7 Tips For Your Portrait Session and What to Wear for a Photoshoot
What to wear for a photoshoot? This question has come up a lot on a consistent basis over the years. I did a blog post a while back on how to prepare for an engagement portrait session which included a little bit of what to wear. I’m going to revisit that again here in this post with a little more information and details. So read on if you’re looking for some guidance on what to wear for a photoshoot.
1.Wear Something Comfortable
This is always my first suggestion when thinking about what to wear for a photoshoot. If you’re comfortable in what you’re wearing, you’re expressions will be more natural. Think about the time of year as well and temperature. Will you be warm enough or cool enough with your outfit choice. Bring some different layers if you’re unsure about the weather.
2.What to Wear for a Photoshoot – Avoid Busy Patterns
Busy patterns can be distracting in photos. You’re eye immediately goes to them. I suggest staying away from busy patterns because you really want the attention to stay with the main subject of the photo, you and whoever else is in the photo with you! This doesn’t mean you have to avoid all patterns entirely. But if you do pick one, pick a more simple pattern in your outfit. And if one person is wearing an outfit with a simple pattern, thing about maybe having some other people in the photo shoot wear a solid color.
3.Wearing Something That Flatters Your Body Shape
When choosing what to wear for a photoshoot, think about what would be most flattering to you. For women, there are 4 basic body types. The website Stitchfix does a great article about this. They talk about different body types and what outfits flatter each type the most. Click here to check it out here.
Real Men, Real Style also did a similar article on men identifying basic body types for them and sharing what would look best as well. Click here to check it out.
4. What to wear for a Photoshoot – Dress in the Same General Style
If you’ll be with your fiance or your family, make sure you all are dressing in the same general style. If you’re outdoors at a park you might want to keep it dressy casual. Just make sure one of you isn’t wearing a tux while the other is wearing jeans. This doesn’t mean that you all need to wear matching pants or the exact same outfit. But having a cohesive style choice will make you all look more natural and like you belong together as a group.
5.What Colors Look Best with Your Complexion?
Depending on your complexion, some colors may look better than others. Here are some basic tips with that in mind.
Fair skin – Dark colors look best. They’ll contrast with your skin tone. Think about colors like navy, burgundy and grey. Try to avoid pastels which will make your skin look washed out.
Medium skin – You’re skin tone will look better in a wide range of colors. Things you might want to avoid are greens and yellows. These colors may be too close to your skin color which will lack contrast and be less flattering.
Darker skin – You’ll look best in lighter colors. Think about colors like white, yellow and light greens. Colors you might want to avoid are darker colors which will lack contrast with your skin tone and be less flattering.
6.Get to Know the Color Wheel and What Colors go Best with Each Other
There are a lot of aspects to color theory and when thinking about what to wear for a photoshoot some basic thoughts on color theory are good to keep in mind. This article from Fashion For Real Women does a great job of explaining the color wheel and how it relates to fashion and specific outfit choices. Read more and see some inspiration on outfits here. https://fashionforrealwomen.com/blog/color-wheel-clothing-combinations/
7. Avoid Really Bright Colors
The thought behind avoiding really bright colors is two part. The first is similar to avoiding busy patterns. Bright colors call a lot of attention and will bring the viewer’s eye to the clothing more than to you and the emotion in your photos. The second reason why I suggest avoiding them is because they can cast that color onto your face making your complexion look weird and unnatural. Some examples of colors you want to avoid are bright pinks and oranges.
Thanks for Reading These Tips on What to Wear for a Photoshoot
Bonus tip! To keep your shirts wrinkle free wear an undershirt and hang up the shirt you intend to wear during the car ride. Then you can put it on right before the shoot so it doesn’t get wrinkles in it from the drive over.
I hope this helps you prepare and look your best for your next portrait session. Its great to plan what you’re wearing, but also remember the most important part of the photoshoot is you! Be yourself and have fun. Just by doing that you’ll create images that you’ll love and cherish.
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