A common question our portrait clients often ask before a session is, "What should I wear?"  The following tips are used as a guideline to give our clients a starting point.  Depending on the theme, location, and time of year for the photoshoot, these tips may be adjusted accordingly.  In the end, we want your beautiful faces to be the focus of the photographs, not your clothes.

General Portraits

1.  Solid colors are better.

2.  Avoid patterns, logos, graphics, and illustrations.

3.  Keep it simple.  A t-shirt with jeans, a dress, slacks, and a jacket; these are all very clean and easy outfits.  The more complex your outfit, the more you’ll be fidgeting with it during the session to make sure it looks exactly right.  Keep it simple so you can focus on having a good time during your portrait session.

4.  Stick with what you already own and love.  Be comfortable, dress like you would every day, and you’ll feel at ease.  There’s a significant emphasis on being comfortable and relaxed when doing a photo session; it makes all the difference.  There’s no need to buy something just for the photoshoot.  You’ve got everything you need in your closet.

5.  Wear clothes that give you confidence.  If you’ve got a pair of jeans, a shirt, or a dress that makes you feel like a rock star, try to make it part of your ensemble. Dressing confidently helps influence your mood during a portrait session.  If you feel confident, it’ll show up in your images.

Group & Family Portraits

1.  Keep your clothing simple and coordinated.  Having a group in similar colors focuses the attention to the faces and individuals that make up the portrait.  Dissimilar colors in groups tend to be more distracting.

2.  Tone down bright colors.  Bright colors attract attention away from the face and may be reflective.  Avoid wearing red, bright pink, bright green etc.  When choosing lighter colors, stick to pastels, but avoid pink tones.  Choose muted tones that are a bit subdued so that you are the subject, not your clothes.

3.  Choose similar tones for the top and bottom (both dark or both light).  A white top and dark pants will make your top look bigger.  White pants and a dark top will make your bottom look bigger.

4.  Avoid extreme differences (e.g. one person is wearing a casual knitted chunky sweater and the other is wearing a nice silky dress).  It can be quite jarring.  Black and white is another combination that’s too stark a contrast unless it’s done intentionally.

5.  Dark, light and bright: Darks for adults, and lights or brights for small children.  Do it the other way and the adults will dominate the scene and draw the viewer’s attention, while the smaller people will disappear.

Conclusion

Your portraits are meant to be enjoyed for generations to come.  Fad-type clothing should be avoided, unless you are planning to have new portraits made annually.  You will feel very rewarded when you view your photographs.  All of your efforts will be worthwhile.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us before your portrait session.  See you at your shoot!