Ok… channel your best Grinch impression and say it aloud with me:
“But what will I wear?!”

Finding the right outfit is, by far, one of the most frequent things I’m asked about when planning a photo session. Whether you’re doing photos by yourself, with a significant other, or with family, it’s always a challenge. (And the more people you add to the mix, the harder it gets.) But, it doesn’t have to be difficult! With just a few basic tips, we can make outfit planning smooth, easy, and maybe even fun.

1. Think about your location. Keep this in mind as you go through the rest of your decisions. Is your photo session on a farm? Cowboy boots are welcome! Planning for somewhere modern and urban? Try dressing up a little. Obsessed with that brightly colored mural downtown? Keep your outfit neutral to stand out from all the color. You get the idea.
2. Pick 3 colors. Make sure they blend well together and won’t clash with your environment. (Don’t wear green in the woods or orange against a brick wall, etc.) Use these colors to build your outfit(s) in a way that looks put together but isn’t overly “match-y”.
3. Avoid patterns and bold colors. Whenever possible, go with solid colors. This helps create block of distraction free color that helps you stand out from the background and other session participants. You’ll also want to leave the neon purple at home. It’s hard to make these colors blend well, they draw too much attention, and you’ll find they’re hard to display in your home.
4. Layer it up. This is probably one of my favorite outfit tips. Layers are so useful! They help create a cohesive look and offer lots of options for different styling throughout your session. Consider wearing a jacket, vest, or scarf that can be easily removed to change up your outfit. Solid color layers are also a great way to tone down the pattern of your husband’s favorite “I’m not going if I can wear this” plaid shirt!

To help you visualize all these outfit tips, I’ve included some photos below from previous photo sessions (with explanations of why they rocked their look)!

Fall leaves offer a beautiful setting, but also create a lot of texture in your photos. By sticking with complimentary solid colors (light blue, navy blue, and hunter green), these two stood out from their environment and were the visual focal point of their images.

By choosing the deeply saturated colors of burgandy and navy, Adam and Emily stood out from both each other and the nuetral walls of the modern style building we used as a backdrop. We also removed Adam’s vest ina few photos to create a different look.

It’s us! This photo is from a photo session in the spring of 2019. We incorporated some of the brand colors of The Modern Heart (Olive and Gray) and choose a location were we wouldn’t blend in.

Sterlin’s light pink dress was the perfect compliment to Brandon’s baby blue shirt. Since we were shooting in early spring, these colors helped liven up the (mostly) dead landscape and give the images a warm feel.

Doesn’t this photo make you want to cuddle up with a cup of hot chocolate? These nuetral colors were perfect for the snowy woods. Wearing the light cream sweater helped brighten the photos and the darker brown shade of Alex’s shirt helped break up the snowy background.

I love this session! Logan kept his outfit neutral which brightened the photos and kept some of the visual focus on his lovely wife, Lannie. Her saturated teal maternity gown is part of our studio collection!

Once again, if you’re doing your photo session in the forest, neutral is the way to go! Even in this gorgeous setting, your eye goes straight to our lovely couple because of their bright clothing!

I had to throw this one in because all the same principles apply to indoor photo sessions too! Logan came to our Winter Wonderland mini sessions dressed in blue which was the perfect compliment to the very bright and neutral set we were using.

See? It’s not hard to plan an amazing outfit for your photo session! Follow those 4 tips and that’s all you need! But… if you’re still second guessing your choices, send an email! We’re glad to help out and be the voice of reason when your thr-eenager insists on that neon purple!