Here in Iowa, it’s nice out just about six months of the year: May to October. After the first of November, the landscape loses all its color and everything turns brown. To quote a fantastic kids book: “Brown, brown, all around you have brown.”

So what’s a gal like me to do between November 1 and May 1? In-home sessions!

Why I love in-home family sessions

Most of my in-home sessions are newborns, but I occasionally have the pleasure of doing an in-home session for a family. They’re fantastic because:

• They’re more relaxed. The chill vibe of an in-home session lends itself well to loving on your kiddos and partner, which is totally my jam.
• They’re intimate. A session in your home reveals a multitude of little details about you and your family that only adds to your photographs.
• Kids are more comfortable in their own space, and it comes through in the photos.

My goal in every session is to show the connections between you. Yes, this totally happens with outdoor photos too, but there’s just no contest when it comes to storytelling inside your home.

Why can’t we wear the same thing we’d wear for an outdoor session?

For an in-home session, you certainly CAN dress as you would for the outdoors… but it potentially won’t “fit” with the setting.

Check out this photo from the lovely Becca Jean Photography:

Beautiful, right?

Now imagine those same boho-inspired outfits in this location:

See what I mean? Mixing the two would be really wonky.

The clothes need to match the setting, and when they don’t, things just feel OFF.

So what should you wear for an in-home photo session?

When you’re at home, you wear what’s comfortable, right?

That’s what you should be thinking about when you pick wardrobe for your in-home session, too.

Think comfortable.

Add in a tinge of upscale… just a little!

And 99% of the time, neutral colors are best.

You don’t have to stick only to neutrals; you can mix in color. But think pastels, heathers… not solid brights, primary colors, or blocky prints!

Can we wear bright, bold colors for our in-home photos?

Bold colors only work is if your home is brightly colored, too!

I’ll say it again for the people in the back: neutrals are going to be the best bet for 99% of homes.

A boldly colored home would be ones with interiors like this:

See what I mean?

(Honestly, neutral colors work great in bold-color homes, too… they’re the BEST choice to keep the focus on your family, not your outfits!)

What Dad should wear for an in-home session

For the top half, good options are a T-shirt, henley, or a LOOSE-FITTING button-down.

Color for dad

Lots of great colors are available in all three of these, but stick to neutrals: gray, white, tan… or get a bit more adventurous with denim blue, olive… just stay away from bright kelly green, safety cone orange, canary yellow, and fire-engine red. In addition to being distracting, they create color casts on your skin that give you a sickly pallor… no bueno.

When Dad’s shoulders are the broadest in the family, putting the boldest color on him can be off-balance, too.

Pro tip: My husband loves this brand of tees, polos, and henleys. It’s magical sorcery or something, but these men’s shirts are PERFECT for the Dad Bod. My not-a-bodybuilder husband looks muscular and FIT in everything of theirs. Mee-ow!

Nothing makes a fella look uncomfortable more than too-tight clothing, and button-downs can be ill-fitting based on the broadness of your guy’s shoulders and chest. So unless you’re certain that it’s a LOOSE fit, just skip the button-down altogether.

Sock feet or bare feet are good for Dad.

What Mom should wear for an in-home session

I like layers, with the underlayer slightly more fitted (but not tight!) and the top layer loose, textured, and drapey.

My idea of the perfect combo is a pair of comfortable jeans plus a layering tee + cardigan, or a chunky knit sweater or cropped button-front cardigan.

For color, think neutrals primarily, but some soft blues and greens work, too. Same color rules apply here as for dad: avoid oranges, red, yellows, and bold greens.

If your in-home session is a NEWBORN session, it’s even more important to wear neutral colors!

Feet in socks or go barefoot.

Chunky knit sweater

Wrap cardigan

SS waffle knit top

I adore Alex Morris Design; she does amazing work and styles her in-home clients sooooo perfectly. Check ’em out for some inspiration.

What toddlers/kids should wear for an in-home session

I’m sounding like a broken record here, but comfort is key.

For boys, jeans are a great choice, or if you have one of those “no hard pants” kiddos (like mine), a not-obnoxious pair of joggers or shorts.

For boys or girls, tees in solid colors or subtle patterns (avoid logos and words), henleys, polos, whatever they’re comfortable in.

Little girls can pull off dresses and still be super comfy and right at home. Stick with longer dresses or get a pair of matching bloomers to go underneath if you want a shorter skirt, or leggings. Tights aren’t ideal since she won’t be wearing shoes. A tunic + leggings is another good pick for girls.

Solid colors in soft tones are best: white and off-white, blush, oatmeal… you can also do a subtle print in a small scale (meaning the items in the print aren’t big, they’re small and inconspicuous and not packed in).

Sock or bare feet allllll the way.

What about teens?

Follow the same rules as for adults. Let your teens pick a few options from their closet (within reason), and choose from those. Give them autonomy in what they wear if you can; it helps start the session out on the right foot, especially if your teen isn’t keen on photos.

But keep the color rules in mind; nothing brightly colored, no black, and avoid anything with logos or words.

Let’s talk about wearing all black

Wearing a lot of black (I define that as half of your body being in black) is not a good idea for your in-home session.

It won’t hide flaws like you might want it to. Instead, it will affect your photos negatively because it lacks dimension and will read as flat in the photos.

It’s fine as an underlayer, but an all-black top, dress, or bottoms is a big ol’ NOPE.

What babies should wear for an in-home session

I’ll cover newborns below, but this part is for babies that aren’t brand-new!

Babies can stick with a solid-color onesie or two-piece outfit, but we’d like to avoid peekaboo diapers and bare midriffs (this happens easily when you’re holding baby).

Get a top that is a bodysuit, so we don’t have to worry about that!

What newborns should wear

For baby, start with a simple neutral onesie (long sleeve usually looks best). Bonus points if it has a bit of texture to the fabric. Here’s an example. 

There are some super-cute newborn items from Lou Lou and Co. and MebieBaby.

I love their knotted gowns especially.

I’ll bring a handful of neutral stretchy swaddles in neutral colors, so don’t feel like you need to buy anything special.

TL;dr

• Be comfortable
• Choose clothes that aren’t too far off from what you’d normally wear if you were having company at home and wanted to look nice-ish
• Be comfortable
• Oh yeah did I mention, be comfortable? 🙂

In-home sessions are pretty great, and if you’ve never considered one, you should! Your home doesn’t need to be straight out of Better Homes & Gardens; all we need is some natural light and an open area near that source of light. Ta da!

Ready to book your in-home session for family or a newborn?

Get in touch.

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