If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’ve booked onto one of my bluebell mini sessions this weekend and what to know how to dress your kids for the shoot. Well, you’ve come to the right place….

First things first, as the location is going to be very bright purple and green heavy (from the flowers and the grass), I would urge you to avoid these colours and not try to match outfits to the scenery. It can end up looking very garish and we want your gorgeous children to stand out from the bluebells – not blend into the background.
Saying that, purple and greens are fine if they are pastel, muted tones. When choosing outfits, think neutral colours that will compliment a child’s soft skin tones but also work nicely in among the flowers. White can be a little too bright, but cream, beige, baby pink, lemon yellow, mint green and baby blue are all perfect shades to aim for.
Light denim also works well, so for a girl think a pretty summer dress covered with a denim jacket or for a boy, jeans with a lightly coloured T-shirt or long sleeve top is a good look. Mid tones also photograph nicely, so muted coral pinks, lavender, teal, sky or duck egg blues. Oh and I love texture so frills, lace, chunky knits and tasselled scarves all get a thumbs up from me. Hair accessories – bows, flowers etc – are also super cute (hats not advisable due to shadow/masking the face)
Despite the above, if you’re still swaying towards darker colours, opt for navy or maybe a dark emerald green or hazelnut brown – these are all preferable to black.

Back to the subject of T-shirts, please try to avoid anything with big logos or animations on them. Loud, clashing patterns are also not ideal! Trust me, I’m a huge Disney lover outside of work, but in photographs, Mickey Mouse prints and huge Nemo motifs can be somewhat distracting and will draw all attention away from your little ones adorable face and the beautiful flowers they’re surrounded by. Ideally try to stick to plain clothing – she says having clearly dressed her child in a dog vest for the recce photos! haha But let’s face it, it’s cute, so cute animal tops I will allow 😉

There’s no denying the temperature has taken a sudden drop this week – I’ve actually had to sneak the heating on a few times in the evening without my husband, AKA the bill payer, realising, and I’m currently writing this whilst looking out the window to snow!! – so please dress appropriately. I know you may have bought a brand new pretty dress or smart short sleeve shirt for your child to wear for the shoot, but if they’re cold they’re not going to want to cooperate. Bring a lightweight jacket or cardigan to pop over the top – even if it’s just for while you’re waiting (we can always whip it off for the actual photos if you really don’t want it in the pictures).

Talking of waiting, there will be some as you’ll want to be in place a good 10-15 minutes before your slot so you’re ready to go when I’m finished with the previous family, so an extra layer to keep warm is a good idea and maybe even some entertainment (iPad, CBeebies app on the phone, food etc) to keep the kids occupied. Please be aware that signal is really poor out in the woods so don’t rely on that – in other words, weird American superhero videos on YouTube that my son spends hours watching will not be an option haha

Shoes wise, it’s a little bit of a walk, depending on where you manage to get parked, so I would suggest putting the kids in something comfy and then changing their footwear once you’re on location – if you’re overly bothered about what they wear on their feet that is (they won’t be seen a huge amount in the photos).

Feel free to bring any accessories or props that you might like incorporated into the pics: fluffy toys, wooden props, larger items etc. There’s no need to do so as the main focus will be on the kids, but take a look around the house and if anything catches your eye that you think “that might look cool in a photo”, bring it!

I think that’s everything – to sum up, plain, light colours and textured soft hues are a yes, bright colours and overbearing patterns/logos are a no! And if you’re bringing more than one child along, try to coordinate their outfits if possible – or at the very least, don’t put them in anything that clashes terribly!

I’m really looking forward to meeting you all and taking advantage of these beautiful flowers right on our doorstep – well, half an hour’s drive away but you know what I mean 😉