Beautiful, natural and timeless, maternity, newborn, baby and family photography.
What to wear for newborn photos.
- , Newborn
Are you wondering what to wear for your newborn photos?
Family photos are such a beautiful part of newborn photography and the psychological benefit that they have for your child is enormous.
Did you know that psychologists have studied the effects of having them displayed in your home during the early childhood developmental years? (Research David Krauss, and his 1983 paper on “Photo Therapy and Mental Health” if this is of interest to you). They found that they help children develop a sense of belonging and provide a significant boost to their self-esteem.
They are such an important part in our children’s development, that they are included in every Vanilla Images newborn and baby photography sessions.
As the images we create from your session become part of your family’s legacy, it is important to put some thought into what you will wear.
Preparing what you will wear for your family photos is the only thing that you need to do before your session, as everything for your baby is taken care of by the studio.
If you would like more information on what baby will wear, you might enjoy this post – HERE.
What to wear for newborn photos.
I usually suggest for both parents in a newborn photography session to wear something white, grey or black. This colour only needs to be the same colour for your top half, i.e. your pants / shorts don’t need to be the same colour as your tops.
You absolutely do not have to go with this suggestion if it is not your personal style. But the reason that this is my suggestion, is that neutrals are timeless and classic.
Keeping a neutral base means that your images are less likely to date over time, and you can put them anywhere in your home.
It also solves a lot of problems if the colour scheme in your home changes over the years. Or if you move house and your new home has clashing colours to what you have chosen to wear in your photos.
You may say – “But, I have heard that we shouldn’t be matching for a photoshoot ???”
I can assure you; this is definitely still true. You don’t want to wear the same matching t-shirts and pants, and wearing exactly the same colour isn’t something you would generally do for an outdoor photoshoot of any kind. But different cuts of clothing in the same colour work particularly well with newborn and baby photography as it makes the baby stand out as the main focus of the photos.
To then co-ordinate older siblings and Grandparents, you can choose between them wearing the same colour as both parents, or a light colour if parents are wearing white / light grey, or a darker colour if parents are wearing dark grey / black.
However once again, if you know you tend to change your house decor or move often, I would personally stick to neutrals on older siblings too!
But can I wear something else if I prefer? - What to wear for newborn photos.
Absolutely. These are your photos, and it’s important to love what you are wearing. You are more than welcome to incorporate colour if that is more you.
I personally recommend not going with colours that are excessively bright, and sticking to the one colour and wearing different shades of it. Or mixing that colour with neutrals. As both too many colours, and bright colours can detract from your baby being the central focus of the photos.
Some examples of colours below.
What should I avoid? & Tips - What to wear for newborn photos.
While you are more than welcome to wear whatever you like, there are a couple of things that you should avoid and some tips below.
- Avoid – Bold, patterns and prints. Stripes. Logos and writing on clothes.
- Avoid – One person wearing a light colour and another dark. Stick to everyone in light colours or everyone in dark colours because when you mix both it draws attention to the light and dark in the image, rather than your baby. They should be the central focus, not your clothes!
- Tip – Plan your clothes for the size you are in pregnancy. Most people take a while for head back towards their pre-pregnancy size. It is better for an outfit to be slightly bigger than tight and digging into skin.
- Tip – Newborn sessions are heated to very high temperatures for the comfort of your baby, so even in winter, think “summer” in your clothing choices.
For more information on Newborn sessions in our Melbourne Photography studio click HERE.
Like what you see? - Take the first step for your own newborn session!
Hi, I’m Karen, the photographer and owner of Vanilla Images.
Our 4-step Portrait Photography experience, makes getting beautiful, natural photos that will keep your memories alive, fun and easy – just the way photography should be!!!!
Those first moments of your beautiful new baby go so quickly, so take your first step for your very own session today!