What to wear, what to wear?
Sessions booked…. now what do we wear?!
The most common question I get asked from clients after they have booked their session is “What do we wear?”. Let me start with DON’T STRESS IT! You will look absolutely gorgeous regardless of what you wear, but with that being said, your outfits will definitely enhance the feel and overall tone of your images. I wanted to simplify this process for you as much as possible and let you in on a few tips and tricks for choosing the best pieces to rock during your shoot!
Let’s start with the big picture
Are you planning on showcasing your images all around your home? Say in a large canvas on your living room or bedroom wall? What is the colour scheme you already have there? If you have more neutral colour tones - beiges, creams, whites etc or shades of greys and blues - I suggest sticking with similar pallettes for your photo session. Or if you have some colour pops here and there in your space, that might be a great addition in your photos to tie that together with those pieces. Use the space in your home that you will show off your images as a starting point. The end result when printed and displayed will flow seamlessly like a piece of art!
2. Outfits don’t have to match exactly to look great
In all the years I have been photographing now, I would definitely say that for the most part, full matching mode has gone out the window. Coordinated is a much better term. I want everyone in the photos to feel and look their best on picture day, and sometimes totally matching each other doesn’t fit everyones personal style. When you feel amazing, it will show and translate into your photographs. Here are some steps to guide you:
Start with your colour palette first. The time of year and season will also have some deciding factors in this, along with how you plan on displaying your images. Summer generally equals more shades of blue, greys, whites, and beiges etc. Fall tends to bring a lot of warm tones with oranges and burgundy added in.
Do you have a theme in mind? Are you guys going for a bohemian vibe, or a woodsy plaid look? Will the session take place by the sand and water for a beach session or are you going for a street style?
Pick your outfit first. A good general rule is whoever booked the shoot, chooses their outfit first! Haha now this might be hard to tell teenagers that but hey it’s worth a try. Select pieces you feel beautiful in.
Bring on the breeze! Pieces that bring movement to sessions is always a plus! Flowy dresses with tulle or chiffon fabric, bell sleeve shirts, tassels etc. If there is a bit breeze on your shoot day, or I have you run through the tall grass, your clothing will enhance that movement in the images even more and make for some really rad photos!
Choose outfits for the rest of the family based off your main piece and colour scheme. Example - if your dress is cream coloured, with gold accessories and a tan hat, have your partner in a white top and a pair of light khakis. If you have kids you could add in some light wash denim and different shades of cream etc. Try to choose items that fit their personal style so they don’t feel too uncomfortable during the shoot, but still mesh well with your main colour palette.
Accessories are your friend! Use things like hats, belts, shoes, jewelry etc to tie your outfit together with the others in the session. These small additions to your outfits can really bring the whole vision to life!
Neutral palettes always work well with all session types and seasons
3. Leave the logos and graphic tees at home
Before I wrote this blog post, the first thing I would always tell my clients is to avoid logos and large graphics on their clothing all together if possible. Now don’t get me wrong I love a good graphic tee, but the we are talking about family, maternity, engagement photos… less is more! The letters and logos may seem small, but trust me they are there, and they are an eye catcher. For your session I want all the focus on you, not that damn Nike check. Please….if you can. haha.
4. Layers are also an option
Anytime you can add a cute sweater, an overcoat or a vest, hats and scarfs etc, is an opportunity for you to have a few looks in one go. They will add texture and depth to your outfit, AND if they can be easily taken off or switched out, you can change up your style and bring variety to your images.
5. Take some photos
If you are choosing items that you already own, I definitely suggest putting it all together and snapping a photo with your phone. This way you can get a visual of how you will all look standing together and see if anything clashes before shoot day. Flat lays photos of your pieces are also a huge help if no one is willing to get dressed up twice for this occasion haha.
Lay your pieces out and see how they look together. Does anything clash? Is everything too dark? Too light? Do you need more texture?
6. Check out my style guide
I have started adding to a style guide, you can find it here https://urstyle.fashion/user/hipnotik-photo that will give you some general outfit ideas. These are all collections that I know would photograph insanely well, and I want you to get in on that vision with me! Now I know the suggestions in each set might not exactly be for you, but I wanted to show you how easy it is to choose palette and work with it to create a fabulous wardrobe for your session. Take this set for instance https://urstyle.fashion/styles/2834297 . I ADORE Mom’s outfit so I worked from there and added in colours and pieces that flowed with her colours and vibe. I am going to do my best to keep adding new sets for different seasons and session types so you always have a starting reference point that you can mold with your own palettes and textures.
7. Where to shop?
I would always say the best place to start with is the wardrobe you already have. First check if you have any items in your personal closets that are a good base and go from there. You may just need to find add ons to pieces you already own. If you are going on the hunt for some new gear, a few great places to check out that always seem to have fairly neutral, simple, and textured pieces for the whole family are:
Zara
Old Navy
H&M
Joe Fresh
I am also an avid thrift and second hand shopper, so if you have time and are on more of a wardrobe budget you can always check out those types of storesl, or raid a friend or family members closet
8. Ask your photog!
Whenever you are in doubt, shoot me a message! We can chat about the overall feel you are going for in your session, what the background vibe will be, and what will look best to really bring that vision to your photos!
That’s it, that’s all friends!
I hope this helped give you a bit of clarity on choosing your outfits and simplify the process! I am so looking forward to working with you! See you soon!