What to Wear for Your Engagement Session
Choosing what to wear for any photo session can be pretty intimidating. The short answer from myself and most other photographers is that it is totally up to you! But I know that that isn't particularly helpful, so here are a few of my thoughts to help you choose the right outfit for you.
Remain True to Who You Are & How You Dress
Your comfort will reflect on camera. I say this time & time again to clients and I know from personal experience! Once upon a time I was a college senior and took portraits where I felt like I needed to dress a certain way and so 2 of the 4 outfits I chose didn't look like me and I can see how uncomfortable I feel in those photos. Especially when I compare them to photos with the 2 other outfits that felt more true to myself!
I typically encourage people to find their favorite piece of clothing (one on the nicer end) and to incorporate it into your outfit somehow. Maybe you have an old pair of jeans that fit you just right or may you love a certain pair sneakers - build your outfit off of that and not only will it feel true to you, but you will also be comfortable.
Go For Neutrals and/or Solids
Neutral colors (black, brown, white, cream) will always make for the most timeless, chic photos. Color hues tend to be trendy and sometimes certain colors are a giveaway for what year a photo was taken in! This is also true for patterns on clothing (think about the Jazz design on paper cups in the 90's).
Wearing neutral colors also avoids what is known as a color-cast in your photos. A color-cast in when light is reflecting off of something and casting that objects color onto your subject. This commonly happens when someone is wearing a brightly colored outfit (usually vibrant reds, blues, yellows, or greens) and it is reflecting up onto their face. This can be difficult to impossible to totally correct during editing, so please be sure to ask your photographer about this when planning!
Consider the Colors of Your Location & Stand Out
My last piece of advice to you is to stand out! Your photos are about you so we want you to stand out from your backdrop - unless monochrome is what you are going for! If you are going to be photographed in a green field of grass, avoid wearing a bright green dress that has no other colors and the same goes for every other color.
Complimenting the colors of a location & totally matching them are not the same thing. Check out the photo below for an example of complimenting a location (the pink shirt he is wearing perfectly brings the whole scene together)
