In my last two posts I have talked about coordinating family session outfits and how to choose shoes (something seemingly little but easily changing the entire look of an image). While these posts will work for almost all general family sessions, some sessions will need a different approach.  Like what to wear for a newborn session??  Though in a family session you are going for a cohesive look for everyone and not one person is really the star of the show, that is not the case in a newborn session.  That newborn is the star of the show, hands down. 🙂  And you want all of the outfits to center around that.

One thing to keep in mind, all Amy Ro sessions are done in the comfort of your home and I do have you turn the heat up to about 75.  So don’t pick clothes that are too warm.  (For non-Amy Ro clients, this will be likely be true no matter where your session is held.)

The overarching theme to keep in mind here is this: baby is the most important part of newborn photos.  Nothing in your images should detract from that.

What to wear – Clothes

During  my sessions, about half of the images are family images so you are going to handle the baby a lot during the session.  We want the baby to be comfortable when you are holding him / her so we don’t want scratchy fabrics.

Moms

First let’s address the elephant in the room.  At the time of newborn photos, moms are only 7-20 days postpartum.  With the exception of about 2% of the population, NOTHING fits the way it did before at 7-20 days postpartum.  (I know this all too well after three children myself!)   For moms, I highly recommend that they pick something comfortable.  If a mom has had a c-section then I urge them to look at maxi skirts or maxi dresses – things that will not put pressure on the area of the incision.  For vaginal births, the options are a bit more open.  Some people are most comfortable in jeans and maternity jeans are 100000% fine.  Leggings are also very popular and work well in images. For tops, think tank tops with a cardigan, or a soft sweater or soft drapey fabrics.  Often if mom is nursing she will have to nurse at some point during the session so she will want tops that can easily accommodate that. (And along those lines, if you are using nursing pads, you might want to go for a thicker fabric or extra layer that helps to cover the outline of the pads under the top.)

Dads

For dad, options are pretty open.  Again think in terms of textures and stiffness.  I have several dads wear tee shirts, or polos, or even button down shirts.  The only thing to watch with button downs is leaving an imprint of buttons on the skin of the baby when holding him / her.

Siblings

– For siblings, simple is better!  Don’t stuff them into uncomfortable clothing for the sake of photos.  Think single layers.  Cute tees or dresses for girls, tops and jeans for boys.  Often if the siblings are younger (I say probably 4 or younger for girls, 6 or younger for boys) I will often do skin to skin photos with the newborn so just bottoms will do.

Baby

For baby, the simplest is the best!  I will rarely, if ever, photograph a newborn in clothing other than a basic white onesie.  We want to capture that beautiful newborn baby that you just had.  Unless we are going outdoors, all Amy Ro newborns are photographed either naked or swaddled in a variety of fabrics.

And last but not least to touch on shoes.  Again, with all Amy Ro newborn sessions done inside, I prefer no shoes or socks at all.  If we go outside in nicer weather, obviously socks and shoes are a go 😉

What to wear for Wrentham Massachusetts Newborn Photographer

What to wear – Colors and Patterns

Personally, I don’t really mind if my clients wear color to their newborn session.  Many photographers, especially studio ones, will strong urge or insist on a very neutral palette which can be absolutely beautiful.  I don’t really mind if clients wear some colors but I do advise them to stick to a cohesive palette.  I do telling clients to avoid certain colors – hot pinks, bright fire-engine reds for example – because they do not photograph well.  One thing to keep in mind unique to newborn moms, there is a good chance of some leaking so keep that in mind when choosing lighter colors.

As far as large patterns or logos or text, avoid them.  They will distract from the baby in your images.  Think timeless and classic.

What to wear for Foxboro Massachusetts Newborn Photographer

What to wear – Accessories

No big accessories.  I cannot stress this enough.  The first thing someone says when they look at your images should be “oh what a gorgeous baby!”  If the first thing they see is a giant flower, or giant bow, or giant hat – that’s not a good thing.  Accessories for mom and dad should be kept to a minimum.  You are likely going to be holding the baby against you and you don’t want anything uncomfortable or that can leave a mark on them.  If you want to do a necklace with your outfit, think small and simple.  Watches should be removed (ideally) simply because a lot of images will focus on your hands and arms and, again, we don’t want to detract from that gorgeous baby.

What to wear for Barrington Rhode Island Newborn Photographer

 

What to wear – Other Examples

For some What to Wear studio examples and examples in other parts of the country, check out the work of some dear friends of mine:

Jennifer Mauren Photography – in Florida, Jen does a mix of studio and outdoor beach (!!) newborn sessions.

Jody Mack Photography – for those of you in the south reading this, Jody is based in SC and does a gorgeous mix of in-home and outdoor (and film!) newborn sessions

Danielle Hobbs Photography – based in VA, Danielle does gorgeous studio newborn sessions and focuses on soft neutral palettes

Shey Marin Photography – based in MD outside of DC, Shey does a mix of studio and in-home newborn sessions with lots of soft colors.

Anya Wait Photography – based in WI Anya does a mix of studio and in-home newborn sessions and features gorgeous white onesie sessions with families (and has awesome birth work, too!!)