styleguide.
SO HERE'S THE RUNDOWN.
Man oh, man. I know it can feel kind of daunting to pick what to wear for photos. Here are a few guidelines I’ve put together so you guys can be sure to look hot and be all over each other and feel like Beyonce, while still making sure the images are focused on your guys’ love, not what you’re wearing. Full disclaimer, I don’t know anything about fashion. I wear t-shirts and Birkenstocks every day so there’s a hell of a good chance you’ve got better style than I do haha! This is just what I’ve found to work best from trial and error from past shoots, they’re only guidelines, not rules! You can show up wearing potato sacks for all I care.
Ultimately, I want you guys to look like yourselves. Don’t feel like if you don’t follow these guidelines that your photos are gonna suck. The most important thing to me is that you guys feel and look like yourselves, how you normally dress, so you can be as comfortable as possible! A lot of people try to go shopping for new clothes for the shoot beforehand but I actually recommend not going that route. Bring stuff you normally wear, stuff that’s already in your closet that you love, and feel yourselves in. An old band t-shirt and ripped jeans? Perfect. A lot of my couples will go shopping for “nicer” look for clothes which is totally fine, but sometimes they regret not wearing what they feel like themselves in. Who cares if you look back at the photos in 20 years and laugh about what you’re wearing? As long as it represented what you guys are like right now, that’s all that matters. Plus, guys are usually not all that stoked about putting on a collared, ironed button up with dress shoes if they’re used to wearing flannels and Chacos every day. Pinky promise they’ll be way happier to be at the shoot if you don’t force an outfit he thinks is stupid.
here's a few guidelines to help if you're feeling lost about what to wear:
First off, I always recommend bringing options. To get the best results, I’ll pick and pull from the options you bring for you guys to change into for each location we shoot at. This way I can make sure the outfits compliment the environment so that the focus is on you two, not on any distractions, which yes, can be your outfits. All you have to do is make sure you bring stuff that you feel like a million bucks in that we can pick and pull from!
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Don’t bring your whole closet though. It will take too much time for me to go through everything and will take time away from your session. Most people bring about 3 or 4 pairs of bottoms and 4 or 5 tops each, then you can bring dresses, accessories, jackets, and whatnot as well. Also, just know that depending on where we are shooting, you’ll most likely be changing in the back of the car on the side of the road. If you aren’t down with that, that’s totally fine and you can just bring one outfit! Just make sure to text me a few photos of the outfit options you have and we can pick it out together beforehand.
make sure it makes sense
Make sure it makes sense. Think about the conditions and locations we are going to be shooting in and plan around it. If we are going to be hiking around the mountains, bring shoes with a good grip and you won’t twist your ankles in. If we are shooting on a sandy beach, it would look weird if you’re wearing shoes (ps heels are almost always a bad idea in most scenarios because of games being played, unless you’re freakishly good at walking in them haha). If it’s freezing cold outside, bring lots of layers and warm clothes with hats and mittens. If it’s going to be hot, bring clothes that can breathe more so you don’t have sweaty pit stains in the photos. If we're doing an in-home session, be comfy and cozy-cute bralette with an open sweater, a wife beater and jeans/sweats etc. Be as comfortable as you can be!
COLORS.
When styling your outfit, stick to a color palette. It helps you to coordinate everyones' outfits because you know what colors to learn towards. I personally recommend neutrals and earthy tones. Neutrals doesn’t mean just grays, browns and blacks, there are neutrals of every color (mustard yellow, forest green, navy blue, burnt orange, cream etc). Stay away from bright, fluorescent distracting colors (reds, pinks, oranges). If you have dark or olive-toned skin it might be an exception with light conditions, but a lot of the time it results in people looking really pink and weird in photos. So just try and stay away from those colors if you can, but if you really want to wear something that is pink, orange or red, be aware this will completely change the editing tones that drew me to you in the first place. My edits lovvvve browns + creams!
PATTERNS.
Patterns are ok! However, I usually try to avoid pairing too many patterns together because, you guessed it, it makes the photos feel a little hectic and distracting from the subject, which is YOU and the location. Stick to one person wearing a pattern, and coordinate the others with a solid color within the pattern.
Flannels are always a yes in my book (probably because I wear one every day haha) Also, be sure to iron your clothes before so there’s no distracting wrinkles.
PROPS.
When I think “props”, my mind flashes through all of the cringe-worthy Pinterest photos I’ve seen of cheesy chalkboards and hobby lobby props brought to shoots that basically just make me wanna barf. But props don’t have to be cheesy! Props could be a dominos pizza picnic, a motorcycle, blankets, a truck/car, a campfire, a bouquet, a paddle board, etc. If you have props you wanna incorporate, let me know and we can make sure to incorporate them in a non-cheesy way!
in-home sessions.
Winter months are perfect for in-home sessions. If fact, I prefer in-home between November-May because New England is just so blah that time of year if there's no snow on the ground. Wether it's an engagement, a maternity..I say the more skin showing the better! No that doesn’t mean you need to be borderline naked, I’m just saying the photos will look a lot more comfortable and intimate than if you’re in lots of heavy layers! Cause let’s be real, most of us walk around without pants on at home anyways. I recommend choosing options of tank tops, shorts, sweaters, and jeans to mix and match! Or if you wanna just wear a sweater with undies for a few or have your bae be shirtless snuggled up in a white down comforter then HECK YES to that. I pinky promise I’m not a creep hahah.
hair + makeup.
A lot of people ask me whether or not they should get their hair and makeup done by a pro. My answer is always “whatever will make you feel best, do that.” I absolutely don’t think it’s necessary whatsoever, because I absolutely love all the hair in the face photos, or the messy bun, natural look. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve had girls show up to shoots afraid that a kiss from their man will ruin their make up. Or a piggyback ride will ruin their hair. But, if you want your hair and makeup done, then definitely do it, because the most important thing is that you feel confident like Beyonce always. If you’re getting hair and makeup done, I recommend you schedule to be done at least an hour before you have to leave for the shoot so you aren’t late.
-Choose a color pallet.
-Stay away from bright colors.
-Choose something you feel GOOD in. I love the linen look :)
-Bring your favorite hat. It works as a trick to hold your hair in place too.
- If you hate hats, bring a hair elastic incase it's just wayyy too windy.
-Accessorize. Gimme allllll the rings!
-Your outfits play a HUGE part in the vibe you're trying to go for.
Welp, that's all folks!
If you have anymore questions, don’t hesitate to let me know! If you’re still freakin out about what to wear feel free to shoot me a pic or two of what you’re thinking, or we can create a little Pinterest board together! But overall, just wear what you’re comfortable in and feel like you in. A pair of Vans you’ve had since 8th grade? Great. A sweater you wore for basically a month straight? Awesome. A hat that you know your mom hates? Perfect. You do you, and I promise the photos will turn out amazing.
Can't wait to see you there!