Journal · 17 May 2026
What to wear to a portrait session
Practical advice on clothing, colour and layers — the questions that come up before every single shoot.
This is the most common question I get, and most of the advice online is either too vague to use or too prescriptive to follow. Here is what actually makes a difference, roughly in order of how much it matters.
Wear something you already own and like
The single strongest predictor of a good portrait is whether the person feels like themselves. A new outfit bought for the session almost always reads as slightly costumed, and you will spend the first half hour adjusting it. Pick things you have worn enough to forget about.
Favour texture over pattern
Knits, linen, denim, corduroy, wool — anything with surface interest photographs beautifully, because texture is what light actually does something with. Busy prints and tight stripes compete with your face for attention and occasionally do strange things to a digital sensor.
Keep the palette narrow
Two or three colours across the whole outfit, and across the whole group if there is more than one of you. They do not need to match — they need to not argue. Muted and mid-toned colours are the safest; very bright saturated colours reflect onto skin and tint it.
Bring a layer
A jacket, a cardigan, an overshirt. Layers give us a second look without a second outfit, they solve the problem of standing still outdoors for an hour, and they give your hands somewhere to go.
A few specifics
- Sleeves photograph more comfortably than bare arms for most people
- Avoid logos unless the logo is the point
- Shoes get in more frames than you expect, so check them
- Iron things, because wrinkles are far more visible in a photograph than in a mirror
- Skip the brand-new haircut — book it a week ahead, not the day before
For families and groups
Dress the group as one palette rather than matching outfits. Pick the most complicated person’s outfit first, usually a child’s, and build everyone else around it. And bring a change for anyone under about six, because you will need it.
If you are stuck, send me photographs of two or three options before the day. I would much rather spend ten minutes on that than have you worry about it.