What Do I Wear to My Photoshoot?
We get asked this question ALL the time. What do I wear to my photoshoot? In the past we weren’t really sure how to answer that question. Lately I’ve put more thought into it and think back to some of our photo shoots where I just loved the way the outfits coordinated together.
I think the main thing you want to focus on is coordination. You don’t all need to match, but don’t have every member of the group wear a pattern. It distracts the eye from the actual photography if there’s too many busy patterns going on in the clothing.
The photo below from one of our fall mini sessions is a perfect example of coordinating with using the right amount of solids and patterns. The patterns aren’t too destructing, the print on the youngest daughters dress is large which isn’t too distracting. On dad, the print is almost not visible but adds texture to his outfit. Then mom and the oldest daughter have a lot of solids but a slight pattern in the cover up and adds a pop of color to the mix. All their colors don't exactly match each other perfectly but that’s okay and in my opinion is a good thing.
Also consider the scenery of the location of your shoot. Is there a lot of dark pine trees? If so, wear some contrasting color but never something TOO bright. You don’t want to completely distract the scenery from your shoot by wearing bright colors because the scenery adds to your photos and is chosen for a reason! We always suggest jewel tones if you’re going to go with color because it’s color, but it’s rich and looks beautiful with any location. The photo below is a perfect example, the colors are still bold, but not distracting. They complement the green in the background, but they also draw the attention to the people in the photograph. Again, they’re coordinated with some pattern on mom’s dress, some texture on the daughters tank top and the yellow dress on the other daughter adds more solid color but also some detail with the neckline.
The other option is to just not put too much pressure on yourself. If you’re bad at coordination (like me) just try to wear something you feel good and confident in, because that will show in your photos. If you’re self conscious because you wore a dress that wasn’t something you’d normally wear, you’ll be uncomfortable and will that will affect your photoshoot and will also add a sour memory to the photoshoot later and think “I hated that dress it was so uncomfortable”.
I had my own family photoshoot done by another photographer in town and there are multiple things that make the photo difficult for me. I hated the shirt that I wore because it was too low cut for my liking and I kept having to adjust it. My husband wore black flip flops which were really distracting because they stood out so much. My daughter also got really sick and was hospitalized for weeks the day after the photoshoot. So what I’m saying is pictures hold memories, even the smallest ones including how you felt in your outfit and if you were uncomfortable or self conscious. I still love those photos, the photographer did an amazing job, but it holds some negative feelings behind them that come up each time I look at the photo. I’ll include it below but these photos were not taken by us, they was taken by Jaclyn M, Photographer.
So to conclude, outfits ARE important. Our top 3 things to consider are:
1. Don’t wear bright, distracting colors. Jewel tones are always better!
2. Don’t use too many patterns.
3. Wear something that makes you feel comfortable and also confident.
We hope this helps you on deciding on outfits for your next photoshoot!
Kait + Crystal
info@kcphotomt.com