Take the season into consideration and choose colors that compliment the scenery. In the photo to the right, the little lady’s mauve dress stands out beautifully agains the cream teepee and green location. If she would have worn a white or a green dress, she wouldn’t have popped as much in the photo because a large part of the photo is the teepee and leaves from trees.

Layers & textured or detailed fabrics bring more interest and dimension to photos. Lincoln’s suspenders adds dimension with the suspenders layering agains that cute baby belly. The detail in Leah’s dress (photo the right) is the little flutter sleeves with poof balls and she also has a bit of a textured fabric dress. A plain cotton solid color dress would have been just fine, but this dress brings a bit more interest and beautiful detail.

Patterns are good! For more than one child in a photo, this helps seperate outfits & people. Having one or two people wear a pattern or print breaks up the solid colors & also adds dimension and layers. All three photos here have someone wearing a pattern or print & it works really well to bring a little extra “umph” to the image

When choosing colors, keep the color wheel in mind. I know, I am making you go way back to sixth grade art class, but complimentary colors are so appealing to the eye. Branching out to split complementary colors is another option. Leah’s dress is a split complementary color to yellow green, which was perfect for her garden photo session where a lot of greens were surrounding her.

Taking a look at the color wheel is another easy way to get started with sibling outfits, too.

Another option for sibling or multiple kids in a photo session is to choose the same color in a different tone, tint or shade. Blues are a great, neutral color that allows you to do this easily.

If you baby or kiddo isn’t comfortable in the outfit, it will show in photos. When planning, keep in mind likes and dislikes your children have with clothing textures.

Neutrals are always a great place to start when you’re stuck. Gray, cream, brown, denim/chambray — they’re all great to build from.

Earth tones, jewel tones and muted colors work very well with my editing style and location choices.

Accessories polish off an outfit. With super young kids, this may not be an option, but accessories can be as simple as a hat or headband. Bonnets (scroll down to the last photo) are super duper cute on any baby or toddler girl and can easily be taken off to give more variety for photos. Suspenders (like little Lincoln to the left is wearing) on little boys are adorable, too. For toddler girls or older, simple jewelry like a necklace or bracelet can be darling.

For those kiddos who might need a little extra help during session, considering bringing a favorite toy, blanket or lovey to the session that compliments their outfit or the location. It makes a great prop because your little one already loves it and will most likely interact naturally with it. Plus, it’s a wonderful accessory with sentimental value to help you remember this age!

For little babes, I would forgo shoes. They tend to get kicked off and it becomes more of a battle to keep them on than it is worth. Plus, we get to see those adorable little chubby feet and toes!

Shoes for older kids can really pull an outfit together. Keep in mind if the session is outdoors on our farm, there will be tall grasses and dirt most likely. If you child doesn’t like getting their feet a little dirty, wear a shoe with socks and not a sandal or sock less shoe. If your little girl is going to wear sandals, painting her toe nails is a sweet little added accessory that is easy to do!

Neon colors. Steer clear of neon colors because they are so vibrant, they color cast onto skin. For example, a neon green shirt will make your child’s face and neck have a green tint to it.

Small lines. Think pinstripe lines. Those close together, thin lines don’t photography well and almost appear in photos like they are dancing. It doesn’t look well on a computer screen and it prints funky.

Clothing with logos and a lot of writing. It draws the eye straight to the writing/logo instead of going straight to the people and their connection. Plus, it can quickly turn your photo into an advertisement for a brand.

Kids wearing the same colors or clothes. Everyone wearing the same color or the same pattern shirt or outfit looks super flat. This might be my biggest suggestion to avoid. Group shots of kids turn into a floating heads in a sea of the same color or pattern. Think coordinating not matching.

Anything that makes your little one uncomfortable. Again, there is a good chance how the child feels about the clothes wills how in the photos and they will be fidgeting with their outfit.