Choosing an outfit for photos can be daunting! “What should I wear to my photo session” is one of the biggest questions I get as a photographer! That is why I wanted to share my best style tips for your next photo session for ladies today on the blog! Whether you are a mom, wife, sister, grandma, daughter, these tips will be very helpful to you!

Choose your colour palette first

When deciding what to wear for photos, pick a palette of 3-4 colors. Don’t match! (Gone are the days where everyone wears the same colour blue jeans and white shirts.)

Think in terms of tones: blue tones, earth tones, neutrals, jewel tones, pastels, etc. Everyone in the family can express their own sense of style within the chosen colour palette. This way the whole group will coordinate beautifully without looking like you are coming from the 80’s.

Choose the colour YOU want to wear and build from there. We all know it is hardest to get us dressed, so start with yourself instead of fitting yourself in at the end.

Choose YOUR outfit first

I know how hard it is to find an outfit when the rest of my family had theirs. So dear reader, if you are a mom, pick your outfit first and then choose the rest of your families.

Wear a dress if possible. Trust me on this one. You’ll feel prettier, and it’s more flattering than anything else you can wear. And it looks great on camera!

If you don’t want to wear a dress, wear something more dressy than your everyday. T-shirt material doesn’t hang as well on the body as chiffon, linen, double knit, or silk, and could look cheap and unflattering from some angles.

Or if you can’t decide, do both!! If will add more variety to your final gallery, and give you options for social media, your Christmas card, and prints on your walls!

Here is a example of the families are basically wearing the same thing, except for the moms. One is wearing a casual dress and the other a dressy jean outfit. Both are beautiful and give a slightly different vibe.

Choose IVORY over white

Solid bright white can appear flat or have a blue tint in photos so choosing a shade like ivory or a light cream will appear more flattering and true to colour.

For example, in the photos below, both moms have a cream dress and the little boys has a bright white shirt. You can see how the little boys shirts has a blue tint to it.

Play with patterns, solids and layers

Once you have your 3-4 colour palette, now play with patterns, solids colours and layers. This add variety and depth to your photo by having people in different textures and styles. Your goal is to make it look like you all shopped at the same store but vary the textures, patterns and neutrals.

If one of you is wearing something with a lot of colour and pattern, it’s best to have the other person wear a neutral colour to tone it down a bit.

If you’re wearing plaid or other patterns, the bigger the better! Larger plaid photographs better than tiny little-checkered patterns. The camera can’t pick those tiny patterns up from far away and tend to make the photo look a little too busy.

Avoid rayon, silk and shiny polyester. Shiny fabrics cling to problem areas and add folds in places where you just don’t want them (especially after you sit in the vehicle to the car). They also draw the eye to those places because they catch light. Matte fabrics are much more flattering.

Choose clothing that adds movement

Dresses that catch the Saskatchewan breeze make a big impact in photos! A light fabric dress that shows movement add a softness and an extra bit of romance to your photos! This can be in a flowy dress or a flowy shirt, or skirt, or kimono.

Don’t forget about your feet

Nothing will throw your look off more than a ratty old pair of shoes – leave the old runners at home. Think practical. If your photo shoot is in the mountains or on grass, don’t wear high heals. You’ll spend the whole time sinking into the ground.

Highlight your best feature

Wearing something that highlights your best feature during your session will give you a boost of confidence throughout the shoot that will definitely show in your final images. Confidence photographers well!

Skip the logos, words or characters

I like the focus to be on the emotion and connection of the people who are in the session. If you have a big logo (or a big Disney character for example) on your shirt, it is very distracting and your eye goes to the clothing verses the people.

Fit your style to your location

If your session is at the beach think flowing fabric, linen pants or shirts, sunglasses, sandals or barefoot. If you are in the city, think urban style – hats, layered jackets, handbags, boots or sneakers. Or if your session is in nature you can dress it up or down!

Go for bright colours or neutral softer colours

The colour tone of your outfits will give a very different feel to your photos. Both are beautiful and but are your own personal preference.

If you want to have more of a light and bright feel to your photos, wear lighter colour clothes. Or you can match the season and have more darker jewel tones for the cooler months.

Add layers and accessorize

Layers add dimension and interest to your photos and are also super flattering. During every month in Saskatchewan, you never know what the weather will be like, so having accessorizes like coats or scarfs could be a good idea to wear or bring along.

Scarves, necklaces, belts, jean jackets, blazers, suspenders, cardigans…. I love them all! They can add so much to an outfit AND it gives you something to hold onto.

If you are thinking about wearing a hat, here is a blog post all about hats! You don’t want to miss this!

IF you want a stylish hat, check out Gigi Pip hats!

Grooming

Don’t forget that your hands will be in the photos. Remove any chipped polish or treat yourself to a manicure pre-shoot!

Tips for your man!

Planning an outfit for your man? Check out this blog post!

Bonus: Hair and Make Up Tips

Having your hair and make up professionally done for your engagement or couples session is something that I HIGHLY recommend! It not only looks amazing in photos, but helps to build confidence!  

For some people, getting their hair and makeup done can make them feel more confident. Not everybody spends a ton of time in front of the camera, so having these beauty treatments done can give you a sense of confidence. If you are camera shy, getting your makeup done can make you feel more comfortable.  Plus who doesn’t like to be pampered?!

Many couples use photos for their Christmas card, save the dates and wedding website, and it’s nice to have some fancier photos to use in these places. These photos may end up in your friends’ apartments or on your family’s fridges for a long time if they are like me. (I love having my family and friends photos on my fridge!). 

Whatever you do, you do you! I want you to feel comfortable and confident!  So do what you need to do to achieve that! I hope this helps your figure out what to wear to your photo session!