What To Wear To a Photo Shoot
Alright, so you have your photo session booked with an AMAZING photographer, and couldn't be more excited to finally have good photos to show off. BUT. What on earth are you going to wear? While standing in front of your entire wardrobe trying to decide, I hope this post will pop into your head as you remember a few simple tricks for basic portraits. These are exclusive pointers from the photographer's side of things, and these little tips are generally what I suggest to each model I have for a photo shoot.
1. Keep it simple
Wear solid, non-distracting clothes. Crazy cool patterns will only encourage viewers of your gorgeous photos to stare at that colourful flowered skirt instead of what really matters: your even more gorgeous face!
2. Keep it classy
No need to go crazy and wear a business suite, but wearing something that will be timeless is a fantastic idea. Trendy is great for fashion photos intended to be in clothing or makeup magazines, but if the intent is to hang these photos on your wall for a long time, go for more neutral colors that will still look great in 30 years.
3. Stay consistent
Try to stay on the same page as everyone included in the photos. If mom is wearing light blue, dad is wearing white, and suzy is wearing neon pink...all attention will go to that one person who seemed to have missed the memo. It isn't quite necessary to all be wearing identical shirts and pants, but similar tones are a great idea.
4. Consider the location
Photo shoot at the beach? Make sure the clothing and especially footwear, will be comfortable and appropriate for the sand and water surrounding you. Is it a long walk to your destination of choosing? If heels were what you wanted to wear, bringing different shoes to walk there in would be smart, and much less frustrating. There's nothing worse than being uncomfortable during a photo session; your discomfort will be clearly evident in your final photographs.
5. Limit Accessories
Earrings, necklaces, and watches are all discretionary. In my opinion, as long as they are complimenting your personal style, wear those cute hoops you just splurged on. As for hats and sunglasses, both create extreme challenges for the photographer. Hats and sunglasses block light from your eyes which in turn hides the most important part to show in a photograph. Although many great photos are not always with peoples faces showing, it isn't ideal to have half of your face covered for each and every photo.
Above anything else, always make sure that what you choose to wear is still YOU. I mean, there isn't anything wrong with getting a little more fancy than usual for photos, most people do. But make sure you're not trying to "fit in" with photos seen on Pinterest or celebrities that often have clothing more expensive than an average wedding dress. The best photos will be of you feeling confident and comfortable in your own clothes, trust me on that one.
Of course, there are always exceptions to these 5 suggestions. If there are specific reasons behind clothing choices for a shoot, there isn't anything wrong with wearing something that means a lot to you, or wearing something to intentionally show off in your photos.
I hope this post was helpful and insightful!
Make this week awesome,
Carlee