One of the most popular questions I get asked, and for good reason is WHAT DO WE WEAR? You will have these photos for EVER and there's nothing worse than looking back on these photos and seeing them "dated". Don't we all want that timeless look that never gets old? I know I do, and that's something I encourage for all my sessions no matter the nature of it.
Here are some suggestions I like to give for couples posing in front of my camera, some things you may not have thought about:
1. Compliment Each Other but Don't Match
Complementing your man's look is one thing. But matching outfits an
patterned prints aren't ideal for portrait sessions.
When deciding how you and your partner will dress,
look for complementary colours and solid prints. Try to stay away
from anything too busy, as it can be an unnecessary distraction in photos.
2. Stripes
Make sure they are small stripes that go horizontal or vertical. Any bold stripe
will carry the eye across the image that will stretch
what they are looking at. Which in turn won't make your body type
look the right size. Stripes are a very popular print to these days
and it's important to make sure you are bringing the right attention to yourself that
will best show who you are.
3. Bold Printed Dresses
I know a lot of us default to florals to "dress up" or even dress down.
This is a tricky one because I have seen it done very well that works,
and other times when it doesn't work at all. The colours and bold pattern
is what I would look at the most. Some bold prints can be distracting with the
locations I choose and typically are harder to organize
outfits together that way. Fine and small detailed prints are the
way to go, they aren't distracting and you can still have your florals.
4. Choose Pastels, Cool Colours, & Neutral Tones
You'll want to avoid anything neon, lest you look like a hot,
blinking sign. I also find orange is the least
photogenic color, while red is the color your eye is drawn to
immediately—and you don't necessarily want your shirt or
skirt to be the focus of your photograph. You want your
faces and the love between you to stand out. So consider
wearing pastels, cool hues, or neutral tones, then add a pop
of bright color with your accessories. This can be (depending
on the season) a scarf, mitts, or necklace.
5. Choose Classy Rather Than Trendy
You may love that black-and-white maxidress now, but next
year you may only picture a referee or jailbird when you see
yourself in head-to-toe stripes. I always recommend looks
that will remain timeless, rather than outfits that could make
your images feel dated a few years down the road, overly
contrived looks can feel awkward and clunky in photos—and you
want to look effortless, not like you're trying too hard. My
photography style is very natural looking and framing
the love between you.
6. Stick with Two Outfits
Don't fall victim to treating your engagement session as a
fashion photo shoot. These are the pictures where you
get to remember who you are at the end of the day when it's
only the two of you! Two outfits is more than enough to
reflect this in couples, and it insures you won't spend your
entire engagement session in a rush to change into the next
set of clothes. That's why my shoots are about an hour
long because after that point you both are going to be like,
"are we good now? I feel like we've done so many looks."
Making sure I get the best results is when you both are
excited and energized to be in front of camera. I don't want
to waste time with outfit changes.
7. Don’t want to make a big outfit change? No problem!
If you're more like me, personally I am not a fashionista
by any means and usually wear things that are comfy
unless I HAVE TO dress up. You can stick to one outfit
and completely change the look by adding a
jean jacket or necklace accessory.
Neutrals are always the way to go too!
Blue jeans are always a go-to for me, but I prefer
a darker pant in photos. With my locations being
more in cooler settings (lots of greens and blues)
I always suggest to wear darker
pants for this reason. It visually breaks up the
photo much better.
8. Wear Clothes that Make You Feel Like You
Now's not the time to pull out a beaded ball gown if
you're a T-shirt and jeans kind of girl. I know this is cheesy
but the best thing you can wear is confidence. I get a lot of
compliments about "how authentic and in the moment your
couples look." And I always answer that those emotions come
through in photos because my couples felt confident with how
they looked and trusted that I was capturing the best parts
of them. YES it is important to wear outfits that make my
camera happy but it's all about the photo as a whole and
how EVERYTHING comes together. I can't make the best
outfit look good if the person wearing it doesn't feel
comfortable.
