Dressing yourself in the morning is hard enough when you don’t have to stand in front of a camera and be your best self. Choosing what to wear for a photoshoot can trigger even the most confident fashionista to pull their entire wardrobe out onto the floor in search of the perfect outfit.
So if your nerves start to fizz when you think about what to wear, don’t worry. This is SO normal! Before you lose sleep to late nights spent online shopping–putting articles of clothing in your cart only to take them out again–let’s talk about what works and what doesn’t.
Number one thing I want you to remember? Being comfortable is EVERYTHING. You should look and feel like yourself, first and foremost.
Be Comfy, Please!
It’s not uncommon for people to want to shop for new, sparkly, fabulous clothes to wear to a photoshoot. And that’s totally fine – if that’s your jam. But let’s talk about comfort a little more. Do you think you’d be more comfortable in your favorite t-shirt and jeans or a new clingy little black dress? The best route is usually to go with something that’s tried and true. Something you know moves with you and hugs you in all the right places. Don’t get me wrong – it 100% does not have to be jeans and a t-shirt. You can glam it up a bit more if that’s what you like. But if authenticity is what you’re after, you’re going to have to show up as yourself. And if you want to capture this time of your life in all its glory, then it’s about the feeling of being in your own skin.
Match Your Outfit to The Location
If you’re wearing a fancy ball gown in your living room, the viewer might assume you’re going to prom. Don a little sundress number in a snowy field and the viewer might suffer from a crippling amount of pity for you. You and I will be collaborating on telling your story together, so let’s get this right.
Plan your outfits around what you know about the conditions at the location we’ll be shooting at. You’ll want to be warm enough (or cool enough!), have pain-free feet, and look relatively native to your environment. For at home sessions, slip into your comfiest comfies and rock that (pants optional). The idea is to authentically capture you wherever you are.
Think through your clothing choices logically based on location, vibe, and comfort level.
Bring Multiple Outfits!
Gather up 2 or 3 outfits that you feel amazing in and we can play around with different combinations a few days beforehand. I’m always happy to help with styling! – No question too small, I promise! I’m not trying to photocopy trends in all their boring hues, I’m looking for the you-est you. Bring things that help you express yourself–I want you to grace my lens with your true, full personality!
Providing options helps me to make sure your threads compliment the environment – keeping the focus on you, where it should be!
Color Scheming
Aim for neutrals, earthy tones, and metallics. These colors compliment the outdoor environment almost anywhere you go and look amazing as a printed, framed photograph.
Aim for neutrals, earthy tones, and metallics. These colors compliment the outdoor environment almost anywhere you go and look amazing as a printed, framed photograph.
Don’t get me wrong, I know I sound like I’m advocating for a beige world of quiet and inoffensive colors but I am always amazed by how beautifully cream, grey, beige, taupe and black photograph, especially with my editing style. By neutrals, I mean muted and earthy tones. Primary colors are incredibly striking and will most likely have the effect of detracting from the main subject (which is you). So if you are insistent on incorporating some color, try this; instead of kelly green, go for an olive green. Instead of bright orange, opt for a nice rust color.
A rule of thumb here is to choose a color scheme that will complement your natural environment.
For example, a mustard dress in a deep green forest will look epic.
For families it’s best to keep your colour scheme limited to four colors. You can choose one person to wear a feature color or pattern and have everyone else’s outfits complement that.
Incorporate Texture & Movement
Pick fabrics that move and flow with you. Ones that add a cozy texture, or get picked up by the wind, filter the late afternoon sun, and glow in the morning light. Natural fibers like linen, cotton, or wool are amazing. Avoid stiff-seeming garments with collars as they look a bit too formal and often get tucked in weird spots and need adjusting.
Complementary, GOOD! Matching, Bad.
Complement each other, don’t match each other.
You don’t want to create the illusion of being your partner’s siamese twin. When multiple people wear the same color, sometimes their matching outfits blend together so much that you can’t really see any of them properly. The viewer can’t tell where one person begins and another one ends. They turn into one uniform blob. If you’re wanting to wear the same color, just be sure to mix in different textures to set you all apart! It CAN be done tastefully!
In order for the aesthetics of your photograph to really sing, you want to find complementary outfits that showcase a variety of colors, textures, accessories, patterns, and tones. Complement the other people in the photograph as well as your surroundings. The idea is to have everything look good together without everything looking the same.
Be Careful With Patterns and Prints
Avoid large bold patterns as they often dominate the photograph and detract attention from your beautiful face.
Usually, subtle smaller patterns work best. Flannels or a light floral print are great when they complement the location. But less is definitely more with this one, so try to limit yourself to one pattern at a time. Matching patterns is a tricky task, and it’s super difficult to do well.
If you’re not quite sure what category your patterned clothes fall into, shoot me an email or send me a message and I’ll be happy to weigh in.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT LOGOS:
Much like crazy patterns, clothing with writing or logos on it tends to be a bit distracting. We’re not getting paid for Adidas’ not-so-subtle product placement. However, if the logo or phrase is tasteful (read: not tacky), in theme with the shoot, and fits your personality, I’m all for it.
Shoes, Shoes, Shoes.
You can’t have come this far, painstakingly planning your outfit, only to stop at your ankles. Shoes are a key part of a look and ideally complement the rest of the outfit.
If you wear heels like a pro, I definitely don’t have the authority to tell you not to do that! But if you, like the rest of us mere mortals, find heels to be moderately uncomfortable, then do yourself a favor and ditch ‘em. In most cases, we’ll be stomping around on some relatively uneven terrain and I don’t want you spraining an ankle–not on my watch. I’ll probably be giving you some energetic prompts to follow, too, so you’ll want to be ready for action.
Select the right shoes based on the location, and consider what you’d normally wear if I wasn’t following you around with a camera. Being barefoot makes sense on the beach, and boots are beautiful in the mountains.
Leather is great for boots, and know that sandals win over flip flops by a long shot. Always consider context when choosing footwear for both aesthetic appeal and practicality.
Let’s Recap!
- Dress for the season.
- Dress for the location.
- Compliment – don’t match (unintentionally).
- Wear something comfortable that you feel like yourself in.
- Natural fibers and neutral/earthy colors look amazing in most settings.
- Avoid large prints, logos, and patterns.
- Bonus Tip: Old Navy, Gap, Target, and Amazon are some of my favorite places to grab staple pieces for the whole family !
