You are finally planning on getting portraits – now what to wear for your portrait session?
BE COMFORTABLE:
You want to look great, and you also want to look like you. To look comfortable and natural in photos, you must be comfortable. Comfort will mean different things to different folks, but it is hard to look relaxed when you are worried about your buttons gaping or your shirt hanging too loose. Wear something that makes you feel great.
NECK INTEREST:
This is the odd ball recommendation, but I find that an outfit will feel more styled if there are layers by your neck or shoulders. This might be an interesting neck line, a scarf, necklace, collar or interesting detailing. In short – make sure your fantastic outfit extends close to your face so that close-up shots still have something going on.
COLORS:
When choosing color, any solid colors or small patterns, especially warm neutrals (brown, navy, maroon, etc) make great choices, as do really fun colors (hot pink, bright blue, yellow).
No color you wear will “mess up” the photos, but some things (like bright white, all black, or loud patterns) tend to dominate the photos. That can be cool, too.
GETTING FANCY:
I believe strongly that you should look like *you* in your photos. I’ll aim to capture more of your “fun and loving” side than your “just out of bed” side, but you should be able to look at your photos and feel like they represent you. There is no need to do something totally new to your hair or makeup for your photos. That said, your photos are a great time to spend a little extra time on your primping, whether that means extra time spent on styling hair and makeup or your choice of outfit.
COORDINATING WITH OTHERS:
If you are planning a session with your partner or family, you’ll want to make sure you coordinate, but you don’t need to match. Think about how fancy you want to look, or how casual. Pick a family of colors that work together. I like to ask the question “Does it look like we are going to the same place?” – if the answer is yes, congratulations! You are coordinated.
LAYERS MEAN OPTIONS:
Bringing a layering piece is a fab way to get a second look without changing anything; bring a jacket to wear over your outfit, add a scarf to change up your look, layer on a sweater to be more formal.
OTHERWISE BRING LESS
Leave your extra keys, bulky wallet, sunglasses and everything you can in your car, or even leave them at home. We’ll take photos while you are walking around, and having pockets full of items or a bag in your hands means taking extra time and getting out of the moment. You won’t need anything but a good attitude.
DON’T WORRY ABOUT THE RULES
Make sure you don’t loose your personality in a quest to follow the “rules” of what to wear for your portrait session. Wear the hot pink skirt (yes!), wear bright colors that don’t match, wear white after labor day, wear ninja costumes – as long as you love it, it will be perfect!