What to wear for a siblings photoshoot

By Mariya Harley · London · updated August 2026

What works for a siblings shoot specifically

Colour. A shared palette of two or three tones, never identical outfits. Matching siblings read as a uniform and the photograph dates to the decade it was taken in.

Fabric. Whatever they will not fight about. A session ends the moment clothing becomes a negotiation, and no styling choice is worth that.

Footwear. Worn-in, or barefoot indoors. New shoes plus a session equals complaints within ten minutes.

The thing that ruins frames. Dressing the younger child in something they cannot move in. Sibling photographs work because of movement, and stiff clothing stops it.

Let the older one choose. An eight-year-old who picked their own top cooperates for twice as long as one who was dressed, and that difference decides how many frames you get with both children in them.

Two rules that hold everywhere

• Steam it the night before — creases are the most expensive thing in any retouching bill and the cheapest to prevent.
• Bring options and decide on set, where you can see the light and the background rather than guessing at home.