Blog — Whitney Keilman Photography

I remember newborn photos with our first baby. Life was a blur. I was sleep deprived, recovering from a long labor, and the last thing on my mind what what to wear for our newborn photos. In fact, the day before our session I snuck out of the house, leaving my sweet newborn for the first time with my husband, and rushed through a few stores hoping to find something that wasn’t a maternity dress, but that would still fit me 2 weeks after giving birth.

I made this post is to help you plan ahead and avoid that frantic feeling of what to wear in a season when your only priorities should be resting, recovering, and soaking up those brand new baby snuggles!

Comfort: Wear a top or dress that you feel comfortable in — loose and flowy is always a win for postpartum days. Please don’t feel the need to squeeze into jeans. We want comfort to be one of the most important things for this session, because if you’re uncomfortable, it will show in the photos. I always prefer a soft, flowy dress myself because I think it’s the most comfortable thing to wear.

2. Colors:

For newborn sessions in particular, I recommend light, neutral colors to be the primary look for photos. I believe it allows for more of the attention to be on the little details of your newborn, or the expression of your toddler as they peak over the crib to smile at their little sibling. With that said, a mix of solids and patterns can be absolutely gorgeous for a newborn photoshoot. Some pretty florals on your baby girl’s swaddle, or on a big sibling’s dress works great. You’ll see a lot of light neutral colors and earthy tones throughout this blog post, but if your style is more bold and colorful, go bold! These photos should show your family’s personality.

3. Coordinate: When it comes to colors and textures, my biggest piece of advise is to coordinate (not match) the outfits. Choose a color palette that goes well in your home and stick to it. Instead of everyone wearing white, choose colors that compliment each other instead of the exact match. Here’s a color palette example that works well for a newborn session.