One of the most frequently asked questions I get when discussing branding sessions is ‘what should I wear?’. And honestly, it’s such a tough question to answer, for a number of reasons. The good news is there is no right answer, the bad news is it’s not straight forward to answer, there is no one size fits all.
Before you get into the specifics of what to wear, there are a few other things you need to ask yourself before deciding on an outfit (or outfits).
The first thing to think about, and the most important, is what story are you telling? What do you want your audience to know about you? How do you want them to feel? How do you want to feel? I know it feels like a big question but it will help guide you to the right answer, and it might bring up some not so obvious answers!
Let me give you an example…
Amber is a VA who is an absolute admin and automation wizard, she also loves helping people with their bookkeeping. Amber has decided she really wants to take a stand and wants to empower women to celebrate their success, financial, business, personal lives – all the wins they experience! So Amber decides she’s going to wear one of her favourite dresses, and she’d also like to get a party hat and some confetti and create a little ‘celebration’ story.
If you’re just looking at the outfit alone, it might not make sense, but once you know the story behind it, it absolutely makes sense. So, before you decide what to wear, think about YOUR story.
Amber might also choose to wear jeans and a slogan tee for one story, something with a little edge to show off her love of fashion, something with her brand colours and then something that ties in with her love of summer or the outdoors.
Don’t forget about your accessories. Perhaps you love hats, have a sentimental piece of jewellery, bring your sunnies, do you love scarves? Make sure your photographer understands what your stories are so they can capture the images that you truly want.
How many outfits you are able to incorporate also depends on the length or type of shoot you have chosen – just ask your photographer how many stories they think you’ll be able to fit in and plan from there.
Remember, no one is paying as much attention to what you’re wearing as you are! If you look back through profiles of some of the people you follow you might even notice that in the last lot of photos they’ve posted of themselves, the photos were taken on the same day, in the same location, in the same outfits, usually it’s not something that your fans notice (or care about) – a handful of outfits is more than enough to provide you with a few months of content.
Finally, go with what feels comfortable! If you hate wearing jeans, don’t wear them to your shoot – the more comfortable you feel the easier you’ll move, the easier you move the greater the shots your photographer will capture.
Have fun, be yourself and you can’t go wrong!
