The hardest part of any photography session is figuring out what in the world to wear. The pressure can feel unreal when it becomes about more than just looking good in your photos, but also representing your business. But do not fear. I have three easy questions you can ask yourself that will help you plan the perfect outfits for your business or personal branding session.
The Brand Photography Outfit Planning Framework:
- How do I want to feel at the brand photography session?
- What are my most meaningful outfits and accessories?
- What is my go to outfit for ________________?
Keep reading and we’ll dig into these three questions and go over some examples of brands who did it well.
Additional Outfit Planning Considerations
Inside of these three questions, I encourage you to also think about things like brand colors, your website, and what will look good with your brand.
1. How do I want to feel at the brand photography shoot?
Do you want to feel casual and approachable or high-end and luxury? Friendly? Professional? Something else? And maybe it is a mix of feelings? There are no wrong answers here, but thinking about this question when planning your session can make a huge difference in how well your brand photos tell your business’ story and connects with your ideal clients.
How Maggie Incorporated her Brand’s Vibe
At Maggie’s branding session, she mixed luxury with relatability by wearing a blazer in her brand color, a classy white top, and then a robe to show how her products may be used by a client in their own home.
2. What are my most meaningful items of clothing and accessories?
Let’s dig into meaningful clothing items. Both in terms of your business and brand as well as your own personal style.
Thinking about your business or brand style
Is there a clothing brand that is significant to you or your business? Perhaps a style you love to talk about? Maybe you even follow a dress code? What are your brand colors and what colors compliment them?
Incorporating Personal Preferences
Also consider, what do I feel GREAT in? Are there outfits I get excited to tell my friends where I bought them? Are there any heirloom jewelry pieces that compliment my outfits or other accessories that would give me an additional talking point when planning social media captions or on my website about page?
Outfit Trends to Avoid!
One caveat here is to avoid anything too trendy or bold patterns. These will make it easy for your audience to recognize and remember your outfits so they might think ‘huh, she is using another image from that one brand session’, rather than subconsciously taking in the outfit and styling and focusing on the overall feeling of the image.
How Angie Used Meaningful Clothing Styles & Colors
Angie from Lucky Little Learners has a very colorful brand as a curriculum designer. Her clients are teachers in the elementary school classroom and Angie chose outfits that feel relatable to what they might wear on an average day to work. Jean jackets are also a piece of clothing that Angie feels great in and enjoys wearing.
3. What are my go to outfits for ….. ?
What are my go-to outfits:
- To Relax
- To a Client Interview
- To Feel Confident
- To the Office
- If I’m out Working at a Coffee Shop
- For a Powersuit
- etc.
Then find the overlap in style, colors, textures, and accessories.
Its About Authenticity so Your Brand Feels Real
Think about what situations and scenarios we are showing in your branding session and pick outfits that feel authentic to those situations. For example, it would be weird to wear a ballroom gown while working at your computer, right? That example might be a bit extreme, but hopefully, it helps paint a mental picture of our goal here.
How Alecs Matched Branding Session Story Lines to Outfits
At Alecs’ session, we worked through multiple scenarios, such as working in the office, behind the scenes at a wedding, and relaxing. You can see how each outfit feels realistic to the situation and like Alec is in her element. Also, notice how Alecs used layers to create variety without having to do a complete outfit change. This is a great way to get extra content from your session without wasting time in the dressing room.
Now that you have read through these three tips, are you feeling more empowered to choose the best outfits for your brand? Let me know in the comments. I would love to hear from you.
[…] that her teacher clients can see themselves wearing. (Learn more about planning outfits on my what to wear blog post). We also focused on props they either love and use or dream of adding to their classroom […]