What to Wear for Newborn Photos

Planning a photo session can be both exciting and overwhelming; especially, when it comes to choosing what to wear for newborn photos. After my first baby was born, I remember having to find, gather, and organize everything. It left me feeling frazzled before I even set up my camera. That’s I knew I wanted families that booked newborn sessions with me to never ever be left figuring it all out on their own.

Cue, my studio’s wardrobe for mothers. Figuring out what to wear has never been easier! Our studio’s wardrobe is filled with beautiful clothing that moms can borrow during sessions, and once booked, I will send you details on exact pieces for perfectly styling the rest of your family.

Planning for a newborn photo session can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially when it comes to choosing the perfect outfits. The stress of finding, gathering, and organizing everything for the shoot can leave you feeling frazzled before you even step foot in the studio. But what if I told you that you don’t have to worry about what to wear at all? As your photographer, I’ve taken that burden off your shoulders by offering a beautiful wardrobe collection for moms to wear during the session. From soft, flowy dresses to cozy, flattering options, everything is carefully selected to help you feel relaxed and confident in front of the camera, so you can focus on the precious moments with your newborn, rather than stressing over your outfit

Color Palette

Photographing growing baby bumps and newborns has been our specialty for 17 years, and over that time, we’ve learned what to wear for newborn photos can make all the difference in how you feel during the session and how you look in the final images. (No pressure mom to nail it! Ha!) Each piece in our wardrobe has been carefully chosen with you in mind. Styles come and go, but there are a few key ingredients I look for: flattering shape, fabric flow, texture, and colors I know will keep your images both in style and classic. If you love our newborn images, I’m willing to bet it’s for the natural aesthetic we aim for – soft, relaxed yet elevated, posed but not too stuffy, and our natural, light/airy feel. That is by design. The colors, posing, and lighting all work together to keep the focus on you and your baby while also ensuring you look and feel your best.

You’ll find soft tones and textures with fabrics that are elegant yet comfortable. Do modern desert and modern coastal colors make happy? Me too! We like mixing ivories, grays, soft blue/grays, muted desert earth tones, sage, and oatmeal tones. For newborn sessions, we intentionally avoid bright or bold colors that can distract from your baby and cast unflattering color tones on your skin. It’s all about keeping the moment serene, authentic, and forever beautiful.

What to Wear Outfit Tips and Real Client Ideas

Mom Outfit

Do you have to borrow something from our studio’s wardrobe? No. But I promise you won’t regret how easy we make it. There’s no way around it – it’s not fun trying to guess what you’ll look good after having a baby. And who is going to want to try shopping days after delivery? Definitely not happening. Prior to your session, we can schedule styling appointment. If you want to borrow something of ours, give me 20-30 minutes at the studio, and we can have both your maternity and newborn session all planned out. Done and done. Moms usually wear 2-4 looks for their maternity session, and one look for their newborn session.

Again, with nearly two decades of experience helping moms style their sessions, I’m here to give you two giant thumbs up for what looks great and a giant thumbs down when something doesn’t work. I never want to leave you guessing and doubting if you made the right choice. Below, I’ve pulled a few images from real life clients that either borrowed pieces from us or brought something of their own. It’s only a tiny glimpse of what we have available.

Dad Outfit

Let’s face it, guys get it easy. Shirt, pants, done. Well, make that two shirts and two pants, just in case of surprise baby spit up. Once we decide what you will wear, I will point you in the right direction for dad. While they might prefer a hoodie and sweatpants or think their go-to polo will do, that’s not quite the look we’re going for. (Seriously, just say no to the polo.) Most dads end up feeling comfy in relaxed button down shirts, henleys, chinos, or denim. If they feel like the button down needs to be more relaxed, roll those sleeve up a bit. It’s an instant win! We like to stick with white, blues, grays, and sages for dads.

My main tip for dads? Have them try everything on ahead of time. Sometimes, a shirt might fit a little snug in the arms or shoulders, and we want to avoid any wardrobe malfunctions on the big day. After mom selected the blue and the peach dress below, we shared a style board with links for ideas for dad and big brother.

Baby Outfit

Families come to me, because they want natural, less posed (yet directed) images of their baby snuggling in their arms versus heavily posed images with baby alone in prop a, b, c. I’ll take fresh, squishy baby details over trendy props and outfits any day of the week.

We keep simple white diaper covers, white onsies, and very neutral wraps at the studio. Since babies aren’t fans of being changed frequently, we keep them more content by sticking to those items. You won’t find us changing wraps every few images and then settling your baby over and over. This not only gives us more time for photographing all of those little details, but it keeps your images classic and naturally beautiful. If you have something in mind that you’d like to bring, such as a sweater romper set or a special swaddle we can make a plan for including that.

What to Wear Newborn Photos

The hardest part of any portrait session will always be figuring out what to wear and then finding it. Just like an interior designer can see how a finished room will look long before it’s done, I can see how clothing choices will make your photos sing. What you see online and on a hanger, may photograph very differently and it’s my job to help you narrow down the ocean of choices available. Our studio’s wardrobe for moms is available to all booked clients. Since your newborn photos are preserving time and telling your family’s story, there’s a definite pressure to make these really good. Just know that I’m here to help you not only make them good, but make you grin from ear to ear each time you see them.

If you are due within the next few months or maybe you just brought your baby home from the hospital, I’m glad you’re here. Parents typically reserve newborn sessions in their second trimester, so that we can photograph all of your baby’s fresh, new details in their 2nd-3rd weeks of life. Looking for a maternity photo session? Those are best photographed between weeks 30-35, but book much earlier.

My hope is that you love what you see, and after your session you’ll see how incredibly easy we’ve made this for families. With over a decade of experience, we’ve thought through all of the details and taken care of them, so you don’t have to.

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Want details about a Louisville KY maternity, newborn, or family portrait session? Say hello here!