Tips for Choosing an Outfit

Be yourself, start with your own personal style.  Think about the clothes you currently wear and where you normally shop.  Wearing clothes that look good on you will ensure meaningful photographs that are true reflections of who you are as individuals.

Consider the setting of where your shoot will take place.  Will it be at the park, your home, or somewhere else?  Imagine your setting and the types of colors that will be there.  Since the setting will end up being the background of your photos, it has a big impact on your overall look.  For example, if you plan to have the shoot at a garden, wearing floral outfits might not be the best ideas because you would blend in and get lost in the busy background.  Ideally, you want to match the background, but not match so much that you become the background.

Colors:  You should coordinate, but don’t match.  Choose a neutral color and a few colorful and bright colors or choose a softer palette that has different tonal ranges of the same shades.  For a group portrait, choose 1-3 colors, ones with similar tones that go nicely together.  Examples:  Wear dark green, navy and burgundy.  Those are all dark jewel tones.  Another option is to wear tan, a lighter olive green, and denims.  Those are all lighter, softer tones.  Limit patterns as it may distract in the final image and choose clothing without characters and words.  Avoid wearing all white or all black.  Layers and textures are beautiful and create interest in photos.  Based off where you will be taking photos, your outfits should work with your location.

You want to be the main focus of your photo, not your outfit.  Remember, the photos will be hanging on your walls and treasured for years to come.  Choosing simple and classic clothes will help give your photos a timeless feel.