Number 1 Rule

Make sure everyone is comfortable! Dress for the weather; cold kids are much less likely to be happy kids and cosy jumpers are oh so sweet. No one feels like smiling and cuddling up to their family when they are hot and bothered so if the day turns out hotter than you planned maybe skip the tights and jumpers. Dress for the location; clothes that you don't want wet are not best at the beach, long lace dresses/skirts that catch sticks are not great in a forest. Don't forget comfortable shoes (or no shoes) that you have all worn before as session often involve at least a little bit of walking. One of the main things your photographer will try to do is help your family feel comfortable so that they can capture beautiful natural moments. Having everyone comfortable in what they are wearing is a great first step in helping them feel comfortable during the session.

What not to wear


Lots of things can distract from what's important in your images, which is faces and connection. Bright colours can reflect unnatural colours on to your skin are are best avoided and big bold patterns and big logos can be really distracting from faces which are often the intended focus. Fake tans can often come out overly orange in photos and in the editing process it is much easier to make the images and skin tones look warmer than it is to take out orange skin tones resulting in higher quality more natural looking images. Hats can be a beautiful addition to your images however you do need to be aware that they can cast shadows on your face and your photographer will have to direct you to make sure that this does not reduce the quality of your images. Large amount of black can also detract from faces as it can become the focal point of the image.


There are also items that can detract from the quality feel of you images, so here's a few things to avoid:

  • watches, hair ties, Fitbits on wrists
  • sunglasses or transition lens glasses
  • phones, keys, wallets and anything else that you might put in your pocket

What to wear


Clothing that is block colours makes for really beautiful photos that draw attention to the subjects face. You do not have to dress your whole family in neutral colours to get beautiful photos! But it does definitely help to make sure that your family's outfits don't obviously clash. Wear something that suits your family, if you don't normally wear dresses, don't wear dresses. If your kid is currently obsessed with their gumboots, let them wear their gumboots! We are all about photographing who you are not who you feel like your family should be. As long as your clothes are comfortable, clean and not going to pull the focus of the image then your set! Most importantly don't sit at home stressing about finding the right thing or feeling like you have to splurge on new outfits for the whole family, this isn't true and often one chat with your photographer will clear up any stress you have about it, so don't be afraid to ask!