One of the most frequently asked questions I get from my clients preparing for a photo shoot is, “What should I wear???” so I thought it would be appropriate to do a blog post just about that…

1) Be Comfortable: The first tip that I tell everyone is to make sure that the outfit(s) you choose are comfortable. If you’re wearing something that doesn’t really fit or is hard to sit down in, you won’t have very much fun during our session. On a typical photo shoot we do a lot of moving around, so if you can only move in a 1 foot radius in the outfit, it’s not going to be your best choice. :-)

Here’s a great example: Catherine and Daniel chose dressy outfits for the first part of their engagement shoot (changed into casual ones later) that were comfortable and allowed them to move around and sit down on the ground. You might look at her heels and think that is not what I would consider comfortable, but I’ll let the ladies in on a little secret: bring a pair of flip flops like Catherine did to wear when we’re walking between shooting locations. That way you can still wear your cute heels in the pictures, but don’t have to bear the pain of walking around in them for a couple of hours!

2) Feel Confident: The second tip I give is to pick something that you feel confident in. While this probably most affects us women, the men-folk care about what they’re wearing deep down (even if they don’t want to admit it)!  You’re confidence level shows in your pictures. If your outfit doesn’t make you feel attractive, it will show through in your images. We all have that pair of jeans that are super flattering, or maybe it’s a dress that you always get compliments on. Whatever your favorite outfit is, wear that!

I’m going to go ahead and guess that Sara felt super confident in this outfit she wore for her Senior Portrait Session. You can tell that she is comfortable and is totally owning her confidence!

3) How to Coordinate: A lot of people (especially those preparing for a family portrait session) are worried about how to coordinate or match with each other. My first piece of advice– while coordinating styles and color schemes is a great idea, don’t feel like you have to match each other exactly! Not that there’s anything wrong with wearing matching outfits, but to me it’s more of a tradition, rather then a rule that has to be followed. When you go out in public as a family group, do you all wear matching outfits? Unless you are the Duggars with 20 children and need to be able to spot each other easily in a crowd, then probably not. ;-) What I love about a family portrait session is being able to capture a family just as they are. I generally suggest to think about the types of outfits you would wear if you are all going out to dinner at a restaurant or on a family outing to the park. If being matchy-matchy is your cup-of-tea, that’s fine, I just want to make sure to point out other options.

As far as color schemes go, think of it as if you were picking a color scheme for your wedding, or for a room you are decorating in your house. You would choose colors and patterns that compliment each other. Bright, solid colors are great and I especially love throwing in a pattern or two to mix it up! Here are a few examples…

I love how the Oldham’s chose a few colors to work with and mixed in some fun patterns and textures. They look like they fit together, all wearing the same casual style, and compliment each other very nicely.

Erin took my advice and chose a top with a bold print pattern. That, mixed with the fact that the colors look great with her skin tone and bring out her beautiful eye color, provide a great contrast to Dale’s white shirt.

The Robard’s all stuck with the same color family, but mixed it up with different shades and patterns. Great idea! They “match,” but not really. See what I mean?

Here’s another example from the Michalowski’s family portrait shoot. They had no more than two people wearing the same color, so when all put together, they look just great!

4) Choose a Theme: One idea that can make your photo session really unique is to choose a theme for it. This could mean choosing outfits that fit a specific time or place (i.e. vintage). It could also include bringing props (i.e. a blanket or cool chair) to help set up a “scene.”

Kristin and Andy’s recent engagement shoot perfectly displays what I mean about bringing props to set up a scene. They wanted to stage a “picnic in the park” and brought all of these little details with them to make it fit their style.

Other “props” can also include fun accessories like hats and scarves. For young children this might be a favorite ballet tutu or superman cape. To me, Andy’s hat in this next picture makes it so much more believable. They went from “cute-couple-sitting-back-to-back” to “are-they-in-the-mafia??”

Another thing I will point out is that Kristin got her hair and make-up professionally done for the shoot and she looked just stunning! It’s not a must for a photo shoot, but I highly recommend it for females before an engagement or senior photo shoot. Professional make-up artists know how to accentuate your best features and give you a great on-camera look. For brides it is a great opportunity to test out your wedding day make-up and/or hair. :-)

5) Be Yourself: Last but not least, be yourself! Use these tips and ideas, but make sure to stay true to your own style. Don’t feel like you have to wear something that you would never normally wear. Your friends and family want to see pictures of you looking like you! Yes, it’s OK to amp it up a little, just don’t go hog-wild!

I’ll end with one of my favorite shots from Becca’s Senior Portrait Shoot. She used all of these tips and looked amazing! She totally knows what clothing options are most flattering on her and centered in on them. Her blue shirt made her eyes look electric!

I hope this helps if you are thinking of what to wear for your upcoming photo shoot or are considering getting pictures done in the future!

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