What to wear to your newborn or family session

- Featuring baby Chloe in a Geelong Newborn Photography session

What on earth do I wear?

The most common question I get asked prior to a family or newborn session is “what should we wear?”. Here are some tips for newborn and family sessions.

The first thing I want to say, is don’t try to dress like someone you saw on Instagram. Lifestyle photography is about realness and capturing genuine memories. You need to feel comfortable in what your wear – it should feel natural to you and to your own taste and style.

Colours

Generally – neutrals, soft colours and earthy tones work nicely (such as olive green, mustard, tan, cream, brown, white, warm pastels and soft blues). Though if you are a person who LOVES colour, then please, go for it! Colours to generally avoid = black (I know they say black is slimming, but it just doesn’t photograph well), super bright or fluoro colours, logos, and heavy jewellery (like chunky watches, etc.)

Mums

Flowy clothing photographs nicely – anything with a bit of movement. This might be a flowy dress or top. Linen and lace look beautiful. If you’re breastfeeding, I would suggest wearing something breastfeeding friendly. You will often need to breastfeed your little one on multiple occasions during a newborn shoot. 

Brands I love for mums (that have plenty of feeding friendly options):

·      Feather & Noise

·      The Self Styler

·      Asos

·      Moolk Shop

Newborns

The best idea for newborns is to keep it super simple. You want to remember those chubby little arms and legs, and those teeny tiny feet. A plain singlet or legless bodysuit is the way to go – one with press studs at the bottom (so we can hide the nappy). Even just a white singlet can look great, or if you’d like a bit more detail a little romper or bloomers can be adorable. Prepare a few backups, as spews and nappy leaks happen!

Also have ready a couple of lovely wraps and blankets – often this is the opportunity to add a bit of colour or pattern. Knitted or crochet blankets can add some nice texture. Snuggle Hunny Kids and Popyatot have some gorgeous wraps.

Kids

Don’t be completely shy of patterns when it comes to your kids’ outfits. Once again, try to avoid super bright colours and logos. Flowy dresses are often nice for girls, and a simple t-shirt or shirt for boys works well.

Brands for newborns and kids:

·      Jamie K

·      Nature Baby

·      Buck & Baa

·      Susukoshi

·      Burrow & Be

·      Pip and Lenny

·      Next have lots of affordable options for babies and kids

Dads

It’s best for guys to keep it simple. A plain t-shirt or shirt usually works well, with chinos or simple jeans.

Maternity

When dressing for a maternity session, a flowy maxi dress is a great option. Soft block colours and minimal patterns work best, so as not to take away attention from your bump.

·      Mama Rentals – a beautiful option for hired maternity dresses!

·      Feather and Noise

·      Coven and Co

·      Bae the Label

·      Maive & Bo