Want to know what the single most asked question after a session has been booked? “So, what do you recommend we wear?”

Personally, do you want to know what I believe the most important thing when it comes to what to wear? Make sure you’re comfortable and what you decide to wear, is what you would normally wear. If you never wear dresses, don’t think you have to go buy a maxi dress just for your photos, if you’re a jeans and shirt kinda person, wear your jeans and shirt! But if you love sporting a gorgeous, flowing maxi dress, then by all means wear your favourite maxi! You want to look casual, but not too casual, tidy but not too formal.

So I’ve put together some do’s and don’ts and recommendations when it comes to what to wear:

Do’s:

Be comfortable!
Think textures, complimentary colours, natural fibres, movement - linens, woollens, long kimonos, skirts or dresses
Patterns and block colours can work really well either together or apart
Wear seasonally appropriate clothing! If it’s going to be cold, and you had a favourite summer dress picked out, I would suggest perhaps re-thinking your plans. Beanies, jackets and scarves are more than ok in winter. Barefeet, sandles or thongs are more than ok for summer.
Feel free to accessorise your outfit - beanies, hats, scarves, boots, jewellery, cardigans or jackets…
Think about your location and how you think your outfit will fit within the background. If we’re doing photos near the river in summer, you probably don’t want jeans and boots because chances are I’ll suggest you at least get in and get your feet wet. And colours that work really well for sunsets, especially summer sunsets are oranges, blues, yellows and browns - the colours which occur naturally at sunset.
And for in-home, think about the colours and textures in your home - ie bedlinen, couch colours etc and try to complement those too
Make sure the clothes you pick for your kids fit them. While it’s sometimes handy to buy new clothes that are a little on the big side so they can grow into them, this just doesn’t look great in photos. And make sure your kids are happy with what they’re wearing. The last thing you want is a giant toddler sized tantrum because she wanted to wear her brand new gumboots and tutu. I can work with that - after all, these photos are about your family in this place and time. And if that represents your toddler right now, then why not?

Don’ts:

No huge logos on the front of t-shirts
No fluoro colours
Purple. Sorry if it’s your fave, but purple can be a really hard colour to work with, especially at sunset and especially if there’s lots of green grass. If you really want purple, I suggest adding it on as an accessory instead
Black. I know that black is a slimming colour and we all want to look our best in photos, but I would suggest re-thinking about wearing too much black or dark colours. Details can disappear into the shadows. One person can be ok, more than one isn’t great. And for in-home sessions I would normally suggest steering away from dark colours. And for maternity, your bump will just disappear in black, which kinda defeats the purpose of having maternity photos done!
Be comfortable, but not too casual. Stubby shorts and bond singlets, while they’re great summer wear aren’t really suited for family photos!

And my last piece of advice? Lay out everyone’s clothes on your bed, to see what they look like all together, take a photo of and and if you’re not sure, send it through to me to see what I think!

Outdoor: Layers, patterns, long flowing fabrics and movement

Long fabrics whether it’s a dress, scarf, pants or kimono create such beautiful movements in your images. Especially when there’s kids involved, we will move around a fair bit and the natural fall of these fabrics create such warmth and timelessness to your images

Outdoor: Naturals fibres

You can’t go past the colours and textures of natural fibres. Such a timeless wardrobe, it won’t date and the movement and the way they fall work so beautifully for family photos.

Outdoor: Block colours/neutral tones

So simple, and so effective, block colours are such a timeless way to dress for photos.

Outdoor: Seasonal colours, fabrics and clothes - ie matching the seasons

Consider the season that you’re having photos and in and dress appropriately. Mustard yellow works well any time, but paired with reds, grey and blues, it just screams autumn! And don’t shy away from wearing jackets and beanies if it’s cold.

In-home: Layers, textures, patterns

Consider the colours of your home, the fabrics on your furniture and bedding as well as what you’re wearing. You can’t go past layers and complimentary colours and the best part, you’re at home, so we can try different combinations without having to carry them all with us!

In-home: Block colours/neutral tones

Block colours are a simple and timeless choice, and can work really well for in-home photos

In-home: Natural fibers and texture

Consider textures as well as colours - linens, light cottons and knitted items have gorgeous textures and natural colours which all compliment each other when layered and placed together

In-home: Dressing baby

It’s one thing that a lot of people don’t consider, but what to dress your newborn baby in for photos? Simple is best. Your baby is brand new, lets just focus on them. A plain white onsie is ideal, one that fits well (not too big) and the best thing to do, if baby is going to go down for a sleep before I arrive, is to have them dressed in what they’re going to be wearing for photos before you wrap them for bed. That will save having to get them changed when I arrive.

And the wraps and blankets that you have can play an important role as well in the aesthetics of the photos, different textures and colours can look gorgeous.

Thinking about buying new clothes for your photos?

If you’ve decided to treat yourself and you want some new clothes, after all what better excuse then family photos for a new outfit, here are some of my favourite local places to shop: