Columbus Ohio Photographer

What to Wear

I get this question a lot.  And it is an important consideration since the photos are going to be around for your grandchildren and great-grandchildren and beyond.  And you never know,  your kid might become famous someday, since they are the most beautiful talented kid in the whole world.  You want some photos of them looking their best when they do those “before they were famous” pieces.  Anyway, on to the subject at hand, what should you wear?  Well, number one, I wouldn’t recommend white.  Unless it’s your wedding.  Then you can wear white.  Or if we are doing a romantic type shoot, (imagine a beautiful baroque gray horse in a field or in a forest and a woman in a white tank and prairie skirt).  You get the idea.  Besides those occasions, I don’t recommend white.  Where ever there is white or highlights in a photo it draws the eye, and we want the attention on faces not on clothes.  I do like colors like brown, blue, pink, orange, yellow (yellow is very “in” right now), and so on.  Layers are great!  A cami under a sweater for women, a tee under a button up shirt for a guy.  And I’m a casual gal.  I really like the jeans look, no need to dress up real fancy unless you really want to.  For group shots, there is no need for everyone to wear the same outfit in different sizes.  Just make sure the colors co-ordinate.  Pick  2 or 3 colors and everyone in the group should stick to those colors.  Also, everyone should dress in the same style.  You don’t want one person dressed up real fancy and someone else in sweat pants.  That just won’t work.  FYI, I don’t recommend ever wearing sweat pants though.  (For a photo shoot I mean, go ahead and feel free to wear them while lounging on the couch.)  What about shoes?  Who needs shoes?!  We’re casual around here, remember?  Seriously, there is nothing better than little kid piggies.  Let them be free!  Shoes tend to date photos, so if you do wear them try to keep them classic, like mary janes, flats, oxfords, and Converse.

Remember, these are just guidlines.  The most important thing when choosing clothing is to be yourself.  Also, I address it on a case-by-case basis, based on what we are going for with the photo shoot.  That is why I have a pre-session consultation with every client so we can discuss these things beforehand and I will make some recommendations.  If you want,  you can even lay out some outfits and send me pictures of them and I can give a yay or nay.  Or bring a few different options along to  your session and we can switch things up.    And I love accessories:  jewelry, hats, scarves, boots, etc.

Any questions?  Just let me know!  I’m here to help.