
I have been asked the question “What shall I wear?” so many times before portrait sessions, so wanted to share some advice and tips for you.
How Clothing Impacts Your Portraits
Clothing can impact your portrait session in such a big way, and that isn’t just visually. It can influence the way you feel internally, which can then affect the way it shows externally. Have you ever worn something that you don’t feel comfortable in? I definitely have. It isn’t a good feeling when you’re constantly adjusting something, or fidgeting because your clothing doesn’t feel quite right, it can have a knock-on effect in your mind, even subconsciously. So if you only bother to read this one paragraph, take this piece of advice away with you; be comfortable in what you wear.



Should I Bring Multiple Outfits?
I’m going to go into some finer details now and answer a few questions. The first one is about bringing multiple outfits. Depending on the length of your portrait session, the answer is usually yes. Having more than one outfit will mean you get more variation in your images, which in turn will mean you have longevity with your images. This doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy lots of new clothes (unless you want to!), it can be as simple as bring a change of jumper, adding a scarf, or bringing a pair of sunglasses along.



What Should I Avoid Wearing?
This has been covered in the opening paragraph a little already, but things to avoid clothing-wise would be the following: clothing that feels uncomfortable or ill-fitting, and clothing that doesn’t feel like ‘you’. Being comfortable helps you to relax, and that shows. If your portrait session is to promote your own business or skills, I would also avoid wearing large logos from other brands.




Should We Coordinate?
If you are having your portrait taken as part of a group, it always works well to coordinate outfits beforehand. This doesn’t mean you have to be dress identically, but having a colour palette that you can all interprete in your own way, works really well. Expressing yourself through clothing is a joy.




Choosing Your Colour Palette
I know the colours that suit me, and the colours that don’t. You should see me in something salmon coloured, it’s offensive to the eyes. When it comes to choosing the colour palette for you session, there are a couple of things to have in mind. You will know the colours that suit you, you will know the colours that make you feel happy (it’s orange for me), you will know the colours of any promo material you use, you will know the colours related to your new project the images we create together will promote. So have all of this in mind when picking things out for your portrait session. Again, I’m always on hand to advise if you’re unsure.




Clothing isn’t always necessary to create striking images. Some people find it restrictive, and some people want to explore other alternatives. Anything goes 🙂




Want To Book Your Portrait Session?
Hopefully this has helped to answer “What shall I wear?”, but get in touch if you have any questions about any of the above. There aren’t any rules about this either, clothing is such an amazing way to express your personaltiy! If you want to go ahead and book a session with me, please get in touch HERE.
Bodypaint: Clare Jane Makeup and Body Art