Planning the Proper Clothing
for your Portrait Session

This Is All For YOUR Benefit!

The selection of proper clothing for your portrait is a critical factor in the preparation for a successful portrait. The goal of any fine portrait is to direct the viewer's attention to the face or faces in the portrait. All other elements should be secondary. If the clothing is noticeable in a portrait, it could easily become a distraction. Clothing that does not attract attention to itself is the ultimate goal. It could be the difference between a very successful portrait and just another picture. We can not stress enough how important it is for you to observe the following criteria. It is quite possible that if inappropriate clothing is selected, the photographer may ask you to change your selection before the portrait sitting is made.

Dark Clothing Tends to Slenderize

Darker clothing helps to blend the bodies with the background, so that the faces are the most important part of the photograph. Dark colors definitely tend to slenderize the subject. Light colors seem to add weight to the bodies. Light and dark tones together create visual confusion, as one subject comes forward and the other recedes.

The color of the clothing should always be toned down. Bright colors attract attention away from the face. Colors MUST be dark and not bright. Avoid light colors that approximate flesh tones such as beige, tan, peach, pink, white, and yellow. This is ESSENTIAL! Prints and any kind of pattern - no matter how small - become a distraction. Bold stripes, plaids, checks, and prints are confusing and do not photograph well. In the case of digital portraits, in particular, small patterns in clothing (even a small herring-bone or checkered pattern) can cause terrible distortions to appear in the portrait that are not originally there.

Avoid Short Sleeve Clothing and Short Pants

Long sleeved clothing is a MUST! For casual portraits it is equally important to wear long pants instead of shorts. When arms and legs are exposed to the camera there will be more flesh in the photograph in those areas than on the face, itself. This is a major distraction.

White shirts and/or blouses under a dark jacket are perfect. A scarf loosely tied around the neck also helps to frame a face beautifully when a collarless blouse or sweater is worn. Neckties should definitely be toned-down in color and with a minimum of pattern.

This portrait breaks almost every rule in the book. Short sleeves and deep neckline on the mother, takes attention away from her face. Light pink sweater plus the light patterned dress on her daughter on her lap and the flowered dress on the other girl make this family portrait a failure. Dad is the only one properly dressed!

Proper Necklines for a Portrait

The most flattering neckline for anyone is something that comes up close to the neck. A wide-open neckline tends to thicken the neck in a photograph. On the other hand, a neckline that comes up to the base of the neck - a turtleneck or a v-neck top is the most flattering. It tends to slim down the person and frames the face beautifully.

Finally, lay out all the clothing onto a bed. Shoes, socks, stockings (dark hose is mandatory) - everything should be included ...shoes, too! Then, take a careful look at the collection. If your eye goes to any one item in particular, you can be certain that the same thing will happen in a photograph. That item should be changed.

Clothing should not be too tight or too loose. Clothing below the waistline should be darker than above. Otherwise, even light jeans worn below a darker top could easily attract attention to the lower part of the body and away from the face. 

Group Portraits

Clothing for group portraits must be carefully selected to blend the bodies together. First, decide whether the basic tone of the clothing will be warm-toned (browns, etc.) or cool-toned (blues/grays/blacks, etc.) In a family group, proper clothing coordination is critical. When decorating a home, a major concern is to coordinate the colors and tones of the walls, carpets, draperies and furniture. This kind of coordination also is necessary when selecting clothing for a group portrait. Choose clothing in the same tonal ranges so that no single member of the family stands out because the clothing is too light or bright as compared to the rest of the group. Then, make sure to follow all of the above instructions.     

For a beach portrait session it is sometimes a good idea to dress in light colored clothing, so that the bodies will blend with the light-colored sand. In this situation all white or pastel clothing works fine. All white clothing is great. White shirts and jeans work well, too. White shirts with beige pants is even better. Staying all in light tones can be very effective in this type of environment. Still, remember to dress everyone in the portrait similarly. You have to blend the bodies of everyone together, so that the faces stand out. This is essential particularly in a group portrait.

Hair Style and Makeup

Hair styles should be SIMPLE and MUST be off the face. Hair falling down onto the sides of the face (currently very much in style) create distracting shadows. Bangs that come down too low onto the face will keep light from getting into the subject's eyes - the very most important part of the face. Eye makeup should be blended - no sharp demarcation lines between colors. AVOID WHITE above or below the eyes. It does not photograph well at all. Too much color above and below the eyes attracts attention to itself. It actually takes attention AWAY from the eyes, rather than attracting the viewer to the eyes. Foundation makeup should be blended at the jawline, so that there is no demarcation between the face and the neck.

Glasses

Your portraits are meant to be enjoyed for generations to come. Fad-type clothing should be avoided, unless you are planning to have new portraits made annually.

You will feel very rewarded when you view your photographs. All of your efforts will be worthwhile.