Last year I published a blog all about what to wear for your maternity session. Today I want to take that a step further for sessions involving dad or older children. Now that you know what you are wearing, what do you put them in? Here are a few of my top tips for dressing dad and your other babies!
1. Coordinate, don’t match!
This is one of the biggest mistakes I see people make when choosing clothing for photo shoots and it’s even more important when it comes to maternity portraits. The last thing you want it for your baby bump to blend into dads shirt. Having dad or the kids in a color that looks great with your gown but doesn’t match it allows you and your baby bump to shine in the portraits!
2. Choose solid colors
There are definitely exceptions to this rule but overall a solid color is typically best for dad and the kids. Again this allows mom to shine in the photos so your eye is drawn to her, not to a patterned shirt.
3. Dress it up
I love it when dad wears a suit, vest, suspenders, or even a tux (yes, I have had dad show up in a tux for the session!) but, even if your man or little men are not suit kind of guys I highly recommend a nice button-down shirt for the session even if they choose to pair it with some nice jeans. I have photographed moms in my maternity gowns with dad in a polo or t-shirt and honestly, dad just looked out of place. A nice shirt on dad honestly makes all the difference. For you little girls I have a variety of nice dresses that will match the look and feel of the maternity gowns without distracting from you so make sure to give me your little girls size so I can show you what I have available for her for the shoot.
4. Comfort is still important
While this does contradict the tip above stay with me for a moment. I get it dad and kids may not be 100% on board with being part of this shoot. Unfortunately, sometimes that is just the case. If having to dress nicely is going to result in a grumpy participant then go with comfort over style. This sample photo…her son is wearing sweat pants below that polo shirt., and we made it work. I always say have them wear the nicest thing you can get them to happily wear. Although there is nothing wrong with also slipping a nicer option in the car to see if you can get a few shots in it too!
Still feeling lost? Don’t stress it, as part of my service I will come to you for a dress fitting and family clothing consultation before the shoot. You can try on the gowns and we will look through your partner and kid’s closets to see what you have that coordinates. Ready to learn more? Let’s start with a phone call to go over details and start to plan your dream shoot. Click the link below to contact me to set it up!
Jennifer Tavera is a Luxury family, maternity and newborn photographer in Denver Colorado who specializes in creating an experience that will make mom feel confortable, papered and beautiful so she will be excited to turn her portraits into art for her home. Sessions are available outdoors all over the Denver and Boulder area and studio sessions in the studio space in Arvada. Ready to start planning your dream session? Click below to schedule a call.