What do I wear to a shoot?
There are a few basics of do's & don'ts to look your best for your photo shoot.
What not to wear-
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Printed t-shirts (too distracting)
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Plaid (too busy, draws attention away from you)
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large floral shirts/tops (again, too busy )
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Wristwatches (unless it's a very intentional prop, wristwatches tend to distract from the over all image)
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Ill-fitted clothing. Make sure you are wearing the right sized clothing; not too small; not too big.
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Casual tank tops; unless you have some major muscle to show off, stay away from tank tops.
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If in groups, try not to wear matching outfits. Nothing is more uncomfortable than matching outfits. Dress in what you feel good in. (The exception to this would be all white (or all black) tops with blue jeans.)
What should I wear?
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Solid color clothing is usually best. Too many busy patterns or colors in a photograph can cause problems with the end result. However, if you balance out your patterns with solids, this will help keep your photo from looking outdated in a few months. Fashions change overnight and sticking to classic solids and patterns will ensure your photographs don't end up looking outdated in a short amount of time.
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Jeans offer a great way to still dress up if you want to, but without the fear of getting nice pants dirty.
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If you're not sure what to do, match your socks to your pants, not your shoes.
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Dresses or skirts also make a great portrait, particularly outdoors for individual photos.
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An anti-perspirant. This will help avoid those yucky sweat pools that develop on shirts, especially if it's hot out.
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If you have a choice, pick quarter-length & long sleeves over t-shirts... Why? This is very subtle, but it will draw attention back towards your face much better.
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Accessories. While you don't want to over accessorize, it will always add to the picture having that something "extra."
Great accessories: Boots; hats; scarves; vests; certain jackets; hair accessories; belts; jewelry (except watches), fancy shoes. If you're not sure what to do, bring a few to your shoot. Always wear an accessory that is a part of your personality.
Groups:
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Same color scheme. Although families do not need to wear the exact same color, staying in the same color scheme is important. A good example of this would be Dad wears a red shirt. Mom wears a grey shirt, but has a red scarf that compliments dad's shirt. The kids are wearing black, but Sis has a red necklace that matches Dad's shirt, and Mom's scarf, and Brother has small red stripes on his shirt. So you don't have to be twinsies, but be sure to compliment each other in some way. One way to do this would be is to stick to a theme of everyone wearing neutral colors, and pick one specific accent color that everyone wears.
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Be sure to pick whether you want casual or dressy for your groups. That way you don't have someone show up with a dressy outfit, someone else with a casual outfit and someone else with a contemporary outfit. If this does happen it can throw off the balance of the photo.
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For larger groups, stick with neutral colors for your main clothing, and use any (one) bright colors as an accent, only that everybody is wearing.
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Choose clothes you feel good in!
Props:
Props are great, too, they always add a great touch of your personality, especially for senior portraits. A example of a prop might be a guitar; balloons; bubblegum; bicycle; flowers; a favorite toy; football, baseball, etc. I don't charge extra for props, and love coming up with new ideas, so bring something that is a part of you.