One of the most common questions I get as a photographer is:
"What should we wear for our photos?"
Whether you're planning family photos, a maternity session, engagement photos, branding images, or even an elopement, your wardrobe plays a huge role in the final look and feel of your gallery.
In fact, after years of photographing families, couples, and mothers-to-be across Alberta, I've learned that styling is often the difference between photos that look good and photos that feel absolutely magical.
The good news? You don't have to figure it out on your own.
At Maxine LaGarde Photography, I offer personalized styling support, a growing client closet, children's wardrobe options, and a complimentary styling guide to help make the entire process effortless.
Styling Support Included With Every Session
One of the biggest concerns clients have when booking a photoshoot is figuring out what to wear.
The good news? You don't have to figure it out alone.
Every session with Maxine LaGarde Photography includes complimentary styling support designed to make the planning process simple and stress-free.
Whether you're planning family photos, maternity pictures, engagement photos, branding images, or an adventure session, I'll help guide you through:
• Choosing colours that complement your location
• Coordinating outfits for multiple family members
• Selecting clothing that photographs beautifully
• Incorporating texture and movement
• Creating a timeless look you'll love for years to come
I also offer access to my growing client closet, children's wardrobe options, and personalized styling services for clients who would like additional support.
My goal is simple: to help you feel confident, comfortable, and fully prepared before your session even begins.
Why Styling Matters More Than Most People Realize
When people think about planning a photoshoot, they often focus on choosing the perfect location.
But wardrobe is just as important.
The right clothing helps:
Create a cohesive gallery
Highlight connection and emotion
Complement the landscape
Add movement and visual interest
Create timeless images that won't feel dated in a few years
When styling is done well, your photos feel natural, effortless, and elevated.
Never Wonder What to Wear for Photos Again
One of the biggest sources of stress for clients is coordinating outfits.
Questions start popping up:
What colours work best?
Should we match?
What should the kids wear?
What photographs well?
Do I need to buy a new outfit?
That's exactly why I created my styling process.
My goal is to take the guesswork out of planning so you can focus on enjoying the experience.
Want More Styling Support?
The 6-step process above is a simplified version of the styling framework I use with my clients. If you'd like a deeper dive into choosing colours, coordinating family outfits, selecting textures, and creating a cohesive look for your session, I've created a complimentary styling guide to help.
My 6-Step Styling Process
1. Location
Your location helps determine your colour palette and overall aesthetic.
A mountain session often looks beautiful with greens, creams, blacks, turquoise, and earthy tones.
A Drumheller or Alberta Badlands session tends to pair beautifully with neutrals, taupes, rusts, browns, creams, and soft textures.
2. Colours
I help clients choose colours that complement both the location and each other.
Rather than matching exactly, I encourage families to coordinate using complementary tones and textures.
3. Texture
Texture creates depth and visual interest.
Flowy fabrics, lace, linen, knits, cotton, suede, and layered pieces add movement and help photographs feel more dynamic.
4. Shape
Clothing that moves photographs beautifully.
Many of my favourite dresses feature flowing skirts, sleeves, and silhouettes that create movement during your session.
5. Personal Style
The goal isn't to transform you into someone else.
I want you to feel like the very best version of yourself while staying true to your personal style.
6. Keeping Your Photos Timeless
I generally recommend avoiding large logos, neon colours, and overly trendy pieces that may quickly date your images.
Timeless styling creates photographs you'll still love decades from now.
Complimentary Alberta Style Guides
One of the most common questions I receive after booking a session is, "What should we wear?"
The truth is that the best outfits often depend on the location, season, and overall feel you're hoping to create. What photographs beautifully in the Alberta Badlands may look completely different than what works in the mountains or during a Christmas session.
To help make the planning process simple and stress-free, I've created a collection of complimentary style guides inspired by some of Alberta's most popular locations and seasons. Each guide includes colour palettes, outfit inspiration, styling recommendations, and practical tips to help you feel confident and prepared before your session.
Whether you're planning family photos, engagement pictures, maternity images, branding portraits, or an elopement, these guides are designed to help you create timeless photographs you'll love for years to come.
Fall Family Style Guide
A collection of rich tones, layered textures, and timeless outfit combinations designed for Alberta's beautiful autumn colours. Perfect for family photos, maternity sessions, and engagement portraits.
Summer Style Guide
Inspired by Alberta's beautiful summer landscapes, this guide features soft neutrals, light fabrics, and timeless colour palettes that complement green fields, open prairies, and warm sunset light. Perfect for family, maternity, engagement, and branding sessions throughout the summer season.
Christmas Style Guide
Featuring both Modern Classic and Soft Neutral styling inspiration, this guide will help you coordinate outfits for your holiday photos while creating a timeless look you'll love displaying year after year.
Mountain Style Guide
Learn which colours, fabrics, and outfit combinations photograph beautifully in Banff, Kananaskis, Canmore, and the Canadian Rockies. This guide also includes important considerations for mountain lighting and Alberta's ever-changing weather.
Alberta Badlands Style Guide
One of my most requested resources. Discover what photographs best in Drumheller and the Alberta Badlands, from neutral colour palettes and flowing fabrics to practical tips for navigating wind, dust, and the region's dramatic desert-like scenery.
Sunflower Field Style Guide
Designed specifically for Alberta's late-summer sunflower fields, this guide focuses on colour palettes and styling choices that complement vibrant blooms while helping your family stand out naturally within the landscape.
Need Help Choosing Outfits?
Every photography session with Maxine LaGarde Photography includes complimentary styling support.
Whether you're planning family photos, maternity pictures, engagement photos, branding images, or an adventure session in the Alberta Badlands, I'll help you create a wardrobe that photographs beautifully and feels authentic to you.
Many clients choose to use pieces from my client closet, while others prefer styling assistance using clothing they already own. Either way, I'm here to make the process simple and stress-free.
👉 View Styling Packages
The Secret to Beautiful Family and Maternity Photos
Many of the dresses you see throughout my portfolio come directly from my growing client closet.
I've carefully curated boho-inspired pieces that photograph beautifully in Alberta's landscapes.
These dresses are perfect for:
Maternity photos
Family sessions
Engagement photos
Branding sessions
Couples photoshoots
Children's Client Closet Options
One thing many parents don't realize is that styling children can often be the most challenging part of preparing for a session.
To make things easier, I also offer a growing collection of children's wardrobe pieces, including beautiful dresses for girls that coordinate perfectly with family colour palettes.
This makes it easier to create a cohesive look without purchasing an entirely new wardrobe.
Insert children's client closet images here
Why Clients Love the Client Closet
Save Time
No more spending weekends shopping at multiple stores.
Save Money
Many clients avoid purchasing clothing they'll only wear once.
Feel More Confident
Every piece has been selected because it photographs beautifully.
Less Stress
You don't have to figure everything out yourself.
I'll help guide you every step of the way.
Styling Packages Available
Every client receives access to my complimentary styling guide, but I also offer additional styling support for those who would like a more personalized experience.
Client Closet Rental
Perfect for clients wanting access to carefully curated dresses and photography-friendly wardrobe pieces.
Personalized Styling Support
Need help coordinating your family?
I can help with:
Colour palettes
Outfit selection
Shopping recommendations
Family wardrobe coordination
Accessories
Style Yourself
For clients who love planning their own wardrobe, I provide a complimentary styling guide filled with tips, colour palettes, and recommendations.
Need Help Styling Your Session?
Whether you're planning family photos, maternity pictures, engagement photos, or a branding session, I offer styling support designed to take the guesswork out of what to wear.
Styling Options
Option 1: Personalized Styling Support
Perfect for clients who want help coordinating outfits, selecting colours, and creating a cohesive look.
Option 2: Client Closet & Styling Experience
Access curated wardrobe pieces and personalized guidance to create a beautiful, stress-free photoshoot experience.
Perfect for Alberta Family Photos
Whether you're planning a family session in Calgary, a sunset session in the Alberta Badlands, a mountain adventure session, or maternity photos in Drumheller, styling plays a huge role in creating beautiful images.
My goal is to make the process simple, enjoyable, and stress-free.
Ready to Start Planning?
If you're looking for an Alberta family photographer, maternity photographer, engagement photographer, or branding photographer, I'd love to help create a session that feels authentic, beautiful, and effortless.
Contact Maxine LaGarde Photography to learn more about my client closet, styling support, and available wardrobe options for your next session.
The Best Dresses for Maternity Photos, Family Pictures & Engagement Sessions
One of the questions I hear most often is:
"Where can I find a dress that will actually look good in photos?"
After photographing hundreds of families, maternity sessions, engagements, and elopements throughout Alberta, I've learned that certain dresses simply photograph better than others.
The best photoshoot dresses create movement, flatter your shape, complement the landscape, and help you feel confident in front of the camera.
Whether you're planning a maternity session in the Alberta Badlands, family photos in Calgary, or an engagement session in the mountains, these are some of my favourite styles.
Best Dresses for Maternity Photos
Looking for maternity photo outfit inspiration?
I love dresses that:
Highlight your bump
Create movement in the wind
Photograph beautifully at sunset
Feel comfortable throughout your session
Popular Maternity Photo Dress Styles
Flowy boho maternity dresses
Chiffon maternity gowns
Lace maternity dresses
Off-the-shoulder maternity dresses
Long sleeve maternity dresses
What to Wear for Family Pictures
Choosing your outfit first is one of the easiest ways to coordinate the entire family.
For family sessions, I typically recommend:
Neutral maxi dresses
Soft floral dresses
Linen dresses
Earth-toned dresses
Textured fabrics
These styles work beautifully for:
Fall family photos
Summer family sessions
Alberta Badlands photos
Mountain family sessions
What to Wear for Engagement Photos
Engagement photos are the perfect opportunity to elevate your style.
The most photogenic engagement dresses often feature:
Movement
Soft textures
Romantic silhouettes
Neutral tones
Statement sleeves
For Alberta engagement photos, I especially love dresses that catch the wind and create movement throughout the session.
Why These Dresses Photograph So Well
Not every dress works for photography.
The dresses I recommend are selected based on:
Movement
Texture
Colour palette
Timelessness
Comfort
How they photograph during golden hour
These same principles guide every styling recommendation I make for my clients at Maxine LaGarde Photography.
What to Wear for Family Photos in Calgary
If you're planning family photos in Calgary, choosing colours that complement the natural landscape is one of the easiest ways to create beautiful images.
Many Calgary photography locations feature lush greenery, open fields, pathways, and soft evening light. I often recommend neutral colours such as cream, beige, soft blue, sage green, taupe, rust, and soft earth tones.
Avoid dressing every family member identically. Instead, choose a colour palette and build each outfit around complementary tones and textures.
The goal is to create connection and cohesion while still allowing everyone's personality to shine through.
Popular Calgary family photo locations include Fish Creek Provincial Park, Griffith Woods, Weaselhead Flats, and various open natural areas throughout Southern Alberta.
Featured Style Guide: Alberta Badlands
Of all the locations I photograph throughout Alberta, the Alberta Badlands continue to be one of my favourites. The warm desert tones, dramatic landscapes, endless skies, and incredible sunsets create a completely unique backdrop for family photos, maternity sessions, engagement photos, and elopements.
Because styling plays such an important role in these landscapes, I've included my complete Alberta Badlands Style Guide below. This guide demonstrates how thoughtful wardrobe choices can elevate your images and create a cohesive, timeless gallery that feels connected to the location.
Even if your session isn't taking place in the Badlands, you'll find many of the styling principles throughout this guide helpful when selecting outfits for your own session.
Why These Colours Work in Drumheller
The Alberta Badlands are unlike anywhere else in the province. Warm earth tones, natural textures, and dramatic landscapes create a beautiful backdrop for family, maternity, and engagement photos. Soft neutrals, terracotta, cream, taupe, blush, camel, and warm browns all photograph exceptionally well in this environment.
These colours complement the natural scenery while helping your family stand out without competing with the landscape.
What Makes the Alberta Badlands So Special?
One of my favourite things about photographing in Drumheller is how the landscape contributes to the final image.
The open skies create spectacular sunsets that cast a warm golden glow over the landscape. A gentle breeze often adds beautiful movement to dresses, hair, and flowing fabrics. The dry climate and desert-like terrain create a unique atmosphere that adds depth and dimension to photographs, especially during golden hour.
Combined with the sandstone cliffs, desert grasses, and dramatic coulees, the result is a location that feels adventurous, timeless, and completely different from anywhere else in Alberta.
Planning a Badlands Session?
If you're considering a family, maternity, or engagement session in Drumheller, you may also enjoy these guides:
• Why the Badlands Is Alberta's Most Underrated Photo Location
• Planning Your Ultimate Badlands Engagement or Elopement
• Why Maternity Photos Are the Best Gift Before Life Changes Forever
• How to Prepare Kids for Family Photos Without Stress
Need help choosing outfits? Every session with Maxine LaGarde Photography includes personalized styling assistance, access to my client closet, and recommendations tailored specifically to your location and vision.
Download the Complete Badlands Styling Guide HERE
Why Professional Styling Makes Such a Difference
One of the most overlooked parts of a successful photoshoot is styling.
The right outfit choices help create movement, emotion, connection, and timeless imagery. Whether you're planning family photos in Calgary, maternity photos in Drumheller, engagement photos in the Alberta Badlands, or a mountain adventure session, thoughtful styling helps elevate the entire experience.
My goal is to make the process feel easy from start to finish.
Every session includes personalized guidance, access to styling resources, and recommendations based on your location, vision, and family dynamic.
You never have to figure it out alone.
“We had our first session with Maxine over the weekend and wow, she was wonderful. She was personable and easy to communicate with from the start, listened to exactly what I was after for the photos and really made the vision I had come to life! Her client closet service has a beautiful selection and the dress I wore was just right. The shoot itself was so much fun - she made our family feel so at ease and we could tell that she really cared about capturing us being us. An absolute professional with an incredible talent, we are so glad we have found her!”
Ready to Stop Stressing About What to Wear?
Whether you'd like access to my client closet, personalized styling support, or simply want help coordinating outfits for your family, I'm here to help.
Explore my styling packages below or reach out to start planning your session.
