what to wear for your photo session

So you’ve booked a session with me. You’ve settled on a date and time, and you know who’s tagging along with you. But then you are suddenly struck with severe anxiety thinking, “What the h-e-double-hockey-sticks am I going to wear?!” Well, have no fear and look no further! I’ve got you covered with a suuuper helpful guide. I collected all the most helpful tips & tricks from around the interwebs for dressing your best for your next photo session. Read on, dear friends!

Think about the following:

Location plays an important role in what you wear. Where are we having this session? Indoors? Outdoors? In a park? Downtown? What will the colors be like in the background?

How do you want the images to feel? Classic? Boho? Vintage? Rustic? Modern? Luxurious? Cheerful? Playful? Relaxed? Formal? Consider your family’s various personalities and go from there.

Choose your palette.
Pick a palette of 3-4 colors. Think in terms of tones: “cool” tones, earth tones, neutral, etc. Let everyone in the family express their own sense of style within the chosen color palette.

Don’t match. Coordinate.
Let’s be real here — we know this session isn’t about you, mom. However, I like to tell my clients to start with mom’s outfit choice (after all, she is the queen of the household), and then build from there. Pull colors from her outfit to dress and layer everyone else. Add in various textures, colors that mesh well with one another, and don’t be afraid to pop in a bit of pattern.

Use the color wheel.
Depending on the location of your session, you want clothing that looks good in that specific place. Use complementary colors. For example, in the color wheel, yellow and purple are directly opposite from one another and are considered complementary. I can use those two colors (both in the location and my client’s attire) and the results will be stunning.

Choose neutral clothing.
Neutral clothing looks good in basically any setting. Staying neutral  keeps the photos simple and soft, with the focus on the connection and emotion between people — which is SO, super important to myself as a photographer.

Shop at the same store.
It is so much easier to coordinate outfits when you get them all from the same store or brand. Typically, brands sell similar styles for various shapes and sizes. It also makes it easier for YOU when you don’t have to shop around.

Add a pop of color.
Don’t be afraid of a little color! Picking up bold colors from a more subtle outfit for a pop of color looks AMAZING on anybody.

Use your go-to outfit.
I’m all about being yourself and embracing the heck out of it. Do you have an outfit you frequently like to wear that you feel confident, comfortable, and relaxed in? Go for it! It’ll help you feel more at ease during your session. Because the last thing you want is to feel uncomfortable during your session. So make sure your personality is a part of your decision-making.

*** Got any questions? Feel more than free to shoot me an email if you’re stumped! I am always happy to help in whatever capacity I can. Thanks for reading. Please share any fun outfit ideas you may have — I love brainstorming!