What To Wear Guide

I know how hard it can be to choose clothes for photography sessions. For that reason, I’ve created this little guide with a collection of tips I’d gathered over the years from seeing what I think looks best. It’s important to remember that the tips below are just that, tips. Be true to yourself and what you feel most confident in because that’s what these photos are all about. Some of my favorite outfits that couples have brought don’t follow these rules at all. I’ve had a gal bring a graphic tank from her rock choir, others who have brought culturally significant clothes, and some who have wanted to spend half our session wearing formal outfits. Heck, if you feel most comfortable wearing socks with sandals and a neon pink dress, awesome! These tips are meant as inspiration, not rules.

Typically clients bring 3-4 tops and 2 bottoms which we’ll mix and match at our different locations. They’ll also bring accessories, jackets on top of that.

Wear clothes that make sense

Comfort is everything during our shoot. It may seem obvious but if there’s snow out, it may not be best to have shorts and a t-shirt. If we’re hiking, make sure you have shoes that have a good grip. Think about the location and check the weather we’ll be shooting at and plan accordingly. It’s always better to overpack for comfort!

Colors


When choosing colors, I always recommend sticking with neutral and earthy tones. Neutral tones include all colors but just muted. This keeps the focus on you and blends nicely with the scenery. Also, it’s best to stay away from bright reds, pinks, and oranges if you have a light skin tone. Light bounces off colors extremely easily which can make for strange-looking skin tones.

Patterns & Logos

Patterns are another thing which we have to be careful about when choosing clothes. When they are huge they can often be distracting. Patterns are great but just keep them subtle like flannels or flowery dresses. I’ll usually only have one patterned piece of clothes in each outfit so that the focus stays on you. Another way to stay away from distractions is to make sure the clothes are clean and wrinkle-free!

Props and Accessories

My belief is that every person should be framed in the moments they’ve felt the most loved and cared for.

I’m all for good props and accessories. Examples of great props are your pet, cool vehicles, picnics, bikes (road & motor), campfire, flowers, kayak, etc. Bringing along props can make the shoot much more unique to you! If you have props, message me and it would be great to incorporate them. Accessories are also awesome because they let us play around more with outfits. It’s great when people bring hats, glasses, scarves, jewelry, etc.


Another little tip for men is to make sure you're purposeful about if you're shaving or not. There can be a bit of an awkward phase between clean-shaven and nice stubble so just make sure you know what you're going for. (I've had to photoshop out light stubble from headshots before and it's quite tedious).

If you’re still not sure about your outfit choices, feel free to message me one or two pictures of what you’re planning on bringing.