When planning newborn and milestone portraits with my families, one of the biggest questions that comes up is what to wear. If you’ve been around me or my website, it should be no surprise that I always recommend neutral tones for outfits (and their setups) in my Saratoga Springs studio. This helps us create light & airy portraits, and keeps the focus on your family – the emotions, the connection, the love. 

Myth: Neutrals are boring!

At first, you may wonder, won’t it be boring or too simple if we’re all in neutral colors? But look at how these portraits pop. Look at how you notice the people first – their smiles, their sparkling eyes, the way they’re holding on to each other. Then look more closely at the little details and you’ll notice that these are not boring at all. It’s the little ruffle on a sleeve, the swiss dots on a fabric, the lace on a dress, the delicate flowers on a headband, the linen texture of a shirt. These all come together to add interest and depth to your portraits. This, right here, is one of the reasons I love using neutral colors in my portraits.

Learn about the NSP experience!

Even with exciting details in the fabrics or various textures that come through, your eye is always drawn to the people in these portraits first. As a photographer, that’s my goal: capturing your authentic connection in timeless ways. To me, that means you (or your babies!) should be the thing our eyes catch on first in your portraits. Bright colors, loud patterns and textures all take away from that. 

Myth: Neutrals will wash you out!

When discussing neutral colors, I often hear the worry that people will be washed out. But, I learned from my favorite color stylist at House of Colour that white doesn’t have to wash you out!. There are actually many shades of white (bright white, warm whites like ivory and ecru, and soft white – which is my personal match to make my skin and eyes glow). It’s all about finding the right shade for you that illuminates you rather than dulls your complexion.

Neutral outfit inspiration for milestone sessions!

I hope that you feel more confident about using neutrals for your next portrait session outfits and setups. As you can see, it is one of the easiest ways to bring your family’s connection to the forefront of your final portraits. 

Schedule your portraits in my neutral Saratoga Springs studio today!