Wardrobe and Extra Tips and Hints for Awesome Images | Red Deer Photography

It is inevitable that after each booking I take, the next thing I am asked – almost always is “what should we wear?”  The wardrobe is one of the most valuable and important parts of your session, and I wanted to give this topic some time to help you with your selections.

They often say that “with good basics, you will have endless options” and to be honest that is the truth of the matter. Your session can be broken down into a few very basic concepts that will keep it simple, clean and most importantly, elegant.

One of those session basics is wardrobe.  What to wear is often one of the hardest things to come up with for a shoot.  We all have outfits we love…or maybe we don’t?  What then?  Do you find something in your closet and hope it fits or do you make an investment in yourself and spend a few extra dollars finding something that makes you feel great?

Ultimately the choice is up to you, but I do have some guidelines that I do ask are followed so that you get the results from your session that match as closely as possible to the images you have seen and love from Suzanne Taylor Photography.

Suzanne Taylor Photography’s List of Tips and Hints

1) No logos or writing on shirts/clothing.  This distracts the viewer of your images, and the overall effect will not be what you hope for.

2) No loud prints/bright colours for wardrobe.  Indeed – neutral shades (but not beige) are the best and if you must do a print – please make sure it is small and elegant – not super bright, big or loud.  It distracts the eye and takes away from the subjects faces/activity.

3) Try and match your wardrobe based on colour pallets – much like you would get when picking out paint.  If you are having pictures done in the fall, you could take your favourite colour – for example, Plum – and type that into Google or Pinterest such as “plum colour pallets,” and it will bring up thousands of coordinating colour options for you to select clothes by.  Your style is an important contributor to the overall look, but unless you are trying to mix clothing styles from different decades, you will likely be ok so long as the season and the colours go together nicely.

4) Make sure hair is done if it is doable.  If you are having a child photographed, I am a huge fan of styling toddler’s hair if it is long enough to curl it, straighten it – make it look kept.  There are a time and place to let your hair down – and that time may come during the session, but hair that looks nice adds to the finished polished – yet effortless – looking image.

5) Moisturize.  Please make sure to cream up the kids and yourself before you go.  I never really noticed this at all in my photography career until just this year.  My kids – who have beautiful creamy ivory skin looked like small elephants because their skin was dry.  I can fix that in photoshop, but nothing is as accurate as the perfection that comes from a little cream.

6) Brush your teeth – enough said ;).

7) No temporary tattoos.  I will charge extra to remove those if there are more then one and you want them gone.  They are a real pain to get rid of – usually, because they always seem to be blue and black and take a lot of time.  It’s much easier to either remove them before the shoot or embrace them :).

These are just little tidbits, but VERY important for a fantastic shoot with Suzanne Taylor Photography.  All photographers have a particular style and to make sure you get as close to the images you want, taking the time to make sure all the ingredients are there can make the recipe perfect.

Clothing Inspiration from Suzanne Taylor Photography

I have published a list of great places to buy adult and children’s clothes before for sessions in other posts, but in the name of keeping it simple I have re-added this list:

• Suzanne Taylor Photography Dress Bank – Children’s Clothes
• Zara – Adult and Children’s Clothes
• Gap – Adult and Children’s Clothes
• Tutu Du Monde – High-End Tutu Dresses for Girls
• Joyfolie – Women’s and Children’s Clothes

Ultimately, the photography session you have booked with Suzanne Taylor Photography is your own and I always suggest wearing clothes that make you feel the very best.  If you want to check with me prior to your session to make sure your selections are on point, I would love to provide that service to you.  I want you to LOVE your photographs – not just like them, and your clothing and other little details can sometimes make the difference.

Warmly,
Suzanne