What to wear! - Maryland | DC Metro | Frederick County Child Photographer

I am constantly being asked "What should I wear to my shoot?". I think it's a question all photographers get often! Since we shoot often, we know what works well in photos and what doesn't. I'd like to start throwing some ideas out there for you to give you an idea of what might be an option for you for your shoot. Something I always tell people, and it still rings true - "If you look like you can be in a Gap ad - you're good." The better you dress and the nicer your clothes, the more you will like your images. Trust me on this!

So, in honor of my favorite saying, I chose outfits from Gap to illustrate my ideas.

For girls ranging in age from 1-4, I really liked these styles in their newest collection.

Cute capris with strappy sandals and bright spring colors work well to set the mood of the shoot. Leggings under skirts are hip and fun, and to keep it a bit more "child like" I paired it with a swing top-type shirt with a bucket hat.

For older girls, I tried to get a bit more trendy.


Crop sweaters are adorable paired with printed tanks or dresses. Dark denim capris go well with pastels or bold color.

For young boys:


For older boys:


Layers are key with boys. Don't be afraid to layer long sleeved t's under short sleeved polos or button downs. Striped t's look great over solid color button downs too! Plaids mixed with lots of color works well. Denim is always something that will work with every shoot.

Things to remember:

• Try to avoid all-white tops. White attracts the sun and makes difficult to get definition in the shirt.
• While red can be a wonderful accent color, an outfit with red as the main color can detract from the face and draw the attention to the outfit - not the subject.
• Avoid clothing with logos on them. This can be a distraction in images. Again, you want the focus to be on you/your child!
• Wear clothing without stains, tears, fading (unless the item is designed to fade), or pilling. I can't say it enough - the nicer your clothes the more you will like how you look in your images!
• Bring accessories! Hats, sunglasses, a favorite toy - these are all things that can really make for a fun story to tell in your images.
• Clothing with texture, such as denim or chunky knit sweaters, make for beautiful black and white images.
• Bring more than one change of clothes! If you can't decide, bring both and we can shoot in both. If you're not sure what to wear, you are more than welcome to bring outfits with you and we can go through them together before your shoot.

I hope this was helpful! I will most likely be doing posts similar to this once a season. If you have any questions about what to wear, don't hesitate to ask!