What To Wear For Your Branding Photoshoot: My Top Tips!

What To Wear For Your Branding Photoshoot: My Top Tips!

Whether it’s your first ever branding photoshoot, or you are a dab hand at striking those poses in front of the lens…the decision to invest in brand photography for your business is a smart one…but one of the questions I get asked most by entrepreneurs and small business owners is…

Help! What on Earth should I wear?!

If you are interested, the top10 questions I get asked are in a blog right here!

Your outfit choices are important, and it’s not just about looking good, your choices are about aligning your photos with your brand message, personality, and values. In this blog, I’m going to walk your through some elements you need to consider when choosing what to wear for your branding shoot so that you can show up feeling confident, comfortable and perfectly on-brand!

And as a side note…if we work together on your branding photoshoot, we go through your outfit (and prop) selection in our planning calls, and I will help guide you through the whole process!

1.   Consider WHY you are having these shots taken.

When you create your shot list, you will decide on what types of shots you need (lifestyle, headshots, mock ups, product etc). Think a little deeper – why do you need these exact types of shots? It could be for an offer or product launch, or a podcast cover, or social media, or your website (or a mix of all!)…when thinking about the context of ‘why’, you can then decide on what emotions you want to come through your images, and what you want your ideal client to FEEL when they see them…and this is going to help you decide what clothing aligns with that feeling.

For example, a brand with a laid back vibe, wanting to be welcoming and invoke warmth in the images, will probably lean more towards casual clothing, with fabrics that are comfortable and homely, such as denim jeans and a crisp white shirt (and a smile 😊), or maybe even a cosy sweater. A brand that screams ‘bossbabe’ may lean towards a statement suit, or a tailored jackets that radiates confidence and professionalism.

A good marker for what you choose to wear is this: think about how you would dress in a meeting with the person you want to see your images.

2.     Branding colours

I have some clients who wear their branding colours, and the shots are incredible…I’ve included a stunning photo of my client Sarah below, and yes, one of her branding colours is pink 😉



I’ve got other clients who prefer to stick to a neutral palette and let their props and accessories be the pop of colour linked to their brand.

There is no right or wrong answer to this and it all comes down to what you are most comfortable in and where you are in your business journey.

If you are rebranding then we may emphasis your brand colours more, to really highlight that switch across to the new brand, but if you are just starting out and not quite sure which colours you want to use, or if you know that it’s ‘a yellow’ but not sure if it’s neon or mustard, then we would be more likely to stick to a neutral base and add different hues of the colour to give you more flexibility in your choices. This is why in the questionnaire I send you as we plan your shoot, I will ask what your brands vibe is alongside the colour palette if you have it.

As well as thinking about your outfits, remember that props can make a big impact in the images so consider using props that are in your brand colour wheel.

3.     Prioritise comfort and confidence

I cannot emphasis this highly enough…if you are uncomfortable in what you are wearing, it will show all over your face!

What to avoid:

• Anything too tight or too baggy – it can distort your shape in photos (see below for a personal example – I was on holiday wearing a very loose red dress but for the photo, hiked the dress up and made an angle by raising my knee to change the shape of the dress and stop it looking like a red sack!). Although in real life, loose clothing flows as you move and those movements show your shape, on camera those outfits are frozen in time!

• Skip fabrics that wrinkle easily or reflect too much light (such as shiny satin) – although I will caveat this that it also depends on the colour of the fabric and the lighting in the shot – in the stunning shot of my client Vicky (below), her jumpsuit was beautiful but also wrinkled easily! As you can see, the dark fabric and clever positioning of her legs helped the fabric to drape and made the wrinkles work for us instead of becoming something that draws the eye!



4.     Plan for layers and variety, including shoes!

Don’t forget your shoes! I always check in with my clients the night before the shoot, to dispel any last minute nerves, make sure they are happy with the shoot location and shot list, to go over outfit choices and weather options…and to remind them not to forget to bring more than one pair of shoes, especially if we are travelling between locations!

When choosing your outfits, get as much ‘bang for your buck’  by layering parts of your outfit so you can get 2 or 3 different varieties before you need to completely change.

Ideas for layering:

-         A tank top, layered with a jumper, layered with a blazer, cardigan or leather jacket (3 top options right there!)

-         Scarves, hats, jewellery that can easily be paired with all outfits and completely change the look, especially when doing zoomed in detail shots

-         A mix of casual and formal pieces – such as a pair of jeans with a crisp tailored shirt – gives the option for full length portraits or close up headshots

5.     Bring options that coordinate, not match

When choosing outfits, think about items that work well together but don’t necessarily match. I find the easiest way to think about this is that if my husband and I downsized our house and I could only have 1 wardrobe, what would my capsule wardrobe look like? Those items that you could almost pull out blindfolded (or early in the morning before any caffeine has hit the system), throw on, and know that you will have an outfit that is (mostly) coordinated.

Once you’ve figured out the coordinated outfits, THEN add the accessories 😊

One thing to mention is your shoot location – when I work with clients, we have planning calls and I scout locations for them that match their brand. Once you know your locations, have a good look at the outfits your want to wear at each. Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing like a little ‘shock and awe’ in photos, such as having a nature shoot but deciding that you want to wear a bossbabe style, suited and booted tailored suit to make those images pop against the nature background…that’s the beauty of photography and art – we can create whatever is in your mind. Not sure what this would look like? Well, stick around because my amazing client Shahleeni is going for this exact type of look in her shoot with me in a couple of months – I’ll add photos to the blog I write about her shoot!

(whenever we do a shoot together, I write a blog about your business, upload it to my website and shout about it on social media to give you access to my audience as well as yours!)

Power suits and nature aside…what is normal attire for YOU in each location. Maybe it’s athletic wear in the park, or loungewear in your kitchen, or jeans and jumper when out shooting lifestyle shots with your dog….whatever it is, plan for outfits that match how YOU show up in that environment 😊

A couple of extra tips…!

-         Where you can, avoid other peoples logos on your clothing…although if it can’t be helped, that’s the beauty of editing!

-         When choosing accessories, think compliment not distraction!

-         Make up – people want to be able to recognise you as you. Especially if you build an online relationship before meeting in person! Keep this in mind when changing your makeup or hairstyle for the shoot.

-         Should you wear your glasses in your shoot? When I’m asked this question, my counter question is, ‘do you always wear them? Is it how people are used to seeing you?’ If the answer is yes, then so is mine! BUT, sometimes you might also wear contact lenses…so we can always take shots both with and without – see an example below of my client Laura!

You’ve probably realised by now that choosing your outfit(s) for your branding photoshoot is about more than just looking good on the day…it’s about aligning with, and telling your brand story in a way that feels authentic

and true to you. When you feel confident and aligned in what you are wearing, it will show in your photos and create a strong visual identity that will connect with your ideal client.

I work with bold entrepreneurs who want to make their mark in the world, and small business owners who dream big…if this is you, and you want to have a consistent visual identity that draws your ideal client to you,

then I would LOVE to work with you on your branding photoshoot – send me your details through my enquiry form and let’s talk!