“So, what should I wear?”
Yup, that is the age old question. And I feel ya! I am the type that will put on 6 outfits before I feel comfortable enough to walk out of the house. Wait, that was me before children. I like to call that “BC”. These days I am lucky to own a shirt that doesn’t have a stain or a hole.
I digress. Choosing the correct clothing for your photo shoot is a BIG DEAL. There are a lot of factors that can affect the outcome of your photographs. Colors, styles, textures and accessories play an important part in the overall feel of the photographs.
Picking out a scheme can be a daunting task and with so many clothing options available right at our fingertips, it seems like it SHOULD be easy… but it’s not always that simple! As you read through this guide, I want you to keep the word “timeless” in the back of your mind. I would like to help you create photos that you will be proud to look back at in 50 years. Let me help you decide the best style for you and your family!
First things, first! Is there a clothing item that you absolutely fell in love with for yourself or someone in your family? PERFECT! Now we have our staple and can build around that. You will want to find colors and styles that compliment this garment.
Speaking of colors… What colors look best in photographs?
My most common answer to this question is “muted tones”. To me this means a natural form of any color in the rainbow. If you want to wear red, instead, choose burgundy or maroon. If you want to wear orange, choose rust, copper or burnt orange. If you would like to wear yellow, choose a mustard color. Choose olive, seafoam or hunter green. Navy blue and baby blue photograph well, as does pale pink.
Please, please, please stay away from neon colors. Bright and neon colors SUBTRACT from the photographs whereas muted tones ADD to the photograph. Bright colors can be confusing to the eye and distract the eye from the subject of the photograph. These tones can also create color casts on you or other people, creating unappealing skin tones and overall coloring of the image.
Pulling it all together…
So you’ve already decided that you are going to wear that one must have item. For this purpose, let’s say you chose a super-flowy, rose-colored Adelle Dress from Free People that cost way more than your husband said you could spend (but he doesn’t ever look at the bank account so you buy it anyway and tell him it was on sale). Your husband would wear a light blue cotton button up shirt with olive colored pants, your son would wear an olive shirt with khaki pants and your daughter would wear a subtly patterned dress with primary colors of light pink with olive green accents. Mixing textures is another way to create depth and interest.
I do have some general rules… well, guidelines I should say. I will still take your picture if you show up in these items but I strongly advise against them as I feel it takes away from the timelessness of the photo.
Men… I know you tend to love your cargo shorts. They hold so much STUFF and they’re so manly. But you don’t need to hold anything for photos. So, a nice, fitted pair of flat front shorts would be great! I always recommend being more dressed up than necessary so wear khakis or chinos… your wife will love you for it! I generally recommend staying away from jeans but if you really want to incorporate jeans in your photography wardrobe, a fitted, dark wash denim pant without distress is ideal. No carpenter pants please. I also recommend staying away from polo shirts and anything with a large logo on it. Patterned button up shirts photograph extremely well, as long as the pattern is small. Checkered print button-ups tend to look a little chaotic. Lastly, save your sneakers for the gym!
Ladies… Please assure that your bra straps are not visible. I recommend wearing a strapless bra, sticky bra or petals. Please stay away from tight dresses as they limit the poses and almost always require further editing of undergarments. Editing out bra straps, underwear lines, bra lines, Spanx lines is not covered under basic editing and is quite time consuming.
Kiddos… I know we all like to save money where we can but please dress your children in clothing that currently fits them and not something that they will “grow into”. Children look so sweet in their perfectly fitting clothes. Again, think “timeless” when you dress them and try to stay away from the overly-trendy accessories. JoJo Siwa is okay with you trading out the big bow for a small hair clip or a wide brim hat. (She told me that when we went to her concert in July!) Little boys look darling in suspenders and jeans or khakis, with or without a shirt.
Dressing for your photography location is important. Here in South Central PA, I shoot many sessions in green fields, forested areas and lakes. With that said, you want to wear colors that would make you stand apart from the background and not blend in. For this location type, I recommend mustard, navy, rust, burnt orange, rose and white.
Some of my favorite stores for photography wardrobe include: Zara, Joyfolie, Cora & Violet, TJ Maxx, Sweet Honey, Old Navy, Osh Kosh, Lacie Lane, and Free People.
I also do have several dresses for clients to wear which can be found at ***.