Ultimately, I want you 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 yourself in. An old band t-shirt and ripped jeans? Perfect. Who cares if you look back at the photos 20 years from now and laugh about what you’re wearing? Or who cares what your mom thinks what you should wear? As long as it represents what you guys are like 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 the same beat-up Star Wars t-shirt and chucks every day. Pinky promise he’ll be way more happy 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 to bring 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!

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 3-4 pairs of bottoms and 4-5 tops each, then you can bring dresses, accessories, jackets, hats, etc. 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! We can try to find a nearby restroom to change into, or we can find a very secluded spot so no one sees you. If you’re still not okay with those options, you can wear the outfit to the location! 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

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, canyons, waterfalls bring shoes with good grip and you won’t twist your ankles in (p.s. heels are almost always a bad idea in most scenarios, unless you’re freakishly good at walking in them haha!). If we are shooting on a sandy beach, it would look weird if you’re wearing boots or sneakers. If it’s freezing cold outside, bring lots of layers and warm clothes that you would like being photographed in. Be as comfortable as you can be!

Make sure that materials you wear will keep you comfortable during the shoot not only for temperature reasons but also for being able to move around in. If you brought brand new jeans that are still stiff and tight or a new dress you haven’t had the chance to wear yet, you might be distracted during the shoot trying to make sure everything stays in place as well as lets you sit, run, and move around in. I recommend bringing clothes that are “broken in” so that you’ll be as comfortable as possible. I also love when people bring clothing or accessories that can show movement by catching wind, because it adds energy to the photos and look freakin’ gorgeous!

PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS

Color

I typically recommend sticking with neutrals and earthy tones. Neutrals doesn’t mean just grays and browns, there’s neutrals of every color (mustard yellow, forest green, navy blue, burnt orange, etc). Stay away from bright, fluorescent distracting colors. The only specific colors I typically recommend to stay away from are pinks, bright oranges, and reds. If you have dark or olive tones skin it might be an exception with the 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 just check with me! If you’re still feeling lost, look through some of my past galleries for more color scheme inspo!

Patterns: Avoid big, loud, chunky, crazy, patterns

The smaller or more subtle, the better! If the pattern is too loud, it will distract from your faces. Stripes, polka dots, or flannel is always a yes in my book. 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 your faces and the location. Also, be sure to iron your clothes the day before so there aren't huge wrinkles distracting from your faces either! Marie Kondo your clothes if you need to fold them haha!

Accessories

I love when couples bring hats, sunglasses, scarves, jewelry, etc because it’s nice to pair them with different outfit options.

Just avoid wearing bulky watches / Fitbit so they don’t distract from your faces when I’m getting close up shots.

Props

When I think “props”, my mind flashes through all of the cringe-worthy Pinterest photos I’ve seen of cheesy quotes on chalkboards and Hobby Lobby props brought to shoots that just makes me wanna barf. But props don’t have to be cheesy! Props could be a Dominos pizza picnic, a motorcycle, your dogs (if you have a pup and don’t bring them I’ll be so sad), blankets, truck/van, things to build a campfire, a bouquet, a surfboard, etc. If you have props you wanna incorporate, let me know and we can make sure to include them in a non-cheesy way!