When you hire me, you’re making an investment. You are inviting me to partner with you in crafting images that reflect YOU and FEEL like you. A picture is worth a thousand words, and my goal is to help you capture images that truly reflect your personality and style, while also remaining timeless and beautiful statements you can hang on your walls for years to come. I am passionate about connecting people to nature, because I believe that landscapes reflect our emotions and our very souls.
Whatever landscape we are shooting in, what you wear will either compliment it or distract from the emotion and beauty of the moment. I want you to leave our session with an experience - with fond memories that will be reflected in your pictures. What you wear matters - I want you to feel confident and comfortable, because a comfortable you will make your pictures way more epic than wearing something you may feel is expected for a photoshoot. Lets dive into how to look classy and work with our landscape while still staying true to you and your style! Here’s what to wear for a photoshoot outdoors, and what not to wear for a photoshoot.
So you hired a photographer…
Guiding what to wear for a photoshoot is helpful, but sometimes it can feel complicated. I’m all about simplicity, so let’s dive in! What clothes to bring for a photoshoot depends largely on the landscape we’ll be shooting in. When we’re working with a busy landscape full of lots of texture, shapes, and colors, it’s best to keep your outfit simple so that you stand out against the background of the environment we’re shooting in. This helps highlight you in contrast to the detail of your surroundings. This usually will look like avoiding patterned clothing and sticking to solid colors. What to wear for a family photoshoot or what to wear for a couples photoshoot depends largely on your skin tones. You will want to choose colors that compliment your skin tone and your partner’s skin tone if this is a couple’s session.
Choosing the wrong color can bounce off of your outfit into the face and skin of your partner, which leads to odd hues in the photos as times. This doesn’t mean we need to stick to all basics and neutrals though, we just need to pick colors that will compliment you! What is the best color to wear for a photoshoot? I will work with you personally to help guide which colors or neutrals will be best for you given the location we pick and what we’re working with. I want to incorporate your thoughts as well if you have any ideas you’d like to incorporate or a look you’d like to achieve.
Not all colors are created equal unfortunately and there are a few you should avoid. Fluorescents are typically too distracting and add awkward hues to your skin and the environment. During the editing process, these can be too difficult to color correct because of how strong they are unless we are specifically choosing these colors for the vibe of the shoot. Colors to avoid include bright red, orange, pink and yellow.
What about when you have more than one person in the shoot? In the case of couples or group photos, we want to try and avoid uniformity. There are ways we can create diversity and unity when we have multiple people. Although we typically avoid patterns with busy backdrops, when approaching a family shoot or other group dynamics, having someone in a flannel or small-print floral in the midst of the group is helpful. Playing with a variation of styles such as dresses vs pants or adding props such as hats or boots can help tie things together in a group while still maintaining autonomy and individuality.
Check out this link to a Pinterest board for you to look at examples of good outfit combos! I’ve made comments on each of the pins too so you can see specifically what makes the image work.
When working with simple landscapes or plain backdrops, we can add a lot more color, patterns and textures outfit-wise since these clothes will help make you “pop” from the backdrop and add dynamic flare to the image, drawing people’s attention towards you rather than away from you. In these cases we can get much more creative even with the bolder colors like reds, pinks, yellows and oranges. This should still be guided by skin tone, however, and is something I’ll personally go over with you if you are interested in adding pops of color to your shoot!
I love shooting against simple landscapes because you are the center of attention and we can get really creative with the outfits you pick. If you’re more about a dramatic statement, these simple backdrops might be the better option for you. Working with a family or couple also allows for a lot more fun contrast. We’re still avoiding matching completely or dramatic patterns in these environments, but we can work with a lot more! A good tip for what to pick for these backdrops is also choosing something with a lot of dynamic movement - things that are light enough to catch the wind and add some flair to your pictures.
Once again, we are choosing pieces that make you feel like yourself and comfortable in your own skin. You really don’t need the tall heels, especially if we’ll be walking around outside, the focus will be on you, not your shoes, so consider swapping them for something you can be more comfortable with. I promise you, the dynamic of your pictures is far more contingent on how relaxed and comfortable you are than on what you’re wearing. People are drawn to emotions and will focus more on humanizing elements such as your smile, laugh or closeness to your partner than on what you’re wearing.
Go ahead and follow this link to another Pinterest Board that shows examples with explanations in the captions for some ideas and inspiration!
