How to prepare
Three short guides. None of this is homework: if you read nothing, we will still get good photos. But it does make the day easier.
What to wear
Pick one person's outfit first, then build everyone else around two or three of its colours. Coordinated, not matching. Soft, slightly muted shades look best in our light and in the valley.
Works well
- Texture: knits, linen, corduroy
- Layers you can take off
- Shoes you can walk a trail in
- Clothes that fit right now
Best avoided
- Big logos and words
- Neon and tiny stripes
- Everyone in the same white tee
- Brand new shoes that pinch
In the studio we have a small rack of neutral dresses and knits for parents, sizes XS to XL, free to borrow.
Getting ready with kids
The secret is that kids do not need to behave. They need to be fed, rested and a bit bored of you, so we can be interesting.
Book around naps
Choose a time after a nap, not before. A rested two-year-old is a different person.
Feed them first
A real snack on the way. Bring something non-messy for a mid-session bribe.
Dress them last
Change into the nice clothes in the car or at the studio, after the snack.
Talk it up as fun
Say you are going to play with a photographer, not to "smile nicely".
Let us do the asking
Kids tune out parents' "look here". They will listen to a stranger with a squeaky toy.
Bring their thing
The blanket, the dinosaur, the hat they will not take off. It might end up in the best photo.
Newborn safety notes
Your baby's comfort and safety come before any photo. Here is how we work, in plain words.
- A parent is always within arm's reach.You can sit right beside the posing bed the whole time.
- We never force a pose.If baby does not settle into a position, we skip it.
- Tricky shots are two photos combined.Poses like chin-on-hands are taken with a hand supporting baby, and we join two frames afterwards.
- Nothing is ever held up high.Props are low, weighted and padded, and baby is never placed in anything that could tip.
- Clean hands and clean wraps.We wash hands before every touch and every wrap is washed between sessions.
- A warm room, with breaks.The studio is heated to about 26 °C. We stop for every feed and every cuddle.
- Healthy humans only.If anyone at the studio has a cough or cold, we reschedule, including us.
What to bring
- The outfits, on hangers so they stay unwrinkled
- Snacks and water for everyone
- For newborns: a full feed's worth of milk or formula
- Spare diapers and a change of clothes for little ones
- A favourite toy or comfort object
- Any family heirloom you want in a photo
- A hairbrush and lip balm
- Patience for a slow start: the first ten minutes are warm-up
Questions before you book?
Call or send a request with your questions in it. We are happy to talk it through first.