Photoshoot Style Guide
Updated: Dec 23, 2021
Have you got your photoshoot booked and youʼre stressing out about what to wear? Donʼt worry! This blog post will help you pick out the most fitting outfit for your session so keep on reading.
Firstly, the most important thing to consider wearing is something COMFORTABLE that makes you feel CONFIDENT! Avoid wearing ill-fitting clothes or clothes that need constant adjustment that will keep you worrying during your session and make you feel self-conscious. You need to feel YOUR BEST so that your best self is captured in your photos.
This style guide will give you some general rules or tips but make sure you consider the environment and location of your photoshoot and the feel you want your photos to have. If itʼs an airy and romantic feel you might need to wear something flowy to give movement. If itʼs a warm and cozy feel you might prefer to wear jeans and a sweater. It might be helpful to find a gallery from a photoshoot you love and analyse what people are wearing.
Style Guide
To help you narrow down outfit choices, I will let you know what to avoid first. PLEASE do not wear clothes with skinny stripes! Screens hate this pattern and make it look weird and wavy. Another thing to avoid is busy patterns and large logos as these can be too distracting. Also, unless we are doing a fashion shoot where the clothes are the focus, steer away from trendy outfits. If the aim is to create classic and timeless photos then you need to dress accordingly! With that in mind, unless you book a seasonal photoshoot (e.g. Christmas mini session), avoid seasonal outfits too!
Simplicity is key. You donʼt want a busy outfit that distracts away from whatʼs important. The focus is YOU. Your family. Your partner. Your baby. Consider wearing neutral, solid colours. You can add an element of interest through details in ways that complement you rather than take the focus away from you such as adding textures and dainty jewellery. Wear layers and bring some more with you (sweaters, jackets, shirts, scarves, etc.), as these are a great way to add detail too, but also works as a quick outfit change!
Details make a difference so ladies, keep your nails clean and tidy. You donʼt need a full manicure but unless chipped nail polish is intentional for the effect youʼre going for, itʼs going to look bad in pictures! Especially during engagement sessions! Think of the classic close up shot of the ring on
the finger - your hand is the main focus!
For family and couple sessions I suggest you coordinate (NOT MATCH) your outfits so that the colours look good together: neutral, solid colours are easy to work with and pair. Think grey, beige, white, brown and muted tones.
Make-Up Guide
In the case of makeup, it is a matter of preference as well as the feel and outfit you are going for. Generally it is a good idea to emphasise the eyes area as these are the main focus of portraits (do not forget to fill in your brows and add mascara, it makes a big difference!). Do not skip concealer if you tend to have dark circles as this shows up in pictures. Avoid SPF if possible and opt for mattes over shimmers. Make sure your lips are moisturised and as smooth as possible as cracked, dry lips look bad in photos (if your lips are dry, avoid matte and liquid lipsticks and opt for a lipgloss or moisturising lipstick). Lastly and most importantly DO NOT FORGET TO POWDER! In fact, bring powder with you and keep applying it throughout the shoot!
Below is a quick list of other useful items to bring with you to make sure you look your best throughout the session:
POWDER
lipstick for touch-ups
accessories (scarves, jewellery, etc.)
hair brush
layers (jackets, sweaters, overshirts, etc.)