What Do I Wear?
"What do I wear for my photo session?" A good place to start is by choosing a color palette. Choose a palette first, THEN decide what to wear within that palette. The idea is to coordinate each person being photographed within that color palette rather than having people match completely. To do this, vary textures, styes and patterns within that palette.
Please do NOT show up in matching white shirts. People will think you are all wait staff at “Macaroni Grill”.
Pick Colors for Photos that Complement Your Skin Tone
When deciding what colors to wear for photos, first think about colors you love to wear. Pick colors that make you look and feel your best. You've probably noticed that you tend to re-wear pieces that fall within a certain palette in your closet. Most likely, you are wearing colors that best complement your skin tones.
If your veins look blue or purple in natural light, you most likely have cool skin tones.
If your veins look green or olive in natural light, you mostly likely have warm skin tones.
If your veins look blue-green, you likely have neutral skin tones.
If you want more info about finding your tones, check out this website. It goes into a lot more depth about under- and overtones, along with jewelry and how eye and hair color influence your color schemes.
Cool Tones
People who have cool skin undertones tend to look great in jewel tones. People with cool undertones tend to look their best in cool blues, lighter pinks, emerald green, purple, navy blue, white, and black. Neutrals tend to fall into bright white and cool grays.
Neutral Tones
People with neutral undertones can wear both cool and warm tones, but they generally lean toward either warm or cool. They also might lean toward either cool or warm more seasonally.
Warm Tones
People with warm skin undertones tend to look better in earthy colors. Olives, mustard, burgundy, orange, cream, ivory, warm browns and rosy pinks work well for people with warm skin undertones. Neutrals also tend to be warmer, including cream, tan, and warmer browns.
Most families have a mix of different skin undertones . For instance, you have cool undertones and your spouse has warm undertones, you can tie your color palette together by choosing complementary colors across the color wheel.
Solid colors are always best, as opposed to patterns. Subtle Aloha attire works best, those psychedelic tiki prints do not.
Cameras sometimes have difficulty adjusting between very bright contrasts, so it's best to keep brights as solid pieces as opposed to separates. Just because you think the bright green skirt with the hot teal blouse looks good, the camera does not.
No matter what your skin tone is, don’t choose any neon colors for photos. Bright orange, bright pink, neon yellow, or neon green can put color casts on skin and will not photograph well. Channeling the ‘80’s is not going to be your best look here…
Here is a nifty Color Palette Generator! Beware, it can be a Rabbit Hole of Time Suck if you are a color junkie like me!
Pick One Outfit and Build a Color Scheme for Photos from There
Wear what makes you feel good!
For families, it's usually mom's outfit that sets the tone for the family. For couples, one of the partner's outfits generally is more of a tone-setter. For individuals with a series of photos as in a headshot or lifestyle session, add your outfits however you want.
Make your kids feel included in the process by letting them choose what to wear out of two options you're happy with.
If you fall in love with a piece, use it as your starting point for your session, and build the rest of the outfits around that piece. I promise you can almost always find tones within the warm/cool/neutral categories to coordinate everyone. Use neutrals wisely to balance out really bold pieces, or heck, go with all neutrals!
If it’s your family or couples photo, vary shades/tones and textures so you don't look matchy-matchy.
Classic Aloha Wear in subtle patterns look great, as you can see from this portrait in blue tones.
Stay away from strong patterns, logos, graphics, and accessories. These can all be distracting on camera and pull focus away from you, the subject. This is especially important for headshots!
Strong patterns (especially striped or checked shirts) do not play well with camera sensors. It creates an effect called moiré that can make your head hurt to see. Not the eel. Know the difference! Patterns, logos, and graphics make retouching clothes for wrinkles and removing stray hairs almost impossible to do well.
Wear form fitting attire if possible, not overly baggy or too tight !( especially you guys! The gals tend to be better dressers )
Specifically for headshots, I recommend staying away from sleeveless tops and low necklines. The focus of the image should be on your face. Sleeveless tops can make your shoulders look wider (in a bad way), and also, that flash of skin can be distracting to viewers. I’d also stay away from turtlenecks. Depending on the lighting, you could look like a floating head. Not good.
We can have a wardrobe consultation ahead of your session. I’ll review some of your clothing selections and advise you on what is going to make you look your best in front of the camera. If you are having a different number of “Looks” ( wardrobe changes) in your session we will pick out several outfits. I’m here to make it work for you!
Glasses?
I got called “Four Eyes” in Elementary school because I started wearing glasses in 3rd grade.
I wear glasses now. So I know what works with photographing glasses. And transition lenses are what do NOT work with photographing glasses. Neither do those “Blue Ray Blockers” specs. So wear a regular pair or ditch them all together.
Feel nekked without your glasses? I don’t feel comfortable without glasses on, so my personal headshot in the “About” section is me in my readers, as I wear transition lenses in my regular glasses. So get out those readers and rock your bad “Four Eyes” self!
Miss Kitty says:
“Because you’ve made it this far, I have a helpful, printable makeup guide for you HERE!”