What to wear to a portrait session
This is a question that you get a lot as a photographer…
What should I wear to a session with you??
Well, I’m glad you asked!! Gone are the days of families wearing the saaaame exact outfit to a photo session. Anyone else’s family have way too many pictures of them on a beach wearing white tops and khaki shorts? I know you do because we do too!
So what are you supposed to wear if you’re not supposed to match?? Follow these tips for your favorite. portraits. ever:
Wear clothes that you are comfortable in. In order to look your best in photos, you need to be comfortable! You’ll be genuinely happier in your photos if you are comfortable with the way you look in your clothes. When you look back at photos, you remember how you were feeling when they were taken. Wouldn’t you rather look back at photos from your session and be like, “YES, I felt great when I got these taken!” rather than being like, “ugh, I look so uncomfortable…why did I wear those jeans?!” (hint: the answer is yes). Also, consider who you are as a couple or a family. If you’re super laid back then a suit and an evening gown probably wouldn’t be good choices for outfits. This plays back into wearing something you’re comfortable in!
Wear muted colors that won’t be a distraction when viewing the photos. While you want your outfit choice to complement the season (like the flowers if your session is in the spring, or the leaves if your session is in the fall), you don’t want them to be all everyone is looking at. Muted color tones are best for beautiful photos you’ll want to hang on your walls!
Choose colors that complement each other. Choose coordinating outfits and not matching ones (unless you have kiddos then feel free to match them if you want!). What do I mean by this? Choose two colors that go well together, like navy and yellow or burnt orange and grey for the fall or light blue and light yellow or green and black for the spring. And then coordinate everyone’s outfits around that. The family in the picture to the right did a great job incorporating gold and navy together while making sure everyone wasn't super matchy-matchy.
Another option for coordinating but not matching is maybe mom wears a floral dress with a muted pink and grey in it. Dad and the kiddos could wear plain shirts that incorporate those colors from mom’s dress!
Lay all the outfits out together. Let’s be real, ladies, I know we are the ones picking out everyone’s outfits! You definitely want to make sure they all look good together. You can do this by laying them all out on the bed together! Also, feel free to shoot me an email with the photo and ask what I think about it! I would be more than happy to give you some input on if dad should be in the plaid shirt or the striped one!
Add layers or accessories for texture! Cardigans and vests are perfect for adding texture and dimension to a picture. Similarly, statement earrings, necklaces, cute hats, and bows for little ones are all ways to add more interest to your outfits!
I hope this blog post has been helpful and given you some insight into what you should wear to your next portrait session! Smile big!