What Actually Photographs Best for Indoor Newborn Family Photos?

Oct 6

11 min read

If you want the simple answer for what to wear for your newborn photos, wear something comfortable, keep it relatively simple, and come see me. I promise we can figure out the rest.

Parents wearing simple black outfits holding their newborn baby during an indoor newborn family photography session in Aurora, Colorado.

But maybe you're not looking for the simple answer. Maybe you're the person who wants to know exactly what I would choose if you opened your closet, stepped out of the way, and said, “Jen, just tell me what photographs best.”

Oh, I can do that.

There are tiny things I notice as a photographer that I would never expect you to think about. The shape of your neckline changes how much skin we see around your baby's face. A billowy sleeve can put a surprising amount of fabric between you and your baby. Even something as small as the watch you're wearing can become noticeable when your hand is supporting that tiny newborn head.

None of this means you need to go shopping before your session, and it definitely doesn't mean you need a manicure, a haircut and an entirely new wardrobe. But if you want me to get ridiculously specific about what photographs beautifully during an indoor newborn session, here we go.

Want Me to Just Show You?

Sometimes it's much easier to see what I mean than to read me describing necklines and sleeve openings. I put together a small Amazon list with examples of the kinds of pieces I think photograph beautifully in my studio.

These aren't things you need to buy, and you certainly don't need a whole new outfit for your newborn session. They're simply examples of what I'm talking about throughout this guide. If you already own something similar, perfect. If you want an excuse to buy yourself something comfortable that you feel good in, I've already done some of the looking for you.

SHOP MY STUDIO SESSION OUTFIT IDEAS

Tiny Details Studio Session Outfit Ideas on Amazon

First, what colors should everyone wear?

This is probably the easiest part. I love black, white and cream.

I typically create both a light and a dark family look during a newborn session, and those colors photograph beautifully without pulling attention away from your baby. They're also timeless. I don't want you looking at these photographs twenty years from now and immediately knowing exactly what year they were taken because we all participated in some very specific clothing trend.

That doesn't mean everyone has to show up in matching black T-shirts. We're still going to create something that feels like your family. But if you're standing in your closet completely overwhelmed and just want me to choose, start simple.

What photographs best on Mom?

If I could pick from scratch, I would probably put you in a simple, soft T-shirt or tank with an open neckline. I love a wider boat neck, scoop neck or V-neck, and the reason actually has very little to do with the shirt itself. It's about what happens when I put your baby against you.

More open space around your neck and chest gives me more skin around your baby's face. When I bring everyone close together, that little bit of skin-to-skin makes the photograph feel softer and more intimate. Instead of seeing fabric surrounding your baby, we're seeing you surrounding your baby.

That's also why I love short sleeves and tanks. You certainly don't have to show a lot of skin, but when you do, it gives me more opportunities to create those really close images where your baby is tucked against your chest, your arms are wrapped around them and everything else almost disappears.

Soft and flowy is beautiful. Billowy can get in the way.

Especially for a brand-new mom, I am absolutely not looking for a skin-tight shirt. I want you comfortable. A soft shirt that falls naturally against your body can photograph beautifully, and with short sleeves, I actually like a slightly larger sleeve opening. When I bring your arms around your baby, we get more skin and less fabric, and it can make the photograph feel much more connected without requiring you to wear anything tight.

What I pay more attention to is where the extra fabric goes. Long, billowy sleeves can bunch between your arms and your newborn, and when I'm trying to bring everyone incredibly close together, suddenly I'm arranging fabric instead of just arranging people. If you're choosing long sleeves, I'd keep those a little closer to the arm. With short sleeves, we have much more freedom.

And remember, I'm usually photographing you from around the waist up. Whether you're wearing jeans, leggings or the bottom half of a dress usually isn't terribly important to me.

What about button-down shirts?

They're not my first choice for Mom. Button-downs tend to be made from more structured fabric, and structure can start making a photograph feel a little stiffer too. That's not necessarily bad, but it's usually the opposite of what I'm trying to create during your newborn family photographs.

I want softness. I want everyone tucked together. I want your baby sinking into you rather than competing with collars, buttons and structured fabric. Give me a really good, comfortable T-shirt over a fancy blouse almost every time.

One thing I would skip: hard hardware.

This one is less about how your shirt photographs and more about the tiny person you're going to be holding against it. I would avoid tops with decorative zippers, metal rings, big metal buttons or other hard embellishments around your chest and arms.

Your newborn is going to be incredibly close to you during these photographs, and I don't want something hard sitting between you and baby. Soft and simple works beautifully here, and it usually photographs better anyway.

Should Mom wear texture?

I actually lean toward no. Texture can be beautiful, and I certainly won't panic if you arrive wearing it, but very fine patterns and textures can sometimes create moiré in photographs—that strange visual effect where fabric suddenly looks like it has lines or waves that weren't really there.

So if we're building my absolute ideal outfit from scratch, I'd keep Mom's top fairly smooth and simple. Dad, on the other hand, can handle a little more texture. We'll get to him.

What about my postpartum stomach or chest?

Wear what makes you comfortable. That's genuinely my answer.

I'm posing you. I'm choosing my angles. I'm watching where your clothing falls, where your baby is positioned and what is happening in the frame. You don't need to dress yourself around everything you're currently worried I'll notice. And if a bra strap is showing, we'll tuck it in. That's not an emergency.

Hair up or hair down?

Whichever makes you feel more like yourself. Photographically, I do love hair down because I can use it. There's something really beautiful about Mom's hair falling around the baby in some of those close, almost ethereal photographs.

But I'm also someone who prefers wearing my own hair up, so I would never tell another woman she needs to wear hers down because a photographer likes it better. If you feel beautiful with your hair up, wear it up.

Jewelry, watches and all those little things

Wear the jewelry you would want to see in your photographs. If you always wear your grandmother's necklace, I don't necessarily want you removing it because somebody once told you newborn photographs should be completely neutral. That's part of you.

If you're wearing a hair tie around your wrist because you forgot it was there, that's different. I'll notice those things, and we'll decide whether they belong.

You can absolutely remove your watch too. Your hands and arms appear quite a bit in newborn photography, so these little details sometimes become much more noticeable in photographs than they are in everyday life.

Do I need to get my nails done?

No. But let's get extremely picky for a second because that's why we're here.

Your hands are going to be photographed. They're going to hold your baby's head, wrap around those tiny feet and probably appear in some of the closest photographs I create. So if having your nails done would make you feel special, or if it gives you an excuse to take a little time for yourself before your session, wonderful. Pick something that feels like you and that you won't mind seeing years from now.

But if you're reading this the night before your session and suddenly staring at a manicure that's been growing out for two months, please do not panic. The same goes for your roots, your lashes, your hair or whatever beauty appointment you haven't managed to squeeze in since having a baby.

If doing it makes you feel good, do it. If you're doing it because you think I need you to arrive perfected before I can photograph you, don't. We'll work around what we can, and some of it might simply be part of the story.

What photographs best on Dad?

A Henley. I love a Henley on Dad.

Long sleeve or short sleeve, I don't particularly care. There's just something about that simple shirt with a little bit of texture and those few buttons at the neckline that photographs beautifully. But you absolutely do not need to go buy one. A simple, comfortable T-shirt is fantastic, and if you don't already own a Henley you like, I'd rather you wear a T-shirt that feels good than buy something just because a newborn photographer told you to.

Again, black, white or cream makes this very easy. And this is one place where I don't mind a little texture. A soft waffle-knit Henley can add just enough interest without becoming the focus of the photograph.

And yes, Dad can be shirtless.

I would actually love this with the right family. A shirtless dad holding his newborn against his chest can make an incredible photograph, especially when tattoos or something else about him becomes part of the story.

A fully tattooed dad holding his newborn son skin-to-skin is actually on my photography bucket list. Just putting that out into the universe.

Clothing isn't supposed to be the star of these photographs anyway. Whether I'm photographing Dad alone with the baby or the entire family together, I'm looking at the baby first, then your expression and the way everyone connects. Everything else should be allowed to quietly fall into the background.

One thing I've actually heard dads regret: the haircut.

I don't think you need to schedule a bunch of grooming appointments before newborn photographs, but I've heard dads say, “I wish I'd gotten my hair cut,” enough times that this one is worth mentioning. I've heard their partners say it too.

So if you know you're due for a haircut and you know you're going to look at yourself afterward wishing you'd gotten one, put it on your radar. Not because you need to look perfect, but because I don't want you looking at a photograph you love and getting distracted by something you already knew would bother you.

Think about Dad's watch before leaving the house too.

I don't mind watches in photographs at all. This is just one of those details people don't think about until they're already here.

If you have a special watch that you love—or something meaningful you'd rather be wearing than your everyday smartwatch—grab it. Your hands may be supporting your baby's head or wrapped around your family, and that watch can become part of the photograph. If there's something you'd want to see there twenty years from now, wear that one.

What should siblings wear?

Whatever gets them happily out of the house. I'm totes not kidding.

If your two-to-five-year-old has decided they're leaving the house dressed as Snoopy, I am probably not going to recommend that your newborn session become the morning you pick that battle. Bring Snoopy. Maybe also bring a plain white T-shirt.

For younger siblings, simple photographs beautifully. A plain T-shirt is perfect. A polo can be really cute. I love a little Henley on boys, and a comfortable simple dress works beautifully for girls. I also have plenty of dresses for sisters and clothing options for brothers here at the studio, and younger kids are surprisingly excited about choosing something to wear once they're here. They often think changing into something from my studio is part of the fun.

Older kids can be a little harder to impress. I can't really blame them.

Don't completely forget about the pants.

This matters more for siblings than you might expect. Sometimes I love taking a brother's shirt off and photographing him skin-to-skin with the new baby. It's incredibly sweet, and suddenly the pants you thought weren't going to appear in the photograph are definitely appearing.

Jeans or khakis are great, but we're keeping this in perspective. If you got him out of the house in pajamas, congratulations. Bring a pair of pants and we'll make him look dressed.

The last thing I want is for clothing to become the reason your child arrives at my studio already upset. Get them out of the house. I'll help you with the rest.

What should the baby wear?

Whatever they're comfortable in. That's it.

I actually used to give parents very specific instructions about how I wanted baby to arrive because my session flow was different. I used to start with certain baby-only poses, so it made sense for me to have parents prepare baby a particular way before they came. I don't work that way anymore.

Now we typically begin with family photographs, and I've realized there is absolutely no reason for me to give you another set of instructions when you're already trying to get out of the house with a newborn. Put them in pajamas, a onesie, the adorable outfit Grandma bought or whatever makes your morning easiest. Once you're here, I've got them.

Do I need to bring outfits for the baby?

Absolutely not. I have wraps, blankets, outfits, bonnets, headbands and more tiny things than any reasonable human being probably needs.

If there's something special from home you'd love photographed, bring it. A handmade blanket, an outfit or something sentimental can absolutely become part of your baby's story, but you do not need to shop for your newborn photography session.

For the diaper bag, think about baby survival for a few hours away from home. Bring whatever your baby eats, diapers and whatever you normally need to keep them comfortable. And if you forget something, there's a pretty good chance I have that too.

So...do I actually need to follow all of this?

No, and this might be the most important part of the entire article.

I just gave you my ridiculously detailed photographer answer because sometimes that's exactly what a parent wants. You want to know whether I prefer the scoop neck or the crew neck. You want to know whether the Henley is better than the button-down. You want someone to just tell you what will photograph best. Now you know.

But “this photographs best” is not the same thing as “you need this before I'll photograph you.” You do not need a new wardrobe, your nails done or freshly colored hair. Dad doesn't need to run out and buy a Henley, your toddler doesn't have to arrive looking like they walked out of a catalog, and your newborn definitely doesn't need an outfit.

These are options, not assignments.

Jennifer's Two Cents

I think this is where newborn photography advice can accidentally become another enormous to-do list for people who already have enough to do, and that's the opposite of what I want.

I love the tiny details. Of course I do. I notice necklines and sleeves and watches and hair ties because those little choices can change a photograph. But that's my job.

If knowing all of these details makes you feel more prepared, use them. If you're standing in your closet holding three shirts and wondering which one I'd choose, send me a picture. If you'd rather not think about any of it, come to the studio and let me help you.

The clothes matter.

They just don't matter more than the people wearing them.

Key Takeaways

Mom: A soft, comfortable T-shirt or tank with an open neckline photographs beautifully. Scoop necks, V-necks and wider necklines give me more skin around baby and can make close photographs feel more intimate.
Flowy is fine: You don't need tight clothing. Short sleeves can be loose and comfortable. I mainly avoid excess billowy fabric around baby, particularly with long sleeves.
Skip hard hardware: Decorative zippers, metal rings and other hard embellishments aren't my favorite when you'll be holding a newborn against them.
Black, white and cream are easy winners: They work beautifully with the light and dark family looks I create in the studio.
Dad: A Henley is one of my favorites, but a simple comfortable T-shirt is just as good. Shirtless can also be incredible for the right photograph.
Think about meaningful details: Jewelry and watches can become part of the photograph, so wear the pieces you'd actually want remembered.
Grooming is optional: Haircuts, nails, roots, lashes and everything else should be about what makes you feel good, not about meeting a requirement for me.
Siblings: Comfort wins. Simple shirts, polos, Henleys, jeans, khakis and dresses photograph beautifully, and I also have sibling wardrobe options in the studio.
Baby: Wear whatever makes getting out of the house easiest. I have baby's photography wardrobe covered.
You do not need to shop: This entire guide tells you what I think photographs best, not what you are required to buy.
If you're overwhelmed, stop worrying about it: Come see me. We'll figure it out together.