Family photoshoot styling guide

A good family photograph rarely happens by accident. The pieces you choose the night before decide whether the light falls kindly, whether the baby's romper reads as texture or as a distraction, and whether the whole frame quietly says family. Here is the boutique's short guide — the same one we send customers who ask.

1. Start with a three-colour palette

Pick one anchor (a deeper tone — navy, camel, olive), one soft (cream, oat, dusty rose) and one accent (a single richer note — sage, terracotta, plum). Everyone in the frame should wear pieces from those three, not everyone in the same colour. Matching without twinning is the difference between a family portrait and a uniform.

2. Choose textures the camera loves

Cameras flatten flat fabrics. Reach for linen, brushed cotton, knit, and soft chiffon — anything that catches light and gives depth. Skip shiny synthetics, tight stripes, and busy small prints; they moiré on screen and pull attention away from faces.

3. Dress each family member for their role in the frame

• Babies: a plain cream or sage romper in soft organic cotton — our Cloud Cotton Baby Set is the piece we photograph most.
• Children: one textured piece — a Little Explorer knit over a plain tee — reads warmer than a full outfit change.
• Mummies: a long silhouette flatters every angle. Our Rose Garden maxi or the Linen Lullaby blouse with wide-leg trousers both photograph beautifully.
• Daddies: a soft oxford with the top button open — the Harbour Oxford in cream or navy — anchors the group without competing.

4. Fit is the shot

Sleeves at the wrist. Hems that skim, don't cling. Baby onesies with a little room around the tummy. Photos exaggerate anything too tight or too loose — a five-minute tailor at home (a safety pin at the back of a shirt, a rolled cuff) is often the difference between "nice" and "framed on the wall".

5. Skip these five things

• Bold logos — they date the photo to the season they were sold.
• Neon and pure white together — one blows out, the other glows.
• Character prints on children — the character becomes the subject.
• Everyone in denim — reads flat and blue-heavy on camera.
• Brand-new shoes on kids — creases and dust always look better than glossy leather.

6. A simple 24-hour plan

1. The night before: lay every outfit out together on the bed. Take one phone photo of the flat lay — if it looks like a family in that photo, it will on the day.
2. Steam, don't iron. Linen especially wants softness, not creases pressed in.
3. Morning of: dress the youngest last. Everyone else in accent pieces (scarf, belt, hair ribbon) they can add at the location.
4. Bring wipes, a spare cream layer for the baby, and a lint roller. That's it.