A little help from a friend!
Here’s a few guidelines to help
if you’re feeling lost about what to wear.
SO HERE'S THE RUNDOWN
Man oh man. I know it can feel kind of daunting to pick what to wear for photos. Here are a few guidelines I’ve put together so you guys can be sure to look amazing and feel like Beyonce, while still making sure the images are focused on you guys’, your love and personalities, & not just what you’re wearing.
Here is what I’ve found to work best from trial and error from past shoots, they’re only guidelines, not rules!
Be Comfy
It’s not uncommon for people to want to shop for new, sparkly, fabulous clothes to wear to a photoshoot. And that’s totally fine. But let’s talk about comfort a little more. Do you think you’d be more comfortable in your favorite band t-shirt and jeans or a new clingy little black dress? The best route is usually to go with something that’s tried and true. Something you know moves with you and hugs you in all the right places. Don’t get me wrong - it 100% does not have to be jeans and a t-shirt. You can glam it up a bit more. But if authenticity is what you’re after, you’re going to have to show up as yourself. And if you want to capture this time of your life in all its glory, then it’s about the feeling of being in your own skin.
& authentically YOU!
Ultimately, I want you guys to look like yourselves. Don’t feel like if you don’t follow these guidelines that your photos are gonna suck. The most important thing to me is that you guys feel and look like yourselves, how you normally dress, so you can be as comfortable as possible! As long as it represents what you guys are like right now, that's all that matters.
Lead with personality!
I’m up for it all. If you’re in a heavy metal band and want to smash some things and scream at the sky, throw on your best concert attire and count me in. If you’re a drama kid at heart and live for the spotlight, I’ll help you turn your front porch into a stage and feed you the lines you’ve forgotten, while your dressed to the nines. If you’re a jeans and a t-shirt kinda person, let’s work with that. I want your shoot to be different from everyone else’s. I want it to be you.
Top Things I recommend :
- Dress for the season.
- Dress for the location.
- Consider fabric with texture or movement.
- Neutral, earthy colors such as beige, grey, white, black, denim, rust, mustard, blush, blue all look look amazing in most settings.
- Compliment - don’t match (unintentionally).
- Avoid large prints, logos, and patterns (unless it helps tell your story).
- Brown leather shoes are always a hit.
- Throw some accessories like a hat or denim jacket into your bag!!
( I’m a hat lovin’ girl myself!)
- Be YOU, be confident, be authentic, be comfortable!
COORIDINATE DONT MATCH
Color Scheming
Aim for neutrals & earthy tones. These colors compliment the outdoor environment almost anywhere you go and look damn fine as a printed, framed photograph. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating for a beige world of quiet and inoffensive colors. By neutrals, I just mean softer tones. Primary colors are incredibly striking, but can sometimes have the effect of detracting from the main subject (which is you). So for example, instead of electric blue, go for something closer to sky blue. Instead of bright orange, opt for burnt orange.
A rule of thumb here is to choose to either complement your natural environment or contrast it. A mustard dress in a deep green forest will look epic, whereas a bright pink, patterned dress doesn’t really fit in with your surroundings. It totally depends on what you’re looking for! For families it’s best to keep your color scheme limited to four colors. You can choose one person to wear a feature color and have everyone else’s outfits complement that.
Complimentary , Good!
Matchy, Bad!
Complement each other, don’t match each other.
You don’t want to create the illusion of being your partner’s Siamese twin.
When multiple people wear the same color, sometimes their matching outfits blend together so much that you can’t really see any of them properly. The viewer can’t tell where one person begins and another one ends. They turn into one uniform blob.
In order for the aesthetics of your photograph to really sing, you want to find complementary outfits that showcase a variety of colors, textures, accessories, patterns, and tones. Complement the other people in the photograph as well as your surroundings. The idea is to have everything look good together without everything looking the same.
Match your outfit to the location and season.
Plan your outfits around what you know about the conditions at the location we’ll be shooting at. You’ll want to be warm enough (or cool enough!), have pain-free feet, and look relatively native to your environment. For at home sessions, slip into your comfiest comfies and rock that (pants optional). The idea is to authentically capture you wherever you are. Think through your clothing choices logically based on location, vibe, and comfort level.
If you’re wearing a fancy ball gown in your living room, the viewer might assume you’re going to prom. Don a little sundress number in a snowy field and the viewer might suffer from a crippling amount of pity for you. You and I will be collaborating on telling your story together, so let’s get this right.
Tip: MAYBE DON’T WEAR ALL BLACK ON A STINKIN’ HOT DAY. JUST TRUST ME ON THIS ONE.
Texture & Movement
Pick fabrics that move and flow with you. Ones that add a cosy texture, or get picked up by the wind, filter the late afternoon sun, and glow in the morning light. Natural fibres like linen, cotton, or wool are amazing. Avoid stiff-seeming garments with collars as they look a bit too formal and often get tucked in weird spots and need adjusting.
Patterns
Avoid big, bright, loud, chunky, crazy patterns. The smaller or more subtle, the better! but, this doesn't mean you can't make it work but only one person should wear the loud pattern ( Just look at the picture above) I usually try to avoid pairing too many patterns together because, you guessed it, it makes the photos feel a little hectic and distracting from your faces and the location. Also, be sure to iron your clothes before so there’s not huge wrinkles distracting from your faces either!
Make sure it makes sense.
If it’s freezing cold outside, bring lots of layers and warm clothes with wool socks and boots. If it’s going to be hot, bring clothes that can breathe more so you don’t have sweaty pit stains in the photos. Be as comfortable as you can be! If were getting in the water bring something dry and warm for after.
Layer Up!
Wearing layers is great form (and function). Not only does combining layers and textures create more visually interesting photographs, but it preps you for all sorts of weather conditions, too! Think jackets, cardigans, hats, scarves, tights, and headbands.
The Fine Art of Accessories
Hats, sunglasses, socks, and jackets are a great way to jazz up your accessory game. Throw some fun extras into your bag but avoid large distracting pieces. If you couldn’t tell by now, I’m interested in shooting you (not your clothes or your bling). Bonus points if you wear an amazing hat - It's kinda my weak spot.
Lets Talk Props
Props don’t have to scream ‘PROP!” Go for the subtle things that accentuate your personality and help to tell a story about your life. Think pets, an instrument, surfboards, an umbrella, bike, or even a beer. Avoid the cheese as much as possible. Props could be a dominos pizza picnic, a motorcycle, your naked cats (if you have a dog and don’t bring it I’ll be pissed), blankets, wine, skateboards, a truck/car, a campfire, a bouquet, a paddle board, etc. If you have props you wanna incorporate, let me know and we can make sure to incorporate them in a non-cheesy way!
Shoes, Shoes, or No Shoes.
You can’t have come this far, painstakingly planning your outfit, only to stop at your ankles. Shoes are a key part of a look & complement the rest of the outfit. If you wear heels like a pro, I definitely don’t have the authority to tell you not to do that! But if you, like the rest of us mere mortals, find heels to be moderately uncomfortable, then do yourself a favor and ditch ‘em. In most cases, we’ll be stomping around on some relatively uneven terrain and I don’t want you spraining an ankle--not on my watch. I’ll probably be giving you some energetic prompts to follow, too, so you’ll want to be ready for action.
Select the right shoes based on the location, and consider what you’d normally wear if I wasn’t following you around with a camera. Being barefoot makes sense on the beach, and boots are beautiful in the mountains. Leather is great for boots, and know that sandals win over flip flops by a long shot. Always consider context when choosing footwear for both aesthetic appeal and practicality
Hair & Makeup
Dos & Don'ts
So this is totally your call! But, if I may… I would suggest cultivating a bit of the French je ne sais quoi that balances elegance and ease so well. I want you to look like you. So do whatever you need to do to feel confident and beautiful.
Hands tell such a story about who you are and where you’ve been and play a crucial role in portrait photography. Sometimes photographs magnify bright nail polish, chipped manicures, and dirty fingernails. And once you see it, you can’t un-see it- Treat yourself to a little subtle manicure or make sure your nails are neat and tidy before the shoot.
As for hair… Oh boy. I’m a sucker for the way a wild mane blows in the breeze. Up-dos are alright, and I totally get it--it’s so easy to throw your hair up! But when it comes to saving a moment and putting it in your pocket, hair down is the way to go. With your hair down, you get movement, you get interest, you get some perfect slices of imperfection in the best possible way. A
lot of people ask me whether or not they should get your hair and makeup done by a pro. My answer is always “whatever will make you feel best, do that.” I absolutely don’t think it’s necessary - Unless we are talking boudoir then heck yes. If you want your hair and makeup done, then definitely do it, because the most important thing is that you feel confident like Beyonce always.
If you’re getting hair and makeup done, I recommend you schedule it to be done at least an hour before you have to leave for the shoot so you aren’t late. Also, if you’re whiter than toothpaste like me and want a spray tan, be sure to get a suuuuper natural airbrushed spray tan rather than one from a salon/tanning place. We don’t want you looking like an oompa loompa!
Last Thoughts
I always recommend bringing options. To get the best results, I’ll pick and pull from the options you bring for you guys to change into for each location we shoot at. All you have to do is make sure you bring stuff that you feel like a million bucks in that we can pick and pull from!
Don’t bring your whole closet though. It will take too much time and will takeaway from your session. Most people bring about 2 or 3 pairs of bottoms and 3 or 4 tops each, then you can bring dresses, accessories, jackets and whatnot as well.
Just know that depending on where we are shooting, you’ll most likely be changing in the back of the car on the side of the road. If you aren’t down with that, that’s totally fine and you can just bring one outfit! Just make sure to text me a few photos of the outfit options you have and we can pick it out together beforehand.
LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!
If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to let me know! If you’re still freakin out about what to wear feel free to shoot me a pic or two of what you’re thinking, or we can create a little Pinterest board together! But overall, just wear what you’re comfortable in.
Please feel free to send through any outfit ideas you have if you'd like my feedback
Chat soon,
xx Tiff
