"Help! What do I wear to my
session?"
This is one of the most frequent
questions I get when planning a session with a client, and rightly so! Knowing
that results of your portrait sessions will most likely be distributed to
friends and family through prints, holiday cards, and even Facebook, you want
to look your best. Since wardrobe choice is such a
large part of looking your best on the day of your session, I thought I'd write
a post to shed some light on the subject. I'm tackling spring wardrobes in this
post, but you can apply the basic guidelines to any season.
Spring colors are a fresh and fun
update to the drab, dark colors of winter. While I know it is tempting to pull
out every bright, smiley shirt in your wardrobe, you will want to keep your clothes
classic and simple for your spring portraits. These photos will be kept for
years to come, and classic styling (as the name suggests) is timeless. You want
your portraits to showcase you, not your clothing!
I suggest wearing solid, neutral
colors, and keeping the colors in a single hue for each outfit. As a rule, I also
discourage heavy patterns for portraits, as they shift the focus to what you’re
wearing instead of you. A better way to add dimension to your portrait wardrobe
is layering – think about a patterned shirt under a solid jacket, or adding a scarf
for a punch of color. A neutral-toned outfit with just a pop of color or
pattern goes a long way to show off your personality in a portrait.
For groups and family sessions, coordinate
your colors for a more unified look. I suggest picking one color – say, green
or navy blue – and coordinating your outfits around various shades in that
color family. Again, patterns should be kept to a minimum with groups. If you
do go with patterns, they should also coordinate throughout the group and be in
the same color family. In the spring, neutral earth tones like navy, khaki, and
brown pair well with brighter colors like light blue, white, yellow, and even
light gray for groups.
I hope that these tips help as you
prepare for your spring sessions. As always, if you have more questions, feel
free to
contact me!
