{Sonoma County Photographer, Danielle Joy Photography}
Alright, I have asked and the people have answered! I did a poll on my instagram asking what blog post people would most be interested in reading, and the overwhelming result was for “What to wear to your photo session.” I think it got like 87% of the votes out of the 4 options. So, from someone who has photographed and then retouched just about EVERY outfit you can imagine, here are TEN tips I have for you, the 10th being a bonus for the ladies:
- Start by picking the outfit for the pickiest or most self-conscious person in your party. If this is you, think about what you like yourself best in. Do you prefer solids, or patterns? For me, I prefer BLACK. It doesn’t have to be solid black, but I tend to sweat too much and am conscious about sweat marks showing (I know, not a cute look but I’m being honest here). Make sure it’s something you’re comfortable in and you feel good about. Then, plan everyone else’s outfits based on yours.
- GONE are the days of everyone matching every outfit, or wearing nearly identical shirts. It just makes everyone blob together and look like one! If some of your kiddos are in matching shirts or dresses, that’s totally fine. We can break them up between the family, and kids matching one another is cute as long as they’ll allow it.
(a matchy matchy family photo I found online from the 90’s) - Instead of matching shirts, pick colors that compliment each other. If you’re wearing a dusty green, have someone in beige, someone in a light pink, and someone in a complimentary pattern. Try not to have too many people in patterns–it breaks up the image and makes people look contradictory like they don’t belong together. If you have a large group, like an extended family photo session of four adult kids families and grandparents together, it’s okay to have one person from each adult kid family wear a different pattern. It’s worth mentioning though that if you have a group that large that we’re not going to please everyone with outfits. Worry more about everyone feeling good about themselves as much as possible and less about looking cohesive for the few photos we’ll shoot of the ENTIRE group. Focus on your own adult kid families for complimenting one another.
- If you can help it, do not wear solid bright white (off-white or cream is fine) unless it is your wedding day. It photographs harshly, and tends to get blown out by the sun and doesn’t match the exposure or composition of the rest of the image. Not only does this make more work for your photographer, but it likely won’t look like the bright white we saw when all is said and done. I’m not saying white is bad–if you have a white patterned top that you love, go for it! And then plan some complimentary colors around it.
- Are you someone who NEVER in your life wears a dress? Then why are you going to wear one for your family photos? Don’t feel the need to “dress up” more than you usually would or to make yourself appear to be someone you’re not. I’m all about authenticity, and showcasing who you are as a human, family, senior, soon-to-be-mother, bride-to-be, whatever! Make sure you are comfortable and really owning your individuality. For example: Does your son always wear a hat? I understand making him take it off for the start of our session to look slightly more formal, but let him put it on for the last half to really feel comfortable and embrace who he is.
- For family photos, stick to one outfit. There’s no time for outfit changes in a standard session, and it REALLY breaks up our flow of getting comfortable with one another, and you getting comfortable behind the camera, and throws us off track. For maternity, seniors, and engagement photos (all smaller groups) I recommend no more than TWO total outfits, if you plan to change at all. We have a limited time of one hour, and again, we want to utilize our time connecting behind and in front of the camera to capture our best images. A lot of times for these sessions clients like to go somewhat formal for one outfit, and then something more laid-back and fitting of their personalities. For example, a maternity client may wear a flowy dress showcasing their belly for some shots and then switch to a button up or sports bra and jeans for the second half of the session. Same goes for engagement: a more dressy top and skirt, or dress, for the ladies, and jeans and a button down for the men for the beginning. Then they can change into jeans and complimenting tee’s and maybe add in some baseball caps for the second half.
- If you’re changing outfits at all during your session, bring a blanket for someone (sometimes me!) to hold around you and be prepared to do it somewhat publicly or in your car. If you’re not comfortable with this, make sure the location you choose has a public bathroom or consider sticking to one outfit.
- SENIORS–this one’s for you! (AKA, your moms). Pick your two outfits based on who you are and who you want to showcase as your true self. Do you have a dog you consider your best friend? Bring them along for a couple shots. Are you an athlete? Bring a football, basketball, baseball bat and glove, golf club, whatever it is, to get a couple shots with. Are you really into birding and have a red-tailed hawk that you adopted? If feasible, bring them along (I’ve had this exact scenario happen!) Collector of comic books? Bring your favorite or the one that got you started. FFA? Bring your ribbons or belt buckle. We can incorporate just about any of your hobbies into a part your session and I always want to.
- NEWBORN–this one is a beast of it’s own. Newborns can have all the outfit changes possible, and the littlest one runs the show. I recommend a total of three, at max, as most newborns don’t love being changed and gets them upset requiring more time for soothing and letting them re-relax. I love a nakey newborn photo, but if your baby HATES being naked, it’s okay to skip it. Think wraps, and avoid onesies unless it’s truly something sentimental to you or they’re going to be wrapped over it. It’s okay to keep a diaper on if you’re uncomfortable with your baby being photographed fully nude. We never expose private parts and if they do on accident, trust me, we delete those and don’t send you retouched images of it. Think small accessories–a head band, a sentimental stuffy that you handed down to them, something of a slight theme (like a sleigh if born near Christmas time) and just let your new little love shine as their natural self.
- Alright, this one is for the ladies! I do agree that it is okay, and beneficial, to go a little heavy on the makeup for photo sessions. Again, if you never wear makeup, why start now? But if you’re a usual makeup wearer, feel free to go a little bit darker or a little bit extra. SO many of my clients have said they felt like their makeup was too much, but then loved how it turned out on camera. For example, I myself wear foundation, bronzer, highlighter, eyeliner and mascara every day. When it comes time for me to have my photo taken, I’ll add in fake eyelashes and lipstick, and go a little heavier on the bronzer. HOWEVER, I REMOVE THE HIGHLIGHTER. This is a big pro tip to the ladies out there. While we love how it looks in person and in the mirror, it photographs similar to the white shirt–blown out and too bright not matching the rest of the image. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been retouching images and said, “DANG IT they have on highlighter!”. If your photographer doesn’t notice, you may end up with really bright cheekbones that don’t match the rest of your face or the rest of your family. It becomes almost like an eye-sore in images sometimes!
Ultimately when it comes down to it, you can throw alllllll of these tips out the window. Professional photography isn’t cheap, and you want to make sure you get back images you enjoy. Wear whatever you want, whatever brings you joy. Show up in pajamas if you want! Just make sure that you’re comfortable, feeling authentic, and ready for some smiles and laughs.
Here are some examples of the things I’ve spoken about:
