Newborns & Older Babies

• Use a washcloth to clean away flaky skin and eye boogers. When we do our macro close up shots you don't wanna see a big chunk of sleep in your baby's eyes.

• If your baby has flaky skin, cradle cap, or eczema. Using a warm washcloth should help but I HIGHLY recommend no oils or moisturisers to be used the day of your session as this can result in heavy glare off babies' skin and in your images which can be difficult-impossible to edit out.

• Trim those tiny fingernails and toenails with appropriate baby trimmers. When we do our close up macro shots again you don't wanna see chipped or overgrown nails.

• Nothing is the best wardrobe for a newborn – no outfit fits a newborn well, and they often look swallowed in clothes. Accessories are good, though – little hats, dainty headbands, boys in crocheted hats, etc. Bring sentimental items like the quilt that Grandma made for the baby, a baby blanket from your childhood – they’re great for the youngster to lay on.

• If your baby takes a dummy, bring it – if they’re bottle fed, bring an extra bottle to help put the baby to sleep.

Children

• Clean, clean, clean – clean nails, clean hair, wipe away eyes, clean feet (sandals on kids = black feet!), wipe snotty noses, fresh-scrub teeth. The cleaner the kid, the better their photos will turn out.

• If your child is still in diapers or pull-ups, tuck’em in or wear bloomers.

• If your child is still of napping age, try to help them nap before the shoot, obviously kids don't always do exactly what we want them to do (I have 3 so I know this) so we move on to the next tip. E

• It is perfectly okay to bring bribes to a photo shoot – given a stage and being the centre of attention, it’s like our kids know exactly when to act their worst. Some cereal, smarties or other candy that ISNT going to melt OR give them bright colours stains on their hands & face can help a short photoshoot go by smoothly.

• Avoid colourful drinks or lollypops within 24 hours of your shoot, don’t let them eat or drink anything that will stain their hands, face, teeth or mouth.

• Wardrobe – For girls, you can’t go wrong with cute neutral coloured dresses, rompers, and dainty hats or headbands. For boys, keep it simple jeans and polos or a button-up shirt, or a T-shirt with a button-up over it can be very cute and overalls on the right age and personality.

Families

• Dad – Having a fresh shave or trim can make a world of difference in your images, moisturizing and after-shave lotion to limit bumps and redness. (If your going to pay top dollar for a family photoshoot you may as well invest in a good quality razor.) Make sure nails are clean and trimmed matched with clean shoes.

• For wardrobe, go for jeans or pants, tucked dress shirt with a belt, or go casual with just a T-shirt or untucked polo, button-up short sleeve, etc. In general, whatever your wife tells you to wear. Again you don’t have to perfectly match the rest of the family, just wear something that coordinates well.

• Mum – Women know what to wear, but in general, unless you are extremely thin you may want to wear something that covers your upper arms. Long or 3/4 sleeve tops are very flattering. If you wear jewellery, aim for subtlety, and be aware of it twisting or turning. And again keeping to neutral tones will complement the whole family in your images.

• Kids – Same advice as above, but again, everything needn’t match, simply coordinate with the parents’ outfits. If Dad’s in a T-shirt, don’t put the kids in dress shirts – make it make sense.

And again we highly recommend unbranded clothing with NO heavy, colour, patterns or logos as this will draw attention away from the family.