1. Where are you shooting and does that affect your outfits? Seeing a couple in casual outfits/ at a park makes sense, you don’t really think too much about it because it’s not unusual. When your location matches your outfits, the subjects (the people) become the ‘story’ of the photo. When your location doesn’t match your outfit, it adds a tiny disjointed look, that may make your photo more interesting, but may have the viewer thinking more about what’s happening/ why they are there vs the people and their connection.
2. I’ll be talking about cohesiveness a lot but this one thing we need to address before we get into planning. The couple has to be on the same level of fancy. One can’t look like he’s ready to go out for wings and one look like she’s ready to walk the runway. Or one is ready to head to church, but the other looks like they just wrapped up a couple of games of basketball. Both, fancy up, or both fancy down. One isn’t better than the other, but it helps to choose.
3. Ok a little bit into the nitty-gritty. If the people are the story of the photo, let’s not take away from that by adding distracting clothes. I have seen amazing photos where the fashion is bold and I love it, but if the goal is to capture the connection between the couple, toning it down can really work in your favor. SO: -no distracting logos (tiny ones are ok)
-be wary of big patterns
-limit the number of people wearing patterns
-if you choose to wear a hat, be mindful of logos, because it’s just something that distracts from your face, especially being so close to your face
4. DO NOT CHOOSE AN OUTFIT THAT ONLY LOOKS GOOD FROM 1 ANGLE OR WHEN YOU’RE SUCKING IN. wow, sorry for yelling, but seriously, you need to be able to move, breathe and enjoy yourself without worrying about your outfit. 🥰 🤗
Okkkkur! This is what you’ve come for: How I do it:
a. Think about your style/vibe Preppy, bohemian, hippie, chic/sophisticated, formal, casual, rocker… I don’t know why I’m listing these, you probably already have an idea of your fav look. lol
b. Decide a location. I always use the background/ location as a source of inspiration for the colours and level of fanciness. If you were shooting in a beautiful luxury hotel, you probably would want to dress up a bit, or the opposite if you're shooting in your house, you may want it to look more 'normal' with some comfier clothes.
c. Choose a single outfit, after you pick your vibe you may have thought of one particular outfit. Grab it out. This is your starting point.
d. I would choose my partner's clothes to compliment or match. I would suggest not introducing too many colors, less than a handful.
2021 Spring Ideas
This is a great outfit combo!
Women's Cardigan
Light Floral Dress
Men's Pants
Men's Shirt
Men's Jacket
Another, bright but earthy combo! Men's Pants White Dress Mens Sweater Women's Hat Womens