If you're going to have your baby girl photographed professionally, you'll want to be sure to put together a very nice outfit for her. After all, what she's wearing will be enshrined forever in these very special photographs. There are a lot of very adorable baby clothes out there today – so narrowing down your choices may actually be the hardest part.

Choosing a Theme

It can be hard to decide on a theme for baby photography; after all, your baby girl probably hasn't decided what she wants to do for a living – or even for fun. So instead, think about what you want to be able to look back on when you see these photos in the future. This will help you decide how silly or serious you want your theme to be as well.

Sentimental Themes

For example, if you decide that you want your photos to be mainly sentimental, then you will want to pick out clothing that you find adorable. Perhaps this means a frilly dress in a traditional color like pink or pastel purple; it could also mean choosing a sleeper decorated with lace. One of the advantages of choosing sentimental photographs is that you can buy nice clothing that you can use again and again; novelty outfits don't always have this advantage.

Humorous Themes

For a more humorous theme, it makes the most sense to pick something that you, your spouse, or your family enjoy. If this is sports, for instance, then a little football jersey might be the perfect top. If you love cats, consider a romper with a cat on the front – or even a cap that's decorated with kitty ears. And if your baby's birthday was close to a holiday, you can also base the theme around that; a little Santa outfit for a Christmas baby, for instance, or a bright orange pumpkin outfit if her birthday is in late October.

Choosing Colors

Many people default to the idea that baby girls should be photographed in pink and baby boys in blue. This is perfectly fine, of course – but you should also consider what style of photographs you are most interested in. Pastel colors lend themselves to sleeping shots as well as soft-edged photographs. Brighter colors, on the other hand, look more active, and work well with more posed shots as well as sunny outdoor shots.

If you're planning on having a mix of photographic styles, one good technique is to choose a neutral shade of your chosen color. That way, accessories and backdrops can be used to shift the scene towards a look that is overall more bold or more pastel. And unlike trying to change the clothing of a baby during a photo shoot – which is only likely to tire them out – it's simple to replace a cap or a blanket.