BUSINESS portrait session TIPS
what to wear + how to prepare for your portrait session
WHAT TO WEAR
There is no one right way to dress for portrait sessions - it all depends on you. That said, here are some general ideas for picking out an outfit (or, ideally, outfits) that makes you feel like you and that fits with the rest of your business content.
1. THINK OF YOUR BRAND COLORS/PATTERNS
Take into consideration how the colors and patterns of the outfit are going to look next to the brand colors on your website, social media, etc. I *love* me a colorful, pattern-ful outfit, you'll just want to take care that you like the way it looks when placed within the context of your personal brand.
2. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WEAR TO WORK
When trying to decide formality level, consider what you wear when you're interacting with others at your place of work. If you don't wear a suit when dealing with clients/employers, no need to suit up for your portrait. What's appropriate for a yoga instructor may be completely different than what a dentist might want to wear.
3. DO YOU HAVE A "UNIFORM"?
I don't mean an actual uniform, but rather a style of clothing that you wear so often it might as well be. For me it's high-waisted pants and crop tops, they always hit me in just the right spots. Hell, if it ain't broke don't fix it!
4. BRING OPTIONS
Have you a little trying-on party the night before and then bring 3 or 4 options with you. Then we can explore together how those options look against the different background options for your portrait.
5. JEWELRY
If you typically express yourself through jewelry no need to stop now! Perhaps take a favorite piece and build your outfit backwards from there, either making a strong piece stand out by backing it with a solid color or going bold and mixing and matching patterns. Just don't forget to keep your brand colors/patterns in mind!
6. DO (or don't do) MAKEUP HOWEVER YOU DO (or don't do) MAKEUP
No need to hire a makeup artist unless that's your preference. I do provide very light retouching of distracting/temporary issues but other than that let's just look like real people.
7. DO YOU
All that being said, there really are no rules and I am totally happy to experiment and play and try any manner of different things within our time constraints. You're unique and so should be your portrait session. Let's get weird!
HOW TO PREPARE
1. MAKE SURE YOU'RE CLEAN AND TIDY
You'll want to be bathed and have clean hair as well as laundered and ironed clothing. Groom yourself like you would to meet with a client or employer.
2. CHAPPED LIP TRICKS
Put on the moisturizer of your choice (I use chapstick) the night before your portrait session right before bed. The next morning, if any remaining crusty stuff remains, try putting a little sugar in a container, wet your finger, dip it in the sugar, and then use it to exfoliate. Ta-da! Add more lip moisturizer afterwords to keep them nice and soft.
DAY OF PORTRAIT
CHECKLIST
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Bring clothing options
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Bring chapstick
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Take stuff out of your pockets
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Take the scrunchie off your arm
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Das it!
