Preparing for your Motherhood Session

Thank you so much for choosing me to document this moment in time for you. I truly believe photos are so important and freeze a feeling you might other wise have forgotten about. I believe less is more when creating memories for you.

Below is a ton of information to get the most out of your session. I have been doing this for 14+ years (and also have 3 kids of my own so I’m basically a pro haha) and truly found these tips help your session so much, as well as my style guide helps to achieve my style of photography. Please have a look through, let me know if you have any questions or need suggestions at all.

What To Wear

To start, here are the outfits I have in the STUDIO

You are more than welcome to use the studio outfits, please just let me know ahead of time as they are not available without being requested prior.

You are absolutely more than welcome to use your own outfits, please just take into consideration my tips below and see my inspiration guide.
I do want to express how important your outfits will be for this set. Both are very feminine and light which you want to resemble in your outfit as well. Dresses will always be my first choice in the studio. When in doubt, go with white. There are some great examples below and I’m always here for you if you need help in making decisions. H&M, Amazon, Zara, Shein, Winner, Old Navy. All great options.

https://pin.it/6FmxSYLVT

Things to stay clear from

Black, Grey (its a cold tone), reds, dark purples, any bright colors, any dark colors, casual outfits, jeans or too much of an off white. Sometimes the off white can look “dirty” against the white in the studio.

For Mom – please come dressed (or ready to change) Whites, creams, pastels, neutrals, blush ect. My style is very light and bright so it is important that your outfit reflects this as well. Loose flowy shirts or dresses are great. Same as light colored pants with softer tops. I truly find dresses photograph best. Remember this is not every day, this is a photoshoot. Just as you would dress up for an event, this is another excuse to get dressy.

Make sure to have your hair down and curled as well as makeup on. Your hands and feet will be in the photos so please do not have on distracting nail polish or jewelry. Keep it simple.

Please be sure your outfit makes you feel comfortable and does not need to be perfectly in place to be photographed. We will be wrangling little humans and need to move around freely. Time is of the essence

Don’t wear anything too heavy and hot. The studio tends to get warm once we start playing and moving around.

For Dad (if taking part) – the same rules apply for him as well as no logos or old t shirts or ball caps. Light colors are always a must. For the guys usually whites and cream colors are easy to find and work great. White t-shirts are just fine as long as they are still a crisp white and in good condition.

The goal is to coordinate your pallet rather than to match. So if you both wear white tops just make sure the style is different with textures.

For the littles – You can have your little one dressed and ready to go or change when you get to the studio, keeping in mind the time frame. A simple little outfit in the same pallet as what you have chosen to wear. I find solid patterns photograph best but have included pattern options in the style guide so show how to choose softer patters.

Headbands and bows are great to showing off a little bit of character. Or we don’t need any, just consider to bring some as an option. Again, light in color. I do not provide these. For the girls, hair down is always best, nothing too perfect or slicked back.

Shoes are not needed. If you feel they are, they must be indoor shoes and fully clean (as the studio is white)

For girls in dresses, please please please make sure they wear shorts or bloomers under their dress. So many moments are missed because of their little wiggles. Trust me on this one.

Please have hands and faces washed PRIOR to coming into the studio. It allows them to get over the fuss of that and not have a red face. Lotion does wonders as well.

What to Bring

Little treats. Cherrios, num nums, ect. These are little bribes that are not messy. Things without color that we can sneak into the shot and don’t get their clothes messy are a win

Brush/Hairspray ect. I will not have any of this on hand during the time of your session

Toys but NOT their absolute favorite one. Ones that make sounds or light up are perfect. But please do not bring these out until I ask. Last resort.

If they have a favorite stuffy or blanket that works with my style, please do bring it. I love personal details.

A helping hand. Its never a bad idea to bring someone along to help with the session, as long as you feel they will be helpful. Ideally only one person as the studio is smaller.

Get the Most Out of Your Session

Like anything, working together just works better. Please prepare your child for this session. Talk to them leading up to it about where you are going and why. It truly does help, no matter what age. Try and stay on schedule the morning of and the night before. It really does help. They will be a tad nervous being in an unfamiliar place and might need a little bit of time to warm up, let them take their time. We can wait until they are ready and slowly introduce them to the set (again keeping in mind the session time and other clients) Please be on time for your session, not early and not late. The studio is the bonus room of my home (upstairs). Please respect our time and treat this as any other appointment. I will email you my address and phone number prior to your session (north end in Mcconachie)

I will need your help getting those trusty smiles. Whether this means tickle fights or barking like a dog (yup I said it), I will need your help. Plan on running around, doing a ton of nose kisses and throwing your kids as high as they can go, Dad be ready for your work out. I like to have fun and capture those little personalities as much as I can because we all know they grow up way way too fast. Don’t feel pressured to sit still and smile and the camera. Let your kids be who there are, it’s what you’ll want to remember the most. This is not a day off and will feel like an entire workout when you are done. It’ll be worth it, I promise.

Please bring the energy you would like your photos to capture. Do you want fun and playful, that’s up to you. Do you want snuggly and loving, that’s up to you. I will coach you through all of this but I always recommend coming in with a plan and “acting” that throughout the session. I have included some of my own family photos below and explained what I mean by “acting your part” during the session in order to bring the energy you are looking to have captured. My biggest advice is to match your child’s energy. Shy and snuggly, go with it. Fun and full of energy, match that.

But most of all, have fun. Keep smiling, play with your little one, connect with them as you normally would.

Please let me know if you have any questions at all before your session.

I will always aim to get a looking at the camera smiling photo but my goal is to capture your relationship with your tiny human. Ive included myself with my kids below to show you an example of “matching their energy” or changing it up to add variety.
Please take the time to sign this contract prior to your session
https://form.jotform.com/230017143621239