You’ve booked the shoot! Hooray!
There are three questions we often get right after:
- Where should we shoot?
- Do I bring any props?
- What should I wear?
We already have a solid answer for No. 1 & No. 2. 🙂
As for No. 3 — that’s what this blog will be for!
In this post, we will go over recommended dress codes for maternity, engagement, family, and senior photos!
What Do I Wear To A Photoshoot?
Well, our recommendations really vary depending on the type of photoshoot we’re doing. Since we have our friend Ally featured up above, let’s start with maternity!
Maternity:
I love anything flowy for maternity pictures. We can angle you right into the wind and get that gorgeous wind-swept look. This typically involves some sort of dress or shirt/shorts, combined with some kind of flowy shawl / vest thing … I am not sure what to call it! But you know what I mean!
Definitely something form fitting for the top — we wanna see that bump!
I’ve also had clients skip the flowy shawl and instead opt for a dress with flared sleeves, which achieves the same effect!
Or, any dress that hugs that tummy! It all works!
As for the guy responsible for that bump — we usually let his significant other pick out what he wears. I personally love it if it’s a little matching — using the same color concept, or working in the same color our mom-to-be is wearing into his outfit somehow.
We don’t recommend the guy wears anything flowy … that’s just for mom!! 😉
During the shoot, I will still always do some of just mom solo. But, then I’ll include him in the rest!
Sometimes I have had moms come to us and want shoots that only include her — and that’s fine, too!
We are celebrating that life growing inside!
Engagement:
As with maternity — we still love anything flowy. Although in these photos, the focus isn’t on your stomach — so we can be a lot more lax about the outfits.
Anything that would possibly pick up when the wind blows, or if he gives a playful twirl. A long skirt, a tunic with flared sleeves, a dress that has an extra layer on top.
Again — if you decide to be match-y, that’s always adorable as well. I love it when couples plan their outfits together! It looks like you belong together, which you do!
Family:
We don’t need anything flowy for these photos. Since we are going to have more people — we aren’t going to be able to get those individual shots where your gown is flowing with the wind.
However, matching can be tricky with more people. If you’re having a large group, I highly recommend assigning each “family unit” a color. Like the Miller family did:
From there, we can break off into smaller family groups after the initial big group —
As you can see, the family can take the color recommendation however they’d like! They’re all in pink, but it’s not all the same shirt or style. The oldest daughter wore a pink top, the youngest a pink dress, and the middle some fun pink leggings and matching hair tie!
It also just makes you look like the lovable family unit that you are when you can tell that you belong together!
My biggest recommendation is to pick a color, and then have everyone incorporate something of that color.
It doesn’t even necessarily have to be the same “shade.” Here are some outfits I personally picked out for my own family photoshoot this week. I usually pick two colors — this time I went with pink and gray. I have pink, and so does one of my daughters. Then my husband has gray, and so does our other daughter. This is another way to match!
Senior:
Senior portraits special! It’s a time to focus on your uniqueness and the likes and interests you have at this time in your life. For seniors, I always recommend a few different outfits.
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Jerseys / Sports Attire & Paraphernalia
What are you into? Sports? Let’s incorporate it! Bring jerseys, a ball, anything related to the sport that we can work into the photo.
2. The Cap & Gown
I always want to snag cap and gown photos as well! These ones are usually the fastest, and it’s really easy to throw the gown and cap on over whatever you’re already wearing!
It’s a great symbol to the world that you’re a graduate! You did it! And it’s your turn to turn that tassle to the other side of your cap.
3. Something nice!
I also usually recommend something a little nicer. A dress, a tux, whatever you think of when you hear the word “nice.”
You’re an adult now, you’ve come of age — I like to get some shots that reflect that!
4. Something that reflects your personal style
Are you always wearing Chucks? Do you have a favorite hat? A dress you’ve worn approximately 15 million times? Some jeans your’ve worn holes into that you’ll never part with? A promise ring? A bracelet or necklace that you never remove?
These photos are about you, your likes, your favorite things, what makes you the person you are now — we want the photos to reflect that!
♥.·:*¨ ¨*:·.♥
Phew!! This should help you decide what outfits to wear to your photoshoot — we’re so excited to be working with you! And if we’re not yet — feel free to reach out to us and book a shoot!
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