As photographers, this is one of the questions we get asked most often after couples and families book with us…..what should I/we wear to our photography session?

No matter what you wear, you want to feel confident and relaxed so first and foremost you want to start with clothes that you will love and feel comfortable in!

For ‘bright and airy’ photos (my signature style), the key ingredient is the colours that you choose.

Light, neutral colours are the best. Think tan, light beige, light brown or grey khakis for guys with a white, cream-coloured or pale blue shirt. For gals, think flowy dresses in whites, creams, pale yellows, pale pinks, pastel blues or light greens, or skirts/tops in similar colour combinations.

You will want to avoid overly large patterns or prints if possible. Small, flowered or patterned prints may work if your partner/others in the photo are wearing solid colours. Or, if your partner or some in your family will wear patterns, having the rest of you in solid colours helps to balance it out. Ultimately you don’t want everyone in patterns!

Wearing light colours ensures that there will not be any strange-coloured shadows or reflections on the others being photographed next to you. Ideally, the lighter the colours the better. Even choosing sweaters in lighter colours help brighten an image overall.

Another aspect to consider is the time of year or season that you will be having your photos taken. Obviously light-weight, cool fabrics are a must in the heat of summer, while fall and winter make us think of sweaters and boots and maybe even thicker coats.

If it’s an engagement session you may end up choosing 2 different looks – one more casual and one more formal. The photos that you take may end up being used for ‘save the date’ cards or perhaps for a keepsake photo album for you and/or your family, or as a canvas on your wall, so having more than one look can give you the options you need.

Following that, thinking about the place or location where you will get your photos taken is a must! Will it be at the park? Along a pathway in the forested woods? Downtown with a cityscape in the background? You may want to choose your outfit based on the formality (next to an historic building, for example) or informality of the setting (perhaps at the beach). In fact, how you like to dress may determine the location. Do you love dressing in casual clothes or more formal attire?

Even with photo sessions in a colder-weather season, resist the urge to wear overly bright or saturated colours (for example, oranges, reds or bright yellows in fall, or bright reds or dark greens in winter). Instead, choose colours from the same light, neutral colour palette such as tans, browns, creams, beiges and whites as these pair very well with fall colours, or the dark greens of winter.

With outdoor, natural light photo sessions, keeping clothing choices neutral allows the natural landscape backgrounds to stand on their own and not be ‘up-staged’ by busy or overly colourful clothing.

Above all, you will want to wear clothing that suits the style AND setting you and/or your photographer have chosen!

Clothing with texture photographs well also (think chunky, solid coloured sweaters for fall and winter, or linen for summer).

If you really want to bring in something with pattern, keep it simple with a patterned shirt under a solid colour sweater, as an example.

Ultimately a timeless, simple look will photograph the best.

Above all, you want to avoid being too coordinated, or too ‘matchy-matchy’ with everyone being photographed wearing the same outfit (for example, both of you/everyone wearing white shirts and blue jeans).

Coordinating opposite tops and bottoms regarding colour choices often helps for a cohesive look. For example, for couple photos, having him in jeans with a short-sleeved, light-coloured, buttoned-down shirt, with her in a light coloured skirt with a light blue flowy top. Or for a family, having dad in beige khaki pants, and a blue shirt, with your son wearing a light coloured shirt and jeans, with mom wearing a beige or tan coloured dress.

One small note – while white is the lightest of light colours and coordinates well with just about any other colour, you don’t want too much white because you can lose contrast in a photo, especially if the background is bright/light as well. Wearing a white shirt under a grey blazer (formal look) for guys, or a white blouse with a darker coloured sweater (girls) can all be great choices.

These are just some examples, but hopefully you get the idea. You can be creative with your choices based on your own wardrobes. Feel free to create your own ideas and have some fun with it!