What to Wear to a Portrait Session

Style Tips for HER

Have you been eyeing a gorgeous dress, skirt or jumpsuit but just never had an occasion for it? This is your chance to do it up during your portrait session! Remember: there’s no such thing as “too dressed up” when it comes to your portrait session, so don’t be afraid to have some fun!

If you don’t want to spend a ton of money adding a new permanent piece to your wardrobe, some of my clients have loved using Rent the Runway for their portrait photos because they don’t have to spend a lot to feel like a million bucks. Plus, they can send the outfits back when the session is over! Most clients don’t choose to be that fancy, but it’s an option! Maybe you would love to have an excuse to go shopping and purchase a new permanent piece (or two!) for your wardrobe –– and that’s okay, too! Whatever works for you! It makes sense if you don’t want to be too dressed up for a family session but if you do, go for it!

Long, flowy dresses look especially lovely at the beach!

Dresses that hit at the ankle are a little more dressy than short dresses and tend to make women look taller.

Shorter dresses look especially great on high school and college seniors. Show off those legs!

There’s nothing more flattering than a long, flowy dress

Long, flowy dresses and skirts tend to look most stunning on camera because they really flatter the female body. This is probably why the red carpet is always full of so many dresses and not very many pantsuits! I recommend these because they’re flattering on all body types, look amazing on camera, and bring extra movement to your portrait session.

Maxi (or floor length) skirts and dresses will give us the best “twirl factor,” and add more romance to your walking photos. They look especially gorgeous when juxtaposed with nature, like the desert, forest, fields, or the beach. Cute, shorter cocktail-length dresses or midi-skirts photograph beautifully as well. My clients who choose to bring two dresses will sometimes choose one of each! I recommend avoiding pants and shorts (jumpsuits can be beautiful though!) for your session, and saying yes to a dress (or skirt!) or two! You won’t regret it!  

Flattering Your Features in your Portrait Session

In my experience, every woman (regardless of her age, size, or shape) has an area of her body that she’s self-conscious about. Recognizing the areas when selecting your outfits is key. Choosing flattering silhouettes and colors that complement your natural features is the best way to ensure you’ll love the way you look in your photos.

Three-quarter length sleeves create an awesome slimming effect on all arms. So, be on the lookout for an option with a longer length sleeve. If your dress has shorter sleeves (or no sleeves) consider bringing a cute jacket, blazer, cardigan, or pashmina to incorporate into your look. Skinny straps or strapless dresses have the opposite effect for arms on camera.

For most women, skinny straps actually make arms look BIGGER. So I recommend avoiding those whenever possible if your goal is slimmer-looking arms. If it’s colder outside, I suggest bringing a warm coat (the longer, the better!).

The women in the images above chose to wear capped sleeves and they look amazing! No matter your figure shape, I always encourage this option to make you feel your most confident.

These seniors chose off the shoulder blouses and dresses and they look fabulous and sassy! Love it!

Shoes

For shoes, keep in mind that heels elongate women’s legs and force constant tension in the calves –– which makes them look more toned. Closed-toed heels, in particular, look great on camera because they carry out the line of your leg all the way down to your toe. You can never go wrong with a pair of neutral pumps! If your toes are showing in a peep-toe heel, you might want to schedule a pedicure before your session. This way, you won’t regret letting your toes show. If your shoes don’t show at all in the dress you’ve selected, you could always choose neutral ballet flats. This will make your session more comfortable. Lastly, make sure to bring a pair of flats or flip flops to wear to your portrait session when moving from place to place. Your feet will thank you later!  

Make a Statement during your Portrait Session

Pairing an accessory or two with your outfit can really help bring some extra dimension to your images. Whether it’s a necklace, belt, bracelet, earrings, hat, or scarf, bringing an accessory or two can bring great visual interest to your photos. Choose one or two that don’t compete for attention when paired together. For example, if you go with bolder earnings, you might want to choose a more humble necklace, or maybe even no necklace at all. Fresh florals in a crown or a bouquet can be a really romantic touch as well, especially to a maternity session!

Although it might seem counter-intuitive, I recommend that you do NOT get a spray tan before your session. Not even if it is a few days prior to our shoot. This is because it tends to photograph orange even when it’s applied subtly and by a professional. Your actual skin tone will photograph most beautifully. I have had clients who have seriously regretted getting a spray tan before their portrait session, so please take note of this piece of advice.

Wearing a hat to your portrait session adds such a great addition to your images! It can really bring out your personality. Also, I really love it when women wear a floral crown or bring a bouquet. Flowers ALWAYS make a session more beautiful!

Sometimes your “accessory” can be an iconic part of San Diego, like the Hotel del Coronado, or even your pet! Horses especially bring a wow factor!

Go Pro Hair and Makeup

Professional hair and makeup is on the top of most of my clients’ portrait session checklists. Getting your hair and makeup done professionally looks amazing on camera and removes the stress of getting ready on your own. You’ll have these photos forever, so this is the time to pamper yourself! Whether it’s lash extensions or blown-out hair, professional hair and makeup will give you an extra boost of confidence in front of the camera, and it always photographs like a dream.

If you’re working with a makeup artist, have her apply your makeup in natural light (if possible) so that it looks fresh and not too heavy. Plus, that’s the type of light we’ll be shooting in! So, this will give you the best expectation of how it will translate on camera. Most of my clients feel like their makeup is “too much” at first. Even though it’s more than they would wear on a normal day, don’t worry! Good makeup artists know how to get it just right for the camera — and my clients always love the final result in their portrait session.

If you need a recommendation for hair and makeup, I have some! They’re sweet as pie, talented as heck, unbelievable professionals, and wonderful people. You’ll LOVE them! Just let me know and I’ll send you their information. I know they’ll take good care of you!

Choosing Colors for your Portrait Session

The camera loves sophisticated color. I recommend light-colored neutrals, pastels, or jewel tones. When choosing colors for your outfits, I recommend selecting lighter, neutral tones and more muted shades. Bright, bold or neon colors are distracting and take the focus away from where it should be: on you, your family, and how much you love each other. You can never go wrong with light neutral colors like cream, taupe, camel, or light gray. The camera loves shades of soft pinks and muted blues, mixed with sophisticated light-colored neutrals. That softer, more pastel-leaning color palette fits beautifully into almost all natural outdoor environments –– and especially complements the outdoors! 

For some of my clients who come back for portraits year after year, choosing their outfits sets the tone for their entire shoot! Depending on WHERE you are shooting, it can influence the colors you choose. Mommas tell me this can either be one of their favorite parts of preparing for their portrait session, or their least favorite part. Please remember you can always ask me for recommendations. I also have this Pinterest Board that I created!

How to Mix All the Colors for your Portrait Session

The goal for coordinating a family’s outfits is to visually break up the colors and shades. This is to make sure that you’re not all wearing the same color on top and bottom. For instance, if everyone is in blue jeans with white shirts, this is not recommended. The more you can mix it up, the better! I encourage you to think about planning each outfit with “dominant colors” and “accent colors” in mind. A dominant color is the color that you see most in an outfit, while an accent has a smaller piece of visual real estate. When you’re planning each family member’s outfit, aim for each person to have a different dominant color. Then, tie in and vary the accent colors and it’ll look great all together. 

For example, if you’re wearing a blush dress, soft blue earrings, and nude heels (blush being your dominant color), then your spouse could wear a navy coat with a white button-down and gray pants, paired with brown leather shoes and maybe even a blush pocket square (making navy his dominant color). Your daughter could then wear a soft blue top with a white tulle skirt (making a soft blue her dominant color). Your son could wear light beige pants with navy suspenders and a white button down (making white his dominant color).

Now each person has their own dominant color while still incorporating a few touches of the other colors that will pull all the looks together. This will visually break up all the colors and highlight each person and their individual personality. Most of my moms choose their dress first, and then build the rest of the family’s outfits based on that for their portrait session.

Coordinating the Looks

As you’re coordinating your outfit with your family, keep in mind that your outfits will look the most cohesive on camera when the color palette and wardrobe pieces coordinate, but don’t actually “match.” In fact, I recommend that you avoid thinking about “matching,” and instead think about what “fits” together. This will create more visual interest, and allow each personality to shine through.

If you have multiple children, don’t feel like you need to put them all in the same type of outfit. For example, if one of your daughters wears a dress and flats, the other can wear a skirt and boots, if that’s more of her style. If one of your sons wears a bowtie, the other can wear suspenders. Mixing up the wardrobe pieces will bring even more visual interest to the photos.

Fashion Tips for HIM

Tops & Bottoms

The same way that a dress is the most flattering silhouette for the female body, a blazer, sport coat, or jacket has the same flattering effect for men. You can’t go wrong with a dress shirt, slacks, and a blazer.

Long sleeves are more flattering than short sleeves on men, so I’d recommend steering clear of t-shirts or polos. Instead, opt for a long-sleeve button-down. The other benefit to long sleeves is we can roll the sleeves up for a slightly more casual look, which gives you two looks with one shirt.

Colors

For colors, again I recommend neutrals and soft tones . When selecting your pieces, I encourage you to choose a different “weight” for the pants and coat. So, for example, navy pants (darker) and a heather gray blazer (lighter). Or gray pants (darker) with a soft powder blue shirt (lighter).

Suits

When selecting an outfit for photos, the most important part isn’t the price. It’s the fit. For men, it’s important to have a jacket that fits snugly (but not too tight), and pants that are the correct length. Just like high heels make women look taller than they are, bunched up fabric stacked on top of a man’s shoes makes him look physically shorter than he really is. 

Solid colors will help keep the attention where it belongs, on the face. Whereas pinstripes or plaid patterns tend to distract the eye. So, stay away from bold prints, avoid logos, and opt for solids instead.

A More Casual Look

Although I think a suit or tailored jacket looks AMAZING on a man, especially for the first outfit of an engaement session, men rarely wear them to my sessions.  By all means, wear a tailored suit if that makes you feel great!  However, most men choose a more casual look for family sessions.  Since family and maternity sessions don’t usually have a change of wardrobe, I think it would be best if the men choose dark jeans, linen pants, or khakis.    Most men feel more comfortable in this type of attire and it will show in your images!  You can then pair this with a collared shirt.

It’s All Up to You at Your Portait Session

Long pants with closed-toed shoes is the most sophisticated and masculine look for a man. They draw attention away from your legs and feet, and place it where you want it: on your face! So, for your session, it’s best to leave the shorts, sandals, and flip flops at home. Dress pants, khakis, or nice dark-washed jeans work best. Brown leather dress shoes complement almost every look. As opposed to athletic shoes, dress shoes help elevate your photos and will give them a more editorial, sophisticated look.  The main exception to all of this is the beach.  When families walk on the beach, casual shoes (or NO SHOES will work best.

I hope these tips were helpful for when you book your next portrait session! I have more advice on how to choose a location for your portrait session, wedding, and proposal as well as First Looks for weddings, etc. You can find that here on my home page! You can also puruse my blog to find MANY examples of what my clients have chosen to wear.

If you are interested in booking a session with me, please contact me at nicolereyesphotographysd@gmail.com! I can’t wait to meet you!