clothing guidelines for clients

[katia]

now that i've got a few portrait shoots under my belt, i'm really starting to wonder weather or not any of you guys have "guidelines" for your clients on the day of their shoot? do your clients actually FOLLOW those guidelines?

so far things i try and tell my clients are

1) make sure your outfit will not clash horribly with the other members of the shoot. we don't need one girl showing up in bright orange and the other in pink...vomit!

2) make sure you will not be matching! unless you're twins, of course

3) avoid wearing clothing with big logos, writing, or graphics, as they're too distracting

4) (i just learned this one on my last shoot) try not to match your shirt to the hair color!

i had a girl show up in a black jacket and she has jet black hair. it all just kind of blends in and i feel makes the photos too dark.

are there any other "dressing" guidelines you peeps would suggest?

[autofocus]

Not hard and fast but jewelry can sometimes be a problem. Big shiny items will draw the viewer's eye like a fish to a lure. Coordinating somewhat conservative clothing (no stripes, plaids mixed, etc) always seems to work out best for group shots of 2 or more. I also feel that long sleeves work best when shooting girls/women with heavier upper arms. Again, your eye will be naturally drawn to that large, bright area of the arms, especially in tighter portrait shots. When possible, avoiding colors like bright orange and red that tend to "blossom" is probably smart.

[Biomech]

Textures and patterns for black and white shots

[SusanH1970]

I have an info sheet I send them - here's what it says:


Simple, classic and well-fitting is best; trendy is okay as long as it’s not over-the-top. You don’t need to match, but coordinated works well. Whether bright or neutral, colors are great as long as they don’t clash. Please avoid a crazy mix of busy prints, stripes, plaids, logos, etc.

If you’re more formal and like dressing up, go right ahead! If you’re more the blue jeans type, that’s great, too. Don’t be afraid to accessorize, either. Think fun, fresh and coordinated.

If you’re unsure, have a few outfits picked out and I can assist you in choosing the ones that will look the best. Also keep footwear in mind – sneakers or old, beat up shoes are not the most flattering.

If you normally wear makeup, then just wear it the way you usually do. If you don’t ever wear it, don’t feel like you have to for your portrait. Hair should obviously be clean and styled the way you like it. If you have young children, please be sure their hair is brushed and their faces are clean.

Those are the basics. Please do feel free to contact me before your session if you have any other questions!


Some follow it well, others...not so much. I also make it clear that if they are unhappy with the portraits because of what they're wearing, I will NOT do a reshoot.

[CurlyCorry]

Originally Posted by SusanH1970

I have an info sheet I send them - here's what it says:


Simple, classic and well-fitting is best; trendy is okay as long as it’s not over-the-top. You don’t need to match, but coordinated works well. Whether bright or neutral, colors are great as long as they don’t clash. Please avoid a crazy mix of busy prints, stripes, plaids, logos, etc.

If you’re more formal and like dressing up, go right ahead! If you’re more the blue jeans type, that’s great, too. Don’t be afraid to accessorize, either. Think fun, fresh and coordinated.

If you’re unsure, have a few outfits picked out and I can assist you in choosing the ones that will look the best. Also keep footwear in mind – sneakers or old, beat up shoes are not the most flattering.

If you normally wear makeup, then just wear it the way you usually do. If you don’t ever wear it, don’t feel like you have to for your portrait. Hair should obviously be clean and styled the way you like it. If you have young children, please be sure their hair is brushed and their faces are clean.

Those are the basics. Please do feel free to contact me before your session if you have any other questions!


Some follow it well, others...not so much. I also make it clear that if they are unhappy with the portraits because of what they're wearing, I will NOT do a reshoot.

This seem so obvious to me but you have it in your list for a reason no doubt, lol....

[SusanH1970]

Originally Posted by CurlyCorry

This seem so obvious to me but you have it in your list for a reason no doubt, lol....

You'd be surprised how many people show up with their kids' hair in knots and dirty faces! The attitude seems to be, "You can photoshop that out, right?" Seriously.

[katia]

wow you guys all had some really great advice!

the jewelry one is not one i thought of yet. and when i get into shooting children i'm going to bring a set of babywipes myself, JUST IN CASE because NO i WILL NOT photoshop your childs face if there is spaghetti sauce on it. i can't believe how many people think that.

[ChrisAdval]

Originally Posted by katia

now that i've got a few portrait shoots under my belt, i'm really starting to wonder weather or not any of you guys have "guidelines" for your clients on the day of their shoot? do your clients actually FOLLOW those guidelines?

my guidelines...

- not too many patterns, designs, stripes...

- I like more natural tone colors on clothing, such as no green, orange, yellow, harsh colors that over powers the photo's goal which is normally the model's face, or figure, or product. And if I'm doing studio work and will work with only one backdrop for the shoot like dark colors (i.e. black) I would have them wear wardrobe thats brighter than the background for easy separation and not have the wardrobe blend into the backdrop.

- no logos unless its intentional like advertising photography

[SwissJon]

My Advice.. Wear clothes you're comfortable in.. I've seen so many people in stuffy posh clothes for their portraits and the end up looking nothing like what they do in normal life.. More than that, because they're not used to looking like that, they don't know how to wear the clothes, so they look uncomfortable, the clothes are usually ill fitting, and just look plain wrong.

[Bruce A]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

My Advice.. Wear clothes you're comfortable in.. I've seen so many people in stuffy posh clothes for their portraits and the end up looking nothing like what they do in normal life.. More than that, because they're not used to looking like that, they don't know how to wear the clothes, so they look uncomfortable, the clothes are usually ill fitting, and just look plain wrong.

Or no clothes if you're a female with a nice figure

Kidding of course (unless specified), but lots of good advice. Chris made a good point re studio portraits. The clothing and the backdrop contrast is obviously important, however some nice work can be done with high/low key in mind.

Do any of you who take outdoor children and/or family shots take anything along in case of kids messing themselves (running around -falling over, being sick etc) like water and cloths, medical kits or anything else for the unexpected?