Outfits are the question we are asked most often before a children’s session. The short answer: choose clothes your child would happily wear to a party, not clothes they will spend the hour pulling at. Here is the longer answer.
The one rule that matters
Comfort beats formality every time. A scratchy collar, stiff new shoes or a waistband that digs in will show on their face in every single frame. If it has never been worn before, let them try it on at home first.
Colours that photograph well
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- Soft neutrals — cream, oatmeal, warm white, stone, camel. They keep the attention on faces and they age well.
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- Muted tones — sage, dusty blue, terracotta, mustard, blush. Colour without shouting.
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- Deep, rich shades — navy, forest, burgundy, charcoal. Lovely in the studio and in autumn light.
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- Natural textures — knit, linen, cord, denim, cotton. Texture reads as quality in a photograph far more than a logo does.
What to avoid
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- Large cartoon characters, slogans and brand logos — they date the image and pull the eye.
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- Busy stripes or tight patterns, which can shimmer oddly on camera.
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- Strong neons, which throw coloured light back onto your child’s skin.
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- Anything too big or too small. Ill-fitting clothes photograph as untidy, not relaxed.
Shoes, socks and hair
For studio sessions, bare feet or plain socks look better than trainers nine times out of ten. Outdoors, choose boots or shoes they can actually run in. Bring a brush for the last-minute tidy, but resist a brand-new hairstyle on the day — familiar is more comfortable, and comfortable photographs better.
Styling siblings without matching them
Identical outfits rarely look as good as you expect. Instead, pick a palette of two or three colours and let each child wear a different piece from it — one in cream, one in sage, one in denim. The group reads as one family while each child still looks like themselves.
Bring a spare, not a suitcase
Two looks is plenty for most children’s sessions: one considered outfit and one relaxed. Add a single spare in case of spills. Any more than that and you spend the session in the changing room instead of in front of the camera.
If your child chose it and can move freely in it, it is the right outfit.
Still unsure? Send us photographs of two or three options before the session and we will tell you which will work best with the light and backdrop we have planned.
