What to Wear for Newborn Family Photos
One of the questions I get most often before a newborn session is some version of, “Okay, but what are we supposed to wear?”
My answer is probably much less stressful than you're expecting. Yes, clothing matters. There are colors, fabrics and combinations that photograph beautifully, and I'm always happy to help you choose them. I have outfit inspiration you can look through, an Amazon list if you want an easy place to start, and a studio wardrobe available if you need it.
But before we talk about any of that, I want you to know something much more important.
Your outfits are not going to make or break your family photographs.
These are some of the most important photographs I'll ever make for you. I know you want to look at them years from now and love what you see, and I want that too. So please don't spend the days before your newborn session standing in your closet getting increasingly angry at every shirt you own.
We'll figure it out.
Most of your family pictures are basically one big family hug.
When I photograph a new family, I'm much more interested in your connection than I am in everyone's outfit. I'm bringing you close together, asking you to hold your baby, lean into each other, look down, cuddle in and connect. Most of the photographs we create end up feeling like different versions of a family hug.
Once that's what we're concentrating on, the clothes tend to fall into the background. You see the way a parent is looking at the baby, a hand wrapped around that tiny body, a sibling leaning in for another look, and just how unbelievably small this new person looks surrounded by the people who love them.
That's what I want your eye to find first.
Also, I'm usually not photographing your pants.
This might be one of the most useful things I can tell a parent planning outfits for a newborn session: I'm typically photographing you from about the waist up.
So please be comfortable. This is not the session where I need you squeezing into the jeans that technically button but require you to stop breathing. You just had a baby. Wear the comfortable pants.
For most of the family photographs we're creating in my studio, what matters is what's happening around your face and upper body. That's where I'll spend our energy.
So what actually photographs well?
Simple usually wins. I love soft, neutral colors because they allow skin tones, faces and the baby to stay at the center of the photograph. Whites, creams, soft grays and other quiet tones tend to work beautifully with the timeless style of my newborn portraits.
Solid colors are generally easier to photograph than busy patterns, and simple fabrics tend to age better visually. That doesn't mean everyone needs to show up in matching beige shirts. You don't need to perfectly match, and you definitely don't need to buy an entirely new wardrobe for your family.
Think coordinated rather than matching. If you're standing in your closet holding two shirts and wondering which one will photograph better, send me a picture. This is exactly the kind of thing I'm here for.
If you'd rather have somewhere easy to start, I've already collected some outfit ideas that work beautifully with the style of my studio.
If you have absolutely nothing to wear, I still have you.
Sometimes parents arrive prepared down to the last detail. Sometimes they don't. Both families get beautiful photographs.
I keep wardrobe options in the studio for parents, toddlers, siblings and babies, so if you need something, we can usually find it here. You don't need to panic-shop two days after giving birth because suddenly nothing in your closet feels right.
And in a pinch, one of my favorite things to do with moms is incredibly simple: fabric. I can wrap and drape fabric in a way that photographs beautifully, eliminates the entire question of finding the perfect postpartum dress, and creates some of the simplest, most timeless portraits.
So if you're reading this three days before your session thinking, I HAVE NOTHING TO WEAR, this is not an emergency.
I will be prepared for you.
There are a few little things I'll notice that you might not.
This is where you get to stop worrying because I won't.
Before I photograph you, I'm looking. Is your bracelet turned around? Is there a hair tie around your wrist that you don't actually want in the photograph? Are you wearing your smartwatch because you want it there, or did you completely forget it was on? Is a necklace sitting strangely or a collar folding somewhere it shouldn't?
I'll ask before I change anything because maybe that bracelet matters. Maybe you always wear that watch. Maybe there's a necklace from someone you love and you absolutely want it in these photographs. I don't want to decide which pieces of you belong in your family photographs. I just want to make sure what's there is there because you want it there.
Those tiny details are my job.
What should siblings wear?
The same rule applies: simple and comfortable usually wins.
For siblings, I generally love simple shirts, dresses and soft neutral colors that don't pull attention away from their faces or the new baby. The studio wardrobe includes options for siblings too, so we can always take a look at what I have when you arrive.
More importantly, if your toddler has decided that the beautiful outfit you bought specifically for these photographs is now their mortal enemy, we're not going to let that derail the morning. I would much rather photograph a comfortable child snuggled into their new sibling than spend the beginning of your session fighting over a sweater.
Connection still wins.
You can absolutely plan your outfits. Just don't let them become the stressful part.
If choosing clothes is fun for you, have fun with it. Browse the inspiration list, send me pictures, lay everything out on the bed and coordinate the whole family if that's your thing. I'll happily help.
I just don't want you mistaking something we can have fun with for something you have to get exactly right.
If you already booked your session and want to know what else happens between now and the day we photograph your baby, I wrote an entire guide for that too:
And if you're wondering why I spend so much time getting to know your family before I photograph you, this is the other half of that story:
Jennifer's Two Cents
I know why parents worry about what they're going to wear. For a lot of families, this is the first professional photograph of everyone together, and you know these pictures are going to live in your home for a very long time. They may become the photograph in the hallway, someone's profile picture for years, or the newborn picture that somehow makes its way into a graduation slideshow eighteen years from now.
You want to look beautiful. I know.
These are some of the most important photographs to you, and they're some of the most important photographs to me too. I wouldn't let you look bad.
So come prepared if preparing makes you happy. Bring a couple of options if you can't decide. Borrow something from the studio. Let me wrap you in fabric. Send me pictures beforehand and ask what I think.
Just don't let the clothes become bigger than the reason you're taking the photograph.
Come ready to hold your family close.
I'll take care of the tiny details.
Key Takeaways
Comfortable bottoms are completely fine. Most of my newborn family photographs are framed from around the waist up.
Simple usually photographs beautifully. Soft neutrals and solid colors keep the attention on your family and your baby.
Coordinate; don't worry about matching. Everyone does not need to wear the same color.
You don't have to buy new clothes. I have wardrobe options in the studio for families, and wrapping Mom in fabric is always an option.
Connection matters more than clothing. I'm creating family hugs, not fashion photographs.
I'll watch the little things. Hair ties, watches, jewelry, clothing and the details you don't need to think about while you're holding your baby are things I'll notice.
Ask me for help. Send me your choices beforehand if you'd like another set of eyes.
Continue Reading
Planning your newborn session? These will take you through the next parts of the experience:
Already Booked?
Then you really don't need to overthink this.
Look through the outfit inspiration if it's helpful. Send me pictures if you want my opinion. Bring options if you're undecided. Or walk into the studio and let me help you figure it out.
Your family is the important part. We'll take care of what they're wearing.
Comments