Wardrobe Wednesday | Planning Ahead

It’s going to be really hard for me not to type in all caps here because I LOVE this post, and I’m really, really, REALLY excited about it! (Can you tell?!) I think it was one of those things that seemed obvious to us, but on second thought, it might not be so obvious to those not immersed in portraiture. I mean, just because I see a cute shirt and immediately start imagining the perfect setting and outfit for a photo session doesn’t mean everyone does that! LOL!

So now I’ll pass it over to Shannon who details how to choose your outfits based on where you want to hang your images in your home — complete with visuals. And if you’re thinking, “Oh, great! Now I have to match my clothes AND my home decor?” Don’t sweat it. It’s easier than you think! And perhaps a great jumping-off point if you’re not sure where to start.

Here’s what she has to say:

When planning your shoot, whether you are the photographer or the client, you likely discuss the following: prices, products, location and wardrobe. Am I right? Shake your head yes, please! Location and wardrobe are SO important to a photoshoot. They are both essentially what MAKES the shoot. I don’t care whether the location is a bedroom, the beach or a downtown area, I bet most clients have a specific “look” in mind when booking their session. But sometimes it’s difficult to actually coordinate all of that. Enter Wardrobe Wednesday.

I was thinking it was about time for something a bit different around here, so we Wardrobe Wednesday girls collaborated and came up with the following concept. Photographers, make sure you share this with your clients!

When planning your session, think about where you are going to display their photos. I am an advocate of getting your photos printed HUGE and hung on your wall. It’s all about the wall art, and what better wall art to hang than your beautiful family? I see far too many people purchasing the “disc” and doing nothing with it. Get those gorgeous photos printed and HANG THEM, mkay?!?!?

So now that we’ve got that settled, think about where you’d like to hang them. Would you prefer a display in your living room? Bedroom? Dining room? Wherever you choose, consider your decor and colors. Is your decor contemporary and colorful? Is it shabby chic? Traditional? You’ll want to take these things into account when planning your wardrobe. If your decor is traditional, you’ll likely enjoy a more traditional look to your shoot. Chances are you won’t choose a colorful and trendy look. Are you following me yet? Okay good.

I do best explaining things while using my hands, but since they are busy typing and you can’t see me, I will have to use examples. Here’s a personal story:
I was a client a year and a half ago when I booked the lovely and talented Jean Smith of Jean Smith Photography. I was going to be on the other side of the lens and I was FREAKING.OUT. What should we wear? Where should we do our shoot? I decided to start with location first. I had seen Jean’s work time and time again, and I really enjoyed a combo of some urban/downtown shots and some grassy areas. So Jean suggested a downtown location. Phew. Now that was out of the way. Next up? Wardrobe of course!

I viewed some samples of where we’d be shooting and saw lots of greens, red brick, grays and blacks and other splashes of color. So, where to start? FIRST, I thought about where we’d proudly be displaying the art of US. We have high ceilings and lots of wall space, so we would be hanging HUGE enlargements of course. I looked around at my house. I LOVE lots of color and have several different colors throughout my open floor plan. If you stand in the living room, you can see the kitchen, breakfast nook and dining room. One thing that is consistent is RED. I have pops of red everywhere. I heart it, as you can see.