What you need
Clothing & dress
What you wear to your photoshoot can be almost as important as things like the time of the photoshoot and the location. Outlined below are some basic suggestions. Ideally - you want to coordinate without matching!
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Avoid big logos on shirts - it takes away from YOU!
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You could have one person with a patterned top/dress and everyone else in block colours (with accessories!) pulling from the pattern.
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Stand out from your background e.g. if your photoshoot is by long, green grass you probably want to avoid wearing lots of green
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Shoes matter! Please, please don't forget about the shoes! Either nice, well accessorised shoes or no shoes at all!
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Remember trends come and go and whilst this is entirely a personal choice, if you're going to be putting the photos up on your wall for years to come you want to ensure the clothing and style won't date.
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Check out Google images or photos in my gallery and see what you like and what you think works.
For more detail and other examples visit the site below which I feel easily explains the do's and don'ts of dressing for a shoot:
Be prepared
Please arrive at the location on time and ensure everyone is dressed and ready to go. I understand you may not want to bring bub in her pretty dress for fear of vomit on the way, so ensure you get there earlier to get her dressed before the photographer arrives. If you are late, or not ready, that time will still be included in your 'session time' which means less time for actually taking photos. Alternatively, if you know you are running late (last minute poo explosion and the likes) - give me a call.
If you are coming with small children it is ideal to arrive a little early so they can have a run around and check the place out. That way they won't be as easily distracted when it comes time to take the photos.
If money is owed please ensure you have it with you.
Talk to the kids
Talk to them about why you are having photos and what you expect from them. A treat as an incentive tends to work well and whilst I don't generally promote bribery, if you're spending money on photos you want to make sure they turn out as well as possible!
Time
I truly encourage you to book in the late afternoon, when the sun is on its way out. I know it's the witching hour. I know the kids are more likely to be grumpy. But the lighting, in my opinion, is significantly softer and produces nicer looking photos. You as the client aren't sweating profusely (got to love North Queensland!), there is less chance of glare, shadow and overexposure. In saying that, I understand in some instances it can't be helped and in those circumstances I will recommend a location I think is appropriate for that time of day.
Newborn photoshoots should be taken within 3-10 days to ensure sleepiness and clear skin so please book in advance. Maternity is best done around the 35/36/37 week mark so that you have 'popped' but you should still have enough time before bub arrives (hopefully!).
