What to Wear
Don’t overthink it.
Just dress with intention.
What you wear matters, but it
doesn’t need to be complicated.
Start with pieces that fit well,
feel comfortable, and work
together in color and texture.
What to Wear
Start with what feels
like you.
You do not need a brand-new wardrobe for your session. The best place to start is with clothes you already feel good wearing — comfortable, flattering, and familiar.
In general, simple photographs well. Think texture, layers, soft patterns, and colors that work together without everyone matching exactly. Avoid anything that feels distracting or makes you spend the whole session adjusting it.
“You should notice the people first. The clothes come second.”
The blocks below will walk you through colors, patterns, coordinating a group, and a few things that tend to photograph better than others.
Use it as guidance, not a rulebook. You should still look like yourself.
Color
Build a palette,
not a uniform.
You don’t need everyone in the same color.
In fact, please don’t.
The days of everybody in white tops and
jeans on the beach had a good run. We can
let them rest now.
Start with two or three colors that work
well together, then mix in neutrals.
Earthy, muted, and slightly softened tones
tend to photograph beautifully because
they work with the surroundings instead
of competing with them.
Cream, camel, olive, rust, denim, dusty
blue, warm brown, and muted rose are all
good places to start.
Coordinated is the goal. Matching isn’t.
Patterns
Let one pattern
do the talking.
Patterns are absolutely fine. I just don’t
want everyone competing for attention at
the same time.
If one person is wearing a floral, plaid,
stripe, or other print, use the colors in
that piece to help guide everyone else.
Smaller, softer patterns usually photograph
better than anything oversized or very high
contrast.
Big logos, giant graphics, and words across
the front of a shirt tend to become the
first thing you notice in a photograph.
And unless the session is actually sponsored
by Nike, I probably don’t need the swoosh
taking center stage.
You should notice the people first.
The clothes come second.
Texture + Layers
Give the outfit
a little depth.
Texture is one of the easiest ways to make
a simple outfit photograph beautifully.
Think knits, linen, denim, corduroy, lace,
suede, or anything with a little movement
and dimension. Layers help too — jackets,
cardigans, overshirts, scarves, or a dress
with some flow.
They add interest without screaming for
attention, and they give me more to work
with when I’m posing you.
Just don’t pile on so much that getting
dressed becomes an engineering project.
Simple can still have personality.
PICK THE PLACE, I’LL BRING THE CAMERA
"SHE WAS ABLE TO TAKE MY DAUGHTER'S VISION OF WHAT SHE WANTED AND MAKE IT EVEN BETTER THEN WE COULD HAVE IMAGINED."
"Working with Erin for my daughter's senior session was an amazing experience! She was able to take my daughter's vision of what she wanted and make it even better then we could have imagined. She's very laid back and Kendall was really able to let her guard down and just be herself in front of the camera. We all spent most of the session laughing. Erin was also fast and got our pictures to us in record time and ohhh! They are beautiful!! We couldn't be happier. I would definitely recommend Erin and Elm Photography to anyone looking to have professional photos done."
You're Ready
Now let's make
great photos.
great photos.
You've got the look sorted — let's put it all together. Book your session and we'll handle the rest from here.
Book Your Session
