Planning for your Photo Session: What to Wear

I am often asked by my clients, what they should wear for their portrait session with their Kelowna Newborn Photographer. While there are no fast and hard rules here are some great tips for being picture perfect.

Combine Colours

When planning an outfit that keeps the attention on you and not your clothing, solid colours tend to work best. In most of my professional photography sessions, there are more than one person, so try and coordinate colours from the opposite side of the colour wheel (complementary colours) or colours adjacent to each other (harmonious colours). You don’t need to all wear the same colour, in fact it looks better if you don’t. Instinctively, we often know what colours work best so trust your instincts.

Avoid patterns and logos

An article of clothing with a prominent logo will date your images very quickly and again, detract from you. Similarly contrasty patterns and patterns with too much going on don’t photograph well. If you want to wear a pattern that you love, stick to only one piece and pair it with something like a great pair of jeans.

Avoid trends

Unless you’ve planned a session to be specifically stylized, avoid trendy clothing that will be gone in a year. You don’t want to look back at your images 10 years from now and wonder “what was I thinking?”

Wear denim

If you love your jeans, wear them. Denim looks great in images, and paired with a great shirt, accessories or pair of boots; you’ve got a great, classic and timeless look.

Make sure everyone is dressed for the same season and the location you’ve planned.

In advance of your session, we will have spoken to you about the vision you have for your session. Do you want to do something urban and chic, or something soft, pastoral and “romantic”. That will also help to determine what you would like to wear. If you’re planning a great photography session in the snow…dress for it. Although you want to avoid “bulky looking items” (see more in the layers section) you also don’t want to be freezing through the session. If there is more than one person in the photo session, make sure you are both on the same page. If she’s wearing a great little fall coat and boots, he shouldn’t be wearing flip flops and shorts.

Think layers

Layered clothing works really well. Not only is it the easiest way to get some varied looks in the session, it can avoid a bulky, oversized look that could add weight to any person’s physique.

Have your face be the center of attention.

In any great professional portrait, you want to see the person first; clothes second. That goes for other areas of skin too-any area of skin larger than your face will draw attention in the portrait. Avoid low cut tops and for arms; long sleeves or ¾ length look best. Use your fashion sense though because a cute little sun dress could just be the perfect bit of clothing for your session.

Comfort is key

If you have some great ideas for your session that involve laying on the ground, walking a great distance or getting wet, dress for this accordingly. If you are not comfortable in what you are wearing…it will show in your images. If you however have a great pair of heels that you’d love to wear in some or all of the photos, bring along a pair of flats you can change into.

Finally and Most Importantly…It’s all about YOU

Wear something you feel comfortable in; something that makes you feel gorgeous and confident. At the end of the day, you will shine in the professional portraits, regardless of what you are wearing; because you’ve invested in a professional wedding photographer who will know how to make YOU the focus and let your personality shine through.