HOW TO DRESS TO MATCH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER’S EDITING STYLE | SPOKANE’S TOP PHOTOGRAPHER ANSWERS YOUR BIGGEST SESSION PLANNING QUESTIONS
You can book the best photographer in town and spend a ton of money on your wardrobe and STILL not get fantastic results in your photos. So what went wrong?? I can answer that in a split second- your outfits aren’t matching your photographer’s editing style. Every photographer has their own editing style and every photographer’s style has colors that work best with it. Some photographers edit very warm and others, very cool and if the outfits don’t fit the same tones as the edit, the photos aren’t going to look right, but you may not be able to put your finger on just why if your eyes aren’t trained to see it. Let’s talk about some ways that you as the consumer can limit the odds of your outfits not matching your photographer’s editing style, this way you hopefully get fantastic results every time you plan photos.
What is the general tone of your photographer’s edits? Can’t answer that questions? That’s okay! If your photographer is worth their weight in gold, they should be able to tell you very clearly what goes well with their editing style. If your photographer can’t do that, you can ask them what kelvin they shoot their camera in. If they shoot in the 5800 level range, then they are likely cool toned in style (or more on the blue scale), if they shoot closer to the 6500 range, then they are on the warm side of the scale (more on the yellow scale). Photographers who shoot more cool (like me!) tend to recommend colors that are cool toned- like blues, pure whites and grays. Photographers who shoot more warm tend to recommend colors that are brown, creams, and khaki. That’s not to say that a good blend of each can’t work for either photographer, but you’ll want the majority of the colors in your wardrobe to sit on the side that your photographer edits on for the absolute most cohesive look.
Read the education information that your photographer provides AND follow it. Like I said above, your photographer should be able to tell you what colors look best. Most photographers provide session prep information that lays out what your family should wear to photos. Please for the sake of your photos being as beautiful as possible, read the information and follow it closely. The prep info does absolutely no good if it’s not being followed. Remember we are trying to love you and want your photos to be great, we know what we’re doing when it comes to color. I definitely understand that sometimes what we recommend may put you out of your usual style comfort zone, but most of the time we can find a good balance in the middle, so reach out if you have questions about styling your session, I’ve never met a photographer who isn’t willing to help.
Look at the photographer’s portfolio, wear the same colors that you see in the examples. In the off chance that your photographer does not provide you session prep information, you can do this instead. Go to your photographers portfolio and take note what colors their clients typically wear. Choose a photo that you love, ask your photographer to take you to that location or a similar one, and then dress in colors like the people in the photo are wearing. By mirroring wardrobes on work your photographer has previously done, you are increasing the chances that it will be replicated on yours and giving you the exact results that you hired your photographer for.
The whole famly’s outfits need to match that tone. One last tidbit. Before your picture day, lay out the entire family’s wardrobe on a bed or the floor and make sure that all of the tones are cohesive and fitting the style that you are trying to match. Laying out the clothes will give you the full picture and allow you to decide if it’s well balanced. You can even move pieces around just to make sure mom looks good with dad and each kid looks good with each parent separately just to be extra sure that no one is clashing and that their is enough contrast to reduce that chances of blending in too much together.
