, but it’s worth some consideration and can do wonders for your future clothing and furniture choices.

We use Adobe Colour to create our palettes.

Black & White

If you are a black and white fan, you might notice that there are many types of black and white photography, each needing to be created specifically for that look. Some people love the bright and light. washy feeling images. Other people prefer punchy and bold images with lots of contrast.

Removing the colour from an image can help to focus the eye toward other factors such as structure and shape. With the absence of warm or cool tones we depend on the composition and expression to dictate the mood of the image.

If you have dark hair and features (eyelashes, eye colour etc) then a bold and punchy black and white style can look great on you. If your family have a fairer complexion then avoiding wearing white and sticking to more mid-tones (see soft colours, above) might suit you more.

There is no right or wrong, but when it is done with thought and attention, black and white photography can be breathtaking.

Black and white photography is not a filter or an afterthought but is a genre all on its own.

Disregard all of this…

Of course, you can just be yourself and march to the beat of your own drum. If you are a huge NRL fan, it will be hard not to use the colours of your favourite team - maybe you’ve wrapped your little baby in your NRL shirt or perhaps your little toddlers insist on having a shot in their superhero outfit.

I don’t remember Superman being dressed in neutral and complimentary tones… (that’s more Batman’s style).

Maybe you have a vocation; you work in the forces or services. It often runs through the family and capturing part of this story can be a great way to acknowledge it. If baby grows up to follow in your footsteps then you have an amazing story captured already - what an investment!

Either way, if you have made it this far to the end of the article, just giving a few moments of attention to what you are going to use will already mean that your images are going to look more together and feel more considered, which can only be a good thing,

Summary

Try to avoid strong colours unless it’s intentional. Think to yourself - “would I put this on my wall?”. Keep it natural, not too complicated and give yourself options but ultimately, it has to feel like you.