👔 PREPARING FOR YOUR SHOOT (FOR BEST RESULTS!)

Please arrive at your scheduled session time so that we can maximise our time together. Please arrive dressed and ready for photos.

Clothing:

The following is purely recommendation; Think classic and simple!

Tops & Layers: Plain tops, simple shirts, knit sweaters, or classic t-shirts.

Bottoms: Timeless denim/jeans, smart chinos, pants, or simple skirts.

One-Piece Options: Classic dresses, overalls, or matching family holiday sets and pyjamas work beautifully!

Accessories: Simple hair bows, headbands, or winter beanies (keep it subtle so the focus stays on those gorgeous little faces).

Color Palette & Styling Recommendations

We highly recommend choosing garments from our curated Seasonal Palette. These tones have been specifically chosen to coordinate beautifully with this year's themes:

Antique Ivory ] • [ Cream ] • [ Oatmeal ] • [ Camel ] • [ Warm Tan ] • [ Gold ] • [ Hunter Green ] • [ Deep Burgundy / Wine ]

The Soft Base (Ivory, Cream, Vanilla): These shades look incredible for creating a beautiful, bright separation and adding a timeless, classic feel to your portraits.

The Warm Mid-Tones (Oatmeal, Camel, Tan, Gold): These rich, warm shades mirror the cozy holiday magic and the beautiful, glowing festive lights in the studio.

The Deep Festive Contrast (Hunter Green, Deep Burgundy, Wine): These classic, deep heritage jewel tones add a rich, sophisticated pop of festive color that looks spectacular on camera.

Classic Festive Prints (Tartan & Plaid): If you would love to wear a classic holiday pattern, traditional dark tartans or plaids that feature hunter green, gold, navy, or deep burgundy look beautiful when paired alongside solid neutrals.

General Colours, Patterns, & Textures: Colours: Solid colours always work beautifully. If opting outside our core palette, soft earthy tones (brown, beige, rust) and deep navy also look wonderful.

Patterns & Textures: Because festive setups naturally include lovely details, busy patterns (like heavy stripes or big, bright modern florals) can sometimes look a bit distracting in camera. To keep things timeless, we love recommending solid tones or a classic, rich winter tartan. You can also add gorgeous depth and character using high-texture fabrics like knits, cable-knits, ribbed cotton, velvet, corduroy, heavy linen, and lace!

💡 Helpful Wardrobe Swaps & Creative Tips

Swapping Bright Reds for Deeper Tones: Traditional Christmas red is a beautiful classic! For our studio lighting this year, we highly encourage choosing rich, deep winter reds (like burgundy, wine, or cranberry) over bright fire-engine red. If your heart is absolutely set on a classic bright red, adding a neutral layer—like an ivory knit vest or a soft tan cardigan—is a fantastic way to blend it beautifully for the camera.Swapping Stark White for Warm Neutrals:

Pure stark white can occasionally look a little modern or clinical under professional studio lights. We love recommending soft, warm neutrals instead, such as off-white, beige, vanilla, cream, or antique ivory. These tones preserve a gorgeous, cohesive glow across your portraits!

Our Note on Black: While black will absolutely not ruin your photos, wearing solid blocks of it can sometimes appear a bit heavy on camera and can make clothing details hard to see. If you would love to incorporate black, it works best when broken up with a lighter textured layer (like a cream knit scarf) or balanced by having other family members dress in coordinating light neutrals.

Things to Keep in the Wardrobe: To ensure your family's faces remain the absolute star of the show, we encourage skipping neon colors entirely, as well as bold graphic logos, busy modern patterns (like heavy stripes), and character clothing (such as Frozen or Bluey items).

For the best results: Dress family members for the same season and occasion. Consider how well everyone’s outfits tie in with the attire of other family members.

Footwear: Plain/classic shoes are best. Avoid logo designs, bright colours, and anything else that will steal the focus, and opt for plain, coloured socks (ideally not solid black or solid white socks)