My clients often ask my advice on choosing their outfits for their sessions

so I thought I would share with you all some of my "go to" tips

My first rule is that you should always be yourself.

You should wear what is true to who your are and best represents your personality.

These are your images that I hope you will cherish for many years,

think about when the images are printed and up on the wall,

I want you to look at them, love them and how you are represented in them.

But to help guide you with your choices here are a few suggestions to get you on your way....

Coordinating colours, but not matching

pick 2 main colours then add softer tones to it. What we want to avoid is matching, we can leave those days in the 80s!

What we want to do is compliment each other.

We can do this by choosing one or two elements of colour, like maroon or navy blue then adding neutral colours like ivory, beige, cream, brown or blush.

Earthy Colours & Textures

Limit prints + patterns and definitely avoid logos or characters!

Another aspect to remember is that

checkered patterns can cause terrible distortions to appear in the portrait that is not originally there.

So try to select solid colours or soft patterns like florals or lace.

Comfort

My sessions are all about being interactive with your partner, your children and if you bring them along, your pet so some things you will want to consider are whether or not you can comfortably move around, lift your arms, hug, kneel, twirl, walk and sit on the ground.

You don't want to be worrying about adjusting a short skirt while sitting or fixing your clothes when you're supposed to be having fun and being carefree!

Also, bare feet are always a good look for all the family! so kick off your shoes if you like especially

for in-home sessions or at the beach.

Some suggestions

To help you on your way, here is a few items to give you inspiration and if you scroll down you will find some photo inspiration.

Maxi or midi dresses

fitted pants + jeans

fitted tops tucked into long skirts

A line dresses

flowy or fitted tunics

strappy sandal

ankle boots

For men, a nice shirt meant to be worn untucked with a pair of slim fit jeans and a dress shoe or boot.

sweaters over collared shirts leather dress shoe

boots

boat shoe

chunky knit

dress shirt

cotton, plain t-shirt

layers, wear two shirts and scrunch up the sleeves

or bare feet and shorts on the beach.

Fit your style to the location

Wear clothes that are fashionable, yet still functional for the location.

session notes

Make sure to remove your sunglasses, phones, wallets + keys from your pockets.

Take hair ties off wrists.

I don't actually mind photographing children looking off camera, it suits my lifestyle, un posed look but just wander behind me at least once when you're calling them to smile, then they will look at you and we can get a lovely image of them smiling front facing....this tips is more for little sitters.

continuing on that note, please don't feel pressured to make children smile or be still, this usually just ends up with tears or a stroppy child. I prefer to let them show their personality through natural interactions or let them wander and explore, I capture those moments when they choose to be still. much more natural that way. What you can do, is join them on exploring, pick the wild things with them, play and be silly.

If your baby needs a feed or a nappy change, please do it! Don't feel like you're interrupting the session, we can either capture these natural moments too, or I can photograph siblings.

feel free to go bare foot, anytime!

if there is an image you have always wanted to do, tell me I am all about creating special images for you. Want to splash in the water, let's do it! go nude for maternity images, go for it! want to have a flower adorned peacock chair at your session and wear a couture gown, we can make that happen! let's chat about it at booking.

avoid pointing haha, I know sounds crazy right! But you wouldn't believe just how many times it has ruined a perfect moment. If you see something exciting that you want the children to see, maybe point to it once then put your arm down otherwise everyone of those images will look like that, an arm in front of a your own or a child's face.

Use a nappy cover. If you are putting your child in a dress and they are wearing a nappy find a nappy cover - you will thank me later. 

bring bug repellent, I usually have some on hand to borrow but bring some just incase.

Most important have fun! love on your family like you haven't seen them in years! snuggle, hold hands, kisses, laughter, tickle fights + everything in between.

You are also welcome to borrow from my client wardrobe, which I hope to expand on over the years but if you need any help I have dresses available, a couple of onesies and a boys 3 piece set for a one year old.

Thank you for reading + I can't wait to meet you.

Shae X