A clothing rack displaying neatly hung garments including brown gingham, cream knit, and navy pieces in a minimalist wardrobe.

Three folded ribbed henley shirts in olive, beige, and mauve with wooden buttons arranged in a woven basket.

What to wear

This is always the first question I get after finalizing a session booking and it is one of the most important details. The right wardrobe choices help create cohesion and flatters your family without distracting from your personalities and connection. This guide will help walk you through the process of choosing what will work best for you. If you have any questions or would like my input please feel free to reach out, I'm happy to help!

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Neatly folded neutral-toned clothing items arranged in a flat lay, featuring sweaters and cardigans in beige, brown, and blue.

Coordinate, do not match

The days of matchy-matchy are gone! I tell my clients to try and coordinate outfits by choosing a color palette of three to four complimentary colors. You can always start with one minimal pattern piece (usually mom’s dress ) and draw your palette from there. You can also pick a very neutral color palette (browns, greys, creams) and introduce a pop of color in a few places.

Colorful knit sweaters in gray, yellow, teal, orange, and pink arranged overlapping on a light background.

color rules

The colors of your wardrobe can heavily influence the outcome of your session. I highly recommend staying away from bright or primary colors at all costs. One of the best ways to choose your color palette is to determine if your session location has cool or warm tones. For example, a park in the fall has yellow and orange warm tones; a beach in the spring or summer has blue, green, and white cool tones. When choosing neutrals, opt for a brown tone for a warm color palette, or a gray tone for a cool color palate. I'd also recommend choosing ivory or cream over white and dark grey or blue over black.

Three young children playfully pile on top of each other laughing on a white bed with a green headboard.

at home sessions

Simple and classic is best. You are at home so a you want to feel relaxed but not too "lived in." You will likely be snuggling on your bed or in other pockets around your home so solid casual clothing is perfect. If you want to wear a button down shirt for instance, roll up the sleeves and have a t-shirt under. Soft, casual dresses for moms are great, as are jeans and a t-shirt. For kids and babies at home, we prefer simple solid colored clothes and onesies (light tones are best), no collars, and simple diaper covers. Also, be prepared to have bare feet...

Family of four walking hand-in-hand on a sunny beach with rocky shores and calm ocean waves in the background.

location sessions

Dress for the season and the time of day. If you or your kids are too cold or too hot, it will show in the photos. The park will be best suited for shoes and layers. The beach location will go better with delicate flowing clothes, lighter materials, rolled up khakis and bare feet. Please avoid heels, tight or short skirts, sport coats or anything too restrictive. I want you to be able to move around and interact with your family and not be confined.

THINGS to avoid

Intense Patterns

Stay away from busy, loud patterns, but don’t be afraid to choose plaid, gingham or floral, especially small patterns.

restrictive clothing

This applies to kids as well.

If they are uncomfortable in a stiff collared shirt or tight shoes it will show in your images.

shorts on men

Just trust me on this one. Same rules apply for short dresses and skirts on women.

athletic shoes

Sorry not sorry, same rules apply for sport sandals.

Black and white photo of a laughing father hugging two young children by a sunny window.

Making Candid Work

Candid moments happen when everyone is relaxed and having fun. Come ready to play, get on the floor, make silly faces, chase them around, tickle them, be ridiculous. The best shots almost always happen when nobody is posing and everybody is laughing and having fun.

If your kids are uncomfortable they'll act uncomfortable and that shows up in your images and the same goes for adults. Restrictive clothing, stiff shoes, itchy tags, stiff collars, all of it affects the mood and energy of the session. Dress everyone in something they can actually move in and will be happy wearing. If you can chase, tumble, twirl, and laugh in it, it's the right outfit.

I'll start with a few simple setups to get everyone comfortable and settled, then let it breathe from there. It's directed but playful, not stiff and posed. Once everyone relaxes into it the real magic happens.