For both men and women, wear something you feel comfortable in and love. The more comfortable you feel, the more comfortable and natural you’ll look in the photos, an the more you’ll love the photos themselves. Second, try to avoid patterns, stripes and plaids — unless they really, truly represent your personality. Solid and neutral colors typically work best: black, white, gray, brown, navy. Soft pinks and blues can look nice if they work with your coloring, but bright pinks and yellows don’t usually turn out well.

For women (in maternity shoots or not), flattering dresses always look nice (in solid colors), and jeans of any color look great. For maternity shoots, yoga pants when doing bare-belly shots work very well: They’re nice a stretchy, and aren’t likely to leave indentations on your skin. If you’re wearing a top, choose v-necks, squarenecks, turtlenecks or deep scoop necks. On the whole, women should avoid crewnecks. Also, long-sleeved shirts often are the most flattering, but sleeveless and spaghetti straps work well. T-shirt length sleeves should be avoided unless you have beautiful, sculpted or very thin upper arms. For maternity shoots scheduled in the comfort of your home, there’s also the option to wear boyshorts and a strapless bra for more boudoir-type photos.

For the guys, wear jeans, khakis or any other pair of dark pants (but keep in mind the comfort factor — and what your partner is wearing). Rumpled (not starched), plain white button-up shirts also look nice, and bringing a regular white and/or black crew-neck t-shirt is also a good idea.When looking through your various dresses and shirts to wear, stick to clingy, though not necessarily tight, fabrics with a little bit of stretch. For shoots with a wardrobe change, you could also wear a big, white, button-down rumpled man’s shirt to get bare-belly shots. Any shirt or cardigan that opens down the front works well too. For maternity shoots, try not to wear fabrics that are binding so there are no marks on the skin during the shoot.

On the whole,  solid, dark colors like black, dark brown, navy blue and charcoal gray tops and bottoms are preferred. Layers are great; wear the t-shirt under a crew- or v-neck sweater or jacket.

For maternity shoots, I will always bring at least a few props, but you are also welcome to bring items you’d like to incorporate, like balloons, blocks, ribbons, flowers etc. If you have a question about a potential prop, don’t hesitate to ask!

Any other questions? Shoot me an email!