04/06/2017

So your tiny and wonderful new family member has arrived, and now that you've begun the settling in process, it's time to start preparing for you newborn session.

I've put together this quick guide to help you figure out what you should wear for your newborn session. Deciding how to dress for portraits when you are tired because you likely aren't getting as much sleep as you're used to, and your body is still in that middle ground of not being pregnant, but probably not yet fitting into your pre-pregnancy clothing is rough. So with that in mind, I've put together a few tips for you to hopefully help  make your preparation a bit simpler.

Tip #1 - Stick to Solids

Solid colours will be your best friend for your portraits. These images are about you and your new baby, and the amazing love between the two of you, so the focus should be on you, not what you're wearing. Distracting patterns and prints can pull the attention away from that love, and towards your outfit.

Tip #2 - Keep it Simple

The shape and fit of your clothing is important. Even though it may seem completely opposite to what you think you should be wearing, close fitting shirts for moms are ideal. I promise you that all my images will be taken from your lower rib cage and up, so don't worry if the shirt you're thinking of shows your tummy, no one will see it. It's my job to put you in flattering poses that show you at your best, and the clean lines of a close fitting shirt will best work for that. Simple fitted knit shirts with short or long sleeves, whatever you're most comfortable with, are fantastic. Tank tops look amazing for some beautiful skin to skin contact.

For the men, a plain tshirt, golf shirt, or polo in a knit fabric works best. Try to stay away from button down shirts as they can look baggy and bulky. Make sure clothing is wrinkle free, as wrinkles are extremely obvious in photos, and eliminating those wrinkles in post processing is extremely time consuming.

For kids, let them be comfortable. Comfortable kids are happier kids, and happy kids enjoy the process much more. Especially with little ones, the attention span of kids can last no longer than a few seconds, and we want to spend those seconds getting great images instead of fixing clothing!

Tip #3 - It's All About the Details

Make sure you take a few moments to look after the little things before your session. Ensure fingernails are clean, neat, and tidy. For moms, keep your hair and makeup simple - because these images tend to be shot closer up, heavy makeup will show up in the images. Check kids for things like temporary tattoos and purple lips.  Bring some hand lotion, some chapstick, some hairspray, and an extra change of clothes for everyone - it never fails (for me anyway!) that when I'm wearing my favorite white t-shirt, I'm bound to spill coffee all down the front of it!

Don't be afraid to add some colour - neutrals are beautiful, but the right colour can look amazing too! A deep blue, purple, or green can add a gorgeous pop of colour, just steer away from the neons and hot pinks and really bright reds as they don't photograph well.

I hope these little tips help take some of the stress and pressure out of preparing for your newborn session, and help to make it a relaxing and enjoyable experience for you!  And if you haven't already booked your session with me, you can go right ahead and click this link to get started!